Windsurfing, Kayaking and Tramping Adventures

Early on a Sunday morning in March, two physical education classes and 4 adults left Oamaru to travel to Wanaka for tramping and adventure based learning activities. 

The first challenge for the girls was to have a go at windsurfing - each group of 3 or 4 girls had been selected by the staff and their challenge was to learn to work cooperatively with people they were not used to and support each other to try the various activities. As just balancing on the board is a challenge in itself, there was a lot of laughter as bodies hit the water! However, by the end of the afternoon, those who had persevered were able to sail quite well, if not always in the direction they wanted! 

The evening was spent organizing gear and food in their groups ready for the tramp to Rob Roy glacier the next day.

Two groups of more intrepid students had pitched tents for the outdoor experience which turned into a real experience as a storm came through in the early morning and at 6.00am the tents were full of water and blown to the ground with broken poles! We had to evacuate and dry out!

Later, once everyone was warmed up and had eaten a nourishing breakfast, we headed up the West Matukituki Valley near Wanaka. The wet weather was still around so we had to wait until the end of the day to get the great views of Mt Aspiring during the drive to and from Raspberry Creek (the end of the road). At this time Aspiring Hut was closed for refurbishment and the planned overnight trip was changed to a day tramp to Rob Roy glacier. With a few girls carrying injuries the first uphill bit was a little challenging but we took it slowly and the group settled into their task, taking turns at finding the way and looking after the group. Three hours later we were able to sit in the sun for lunch with amazing views of the glacier. Going down was much quicker and although we had only tramped for one day the showers and ‘real’ food in Wanaka were most welcomed.

On the final day the groups visited Base Camp in Wanaka for Clip n Climb and team building activities and the lake for challenges in the kayaks and on the paddle boards. It was a fun time with many getting wetter than they should have as unfriendly peers targeted the wobbly girls on paddle boards. Congratulations to Emily Neal who was the fastest to top of the wall in 10.65 seconds.

There were some very tired and sore bodies returning home after three days of strenuous activity but with practical assessment for four different standards successfully completed.

Well done girls – your whole group worked really well together – and I’m sure learnt a lot about each other during the activities. And thanks very much to Miss Hueppauff, John Hamilton and Mark Sinclair for their practical help, encouragement and support of the girls.