10S Mt Aspiring camp report

By Charlie Scott | Posted: Thursday March 2, 2023

What a fantastic week!

The great lads in 10S along with teachers Kate Hope, Emma Moore, Brenna Sinclair and Charlie Scott, as well as Year 13s Ted McFadgen and Bryce Lott, were lucky to experience a week of friendship, adventure, challenge and growth at our school lodge in the scenic Matukituki Valley.

Our week of adventure began bright and early on Sunday morning at school where we packed the bus and headed out on the long journey to the lodge. As we had great weather to start the week, we made the best of it by hanging out at the river on Sunday, swimming and fishing, before heading out on our overnight on the Monday.

We camped at the base of the walk to Rob Roy Glacier on Monday night. The boys were challenged to be self-sufficient for the night. They had to hike in all their gear, set up their tents, cook their food and maintain the campsite as a group. Whilst this will have been a challenge for many of the lads, it was great to see them come together as a group to help each other out and make it an enjoyable experience.

After packing up the camp on Tuesday morning, we headed off up the Rob Roy Glacier walk. This was a challenging but beautiful walk, through pristine NZ bush and taking in breath-taking views of rivers, waterfalls, and the base of the glacier. As we approached the summit of the walk, the weather moved in making it a challenging place to prepare and eat our lunch. It was great to see the group work together to help each other out and make the best of it. It’s fair to say that the lodge looked luxurious on our return after roughing it in the wilderness for the night and walking through the rain that afternoon.

Wednesday was a very wet day in the Matukituki, however the lads did not let it dampen their spirits. After morning chores, the ‘Matukituki Big Wet’ competition commenced. This consisted of several games and challenges in which cabin groups competed against each other for supremacy. It was a fun day in which the brotherhood of our lads was on display as they worked with their group members and participated well with high spirits.

Although Thursday was quite overcast, we were able to get out of the lodge and explore some of the valley. The Matukituki showed off its beauty on this day, with snow dusted mountain tops and fast flowing waterfalls. A few brave souls in the group even braved it for a swim in the picturesque Wishbone Falls. The keen fishermen in the group tried in vain to catch some trout, however mother nature wasn’t playing her part as the river was still running with significant colour following the rainfall.

On reflection of the camp, it is right to say what a fantastic group of young people 10S were. They worked hard and played harder. They learnt to look out for each other across the course of the week, and showed resilience when times were tough. They were very, very lucky to have such wonderful seniors who always acted with care for them and each other, and were a massive support to the teachers. Ted and Bryce are a credit to themselves, their whanau and their school. Thank you lads.

Finally, thank you to Kate Hope, Emma Moore and Brenna Sinclair for being sensational teachers on camp and awesomely good people! You are appreciated.

It was a great week and should set 10S up for a good year. Well done to all.