Students check out Wellington sights at camp
Takapau School Year 8s visit capital
In August a group of 20 Year 8 Takapau School students along with two parents and two teachers headed off for a threeday camp in Wellington. The group stayed at Top Ten Lower Hutt and despite having wet weather they declared it a great time.
They visited Te Papa first followed by Weta Workshop in Miramar, which took care of day one. The next day they caught the train into town, and then a double decker bus to Wellington Zoo where they took a guided tour. After catching a bus back to the city they jumped aboard the famous Wellington Cable Car but unfortunately couldn’t get a good view of Wellington due to the weather.
The group did some city shopping then walked around the base of Parliament Buildings before catching the train back to Lower Hutt where they enjoyed H20 in Upper Hutt — always a popular school camp venue.
The trip home took in the Southward Car Museum with an amazing collection of cars.
The students said “This camp gave us some city experiences and lots of new learning.”
The Year 8s are a busy group this year, as they are also doing the William Pike Challenge which takes them into the outdoors. Marian Campbell has volunteered to lead this initiative, with a recent tramp to Sunrise Hut as one of the five outdoor activities they have to complete.
The students have camped at Porangahau earlier in the year, and been to Gum Tree Hill to do orienteering.
The next trips are mountain biking and a three-day camp at Guthrie
Smith Wilderness Park in November.
They also need to complete 20 hours of community service and a passion project.
Principal Biddy Tully said, “This is wonderful learning for our students and we are thankful to all the support the wider community has provided to make the William Pike Challenge happen.”
Last week the school held a fundraiser, planting more than 3000 native trees on a local farm with help from parents, teachers, Year 8
students and local businesses who Biddy says “worked really hard and helped us to get all the plants in the ground and raise more than $4000 for the school”.
“Thank you to Kintail Honey, Rabobank, BNZ, Bayleys Real Estate, HB Regional Council and Fish & Game
who all turned up to help plant. We could not have done it without you. Thank you also to Silver Fern Farms who supplied cube rolls for our lunch and gave us a midday boost. Thank you also to Ben and Beth Wilson for offering up this great fundraising opportunity on their beautiful farm.”