Twenty-six students, three parents, Mrs Wolff and Mrs Cooper spent 10 hours in lovely weather conditions in the Karangahake Gorge last Saturday. We decided to forgo the usual overnight, two-day experience and cram it into one day to keep within Alert Level 2 restrictions about sharing tents. Quite a few hours tramping, including some steep uphill climbs, were rewarded with great views.

Skills practised included map and compass work, cooking a proper lunch on cookers using water from the river, First Aid scenarios, river safety – including how to cross a river using mutual support, and experiencing a long-drop.

By the end of the day everyone was tired but buzzing! We are all looking forward to the qualifying tramp next term – an overnight trip to the Pinnacles in the Kaueranga Valley.