Our Year 13 Outdoor Education class go tramping.

On October 19th our year 13 Outdoor Education class got into the school vans and headed towards Huxley Valley where we were supposed to go on a three-day tramp, however, due to weather conditions we had to change our plans slightly and stop in Tekapo on the way, where we filled in time completing an orienteering course while waiting for the bad weather at the Huxley Valley to pass. 

After spending 2 hours completing the course in small groups, we ended up heading to Lake Ohau where we would camp for the night as this is what DOC advised us to do because of the poor weather. Here we all picked our favourite spots and set up our tents in the drizzling rain. 

We then went for a quick walk around the area so that we would have an opportunity for everyone to show off their leadership skills we learned in class. 

Back at camp, we played some games with the teachers and when it got colder, we lit a fire and roasted some tasty marshmallows. 

After a freezing cold sleep, and an early morning wake-up call from Sally, we all made the decision that we were going to stay at Lake Ohau another night rather than packing up all our gear again and staying the night at Paradise Flats in the Hopkins Valley. 

At 9am we hopped into the vans and headed up to the start of the Hopkins Track. The weather was perfect, maybe too perfect as a lot of us got sunburned. 9km into the tramp we reached Monument Hut, where we stopped for a well-deserved break and lunch. 

Most of us were ready to turn back and head to the vans, however, Mr Collins informed us that we had another 3km to go before we reached the turnaround point (the swing bridge over the Huxley river), everyone's jaws dropped. So we picked up our jaws and kept going. 

25km later and a few river crossings (which Shannon really enjoyed) we made it back to the van, great work girls!! 

Back at the tents everyone was pretty tired and headed to bed early. 

The next day we packed up our tents and cleaned up the DOC campsite area then headed to the Clay Cliffs for our final assessment opportunity.

I really enjoyed the chance to explore new places and have the opportunity to enhance my leadership and outdoor skills. 

A special thanks to Laura Seyb, Miss Grant and Mr Collins

By Shannon Graham and Georgia Robertson