Notes from the Outdoor Shed.

Term one is coming to an end and it's been a busy one! I spent 21 days in the field which has been busy but very rewarding!

Yr 7 abseiling at Mt Hutt retreat. Amazing to see our younger students challenge themselves abseiling off a 10m cliff! There were a few tears and some only managed to clip on and look over the edge. This can be a challenging moment and they all had my respect for pushing themselves. My thanks to the teachers and the parents who helped out.

Year 11 day trip rafting down the Rangitata River. Always good to get on our local river.

A yr 12 Day trip to Woolshed Creek Hut. This was a shake-down trip for year 12 to get to know each other and to help bring new students to Outdoor Ed into the team. 

Year 11 Rakaia. I have been trialling different trips for the last 3 years and wasn't totally happy with the last 2 trips. The Rakaia is a winner and ticks all the boxes for me. It combines a 2-day tramp to A-frame hut in the Hakatere followed by a day trip down the Rakaia Gorge. I really liked the transition to a different pursuit and students were grateful not to have to carry their packs any further on the third day! I ended up running two groups as I started with 31 students in the class. Both groups did incredibly well. High lights were playing games, the view and the Rakaia gorge itself. I also may

Year 12 Hawea Trip is a 6-day trip where I split the group into two groups; half go tramping this year up the Motatapu Track inland from Wanaka while the rest of the team build up to kayaking grade 2 white water in kayaks. The week was a great success with an awesome group of students making the most of the opportunities. It was great to see the students cooking for themselves on camp cookers, learning what they really need to carry in their packs and for one student the realisation that having just 2 pairs of underwear for the week was quite enough!

Year 13 Mission was to head to Murchison rafting, funyakking and kayaking. Some students had never guided before so it was great to see their confidence and competence improve throughout the week. The students enjoyed flipping the raft, making a 'helicopter' out of the raft and trialling different vessels. I was impressed when they managed to get 8 people on the 2 person funyak, even if it was for only 2 seconds!

Even though we had spent a lot of time planning our meals, the students created some elaborate meals while others focused on a large quantity of sausages! The river rescue session at O'Sully's proved to be a hit with students jumping into a rather boily eddyline. 

In the Outdoor Ed shed we have a trip hall of fame. If the trip is a great trip the students get to put their names on a paddle and it is screwed to the wall. All of these trips gained a paddle (including Ella's other river shoe!)

My thanks to Peel Forest Outdoor Center Guides and Ultimate Descents in Murchison.

Cheers, Hayden Titchener