On a beautiful sunny morning in Week 5, a bus load of 53 KURA kids shot out to Camp Wainui for a bit of fun in the mud.  We joined 1200 other students from around the Wellington region for day two of the Tough Guy and Gal Challenge - an extreme off-road running event loaded full of mud, water, obstacles and hills.

Straight off the bus we had tamariki slipping and sliding in the mud (some by choice, others not), and many were completely covered by the time the race started. It wasn’t long before their resilience and independence was being tested as the mud got deeper, the falls got harder and the finish line seemed to never get closer.

As the adults cheered on with their warm clothes and coffee, the kids were figuring out the best way to climb over obstacles without slipping, or how to turn corners without bailing. However, the smiles on their faces and the promise of a warm shower at the end showed that it was all worth it.  The added bonus of winning a spot-prize for ‘The Brightest School’ was enjoyed by all (as was the prize of chocolate fish).

We had an awesome group of parent helpers on the day who helped to wrangle our excited kids, and who provided so much support across the whole day - it wouldn’t have been possible without them.

The bus ride home was a lot quieter - a strong sign of a good day out. So bring on the 2024 challenge!