On a gorgeous Upper Hutt lunchtime in the shade of the oak tree at the front of the school, Year 9's along with their Tuakana-Teina leaders, had a Teddy Bear picnic. 9BW's Hannah Summers gives us her account of the event.

When I heard about the picnic, I wasn't sure I'd go. I’m not a generally social person, and I wasn’t sure what would even be going on there. My class was in the library when a bunch of Year 13's came in to tell us more, and I started to warm to the idea. That said, I also happened to remember the little teddy that had been on my bookshelf for the last five years, and I decided why not?

I'm glad I did. There was a lot of food, people milled around talking to each other, and I wound up talking to some of them. They’d even hooked up a bunch of speakers to play music, like a proper party.

The sun was out and the slight breeze made for good weather.

There were opportunities to get extra food and a certificate for your teddy, and I got ‘littlest teddy’, which I used to my advantage as I tucked the plushy into my collar as I ate. There was a huge amount of food, from cake to meringues to kebabs. There was also some kind of photo opportunity, but I opted to nibble on some biscuits instead.

Everyone was very friendly, and someone even let me have some of their hot chips. It was a great chance to talk to more people, eat and show off your plushies. All in all, a good day out.