Tane Raukura Camp 2019

Each camp started with a briefing here at School and we then moved to the buses and vans and onto Whirinaki Recreation Camp. Students were split into House Groups and then split into two activities. Rafting and River Crossing and Bushcraft with a bush bash to finish.

 

The Water activities such as the River Crossing and Rafting gave the students knowledge and tools to be confident in and around water and instructions about what to do around rivers, such as identifying hazards and then safe ways to navigate either across or down stream. We believe that these skills are important for New Zealand children. With a majority of them having access to some form of body of water be it a lake, river or pool. This activity was by far the most popular.

 

The Bushcraft enables students to learn about different aspects of the bush, be it a simple bush walk along a track, knowing what to do if lost and then navigating from point A to B when a track is not available. The bush bash gave a bit of competition to each group and team work was the key to get all members to the correct exit point the fastest.

 

Once each group swapped over for the afternoon Haka practice was on the cards with the Year 13 Prefects and staff on hand to offer support. After dinner with Mr Hodges’ famous camp stew, students bunked down for the night choosing either the cabins or tents as their place of sleep.

 

Day Two, gave the opportunity for students to learn gun safety and what to do when handling a firearm. This not only would not only benefit them with regards to firearms, but also directions on how to be safe in any dangerous situation. Learning to be calm and then being able to make positive decisions are a skill that every young man will learn as they progress through their adolescence.

 

After a debrief of their experiences at camp and a quick bite to eat, the students were then back on the bus and heading back home to Rotorua, where we hope that the skills, knowledge and experiences they had at Year 9 Tane Raukura camp will at least give them good foundation blocks to be a Raukura Man!