Girls’ School Year 8 Camp at Great Barrier

With howling 35-knot crosswinds, Year 8 camp got off to a rocky start and we delayed our sailing to Great Barrier by 24 hours. With a shortened camp, we were determined to make the most of every single moment at Orama with the Hillary Outdoors team, and we certainly packed a lot into a few days. Kayak adventures, abseiling, river-hopping, coasteering, rock-climbing, tramping, waka trips, jumping off high rocks into the water below, and team-building. No opportunity was missed. The last evening saw the girls toasting marshmallows by the campfire and singing along with Mr Williams. Their voices were heard from near and far and there was no doubt that the Year 8 girls embraced every opportunity. The resilience and courage shown by many to climb higher, take the jump, push a little further, or even just be away from home for a week was admirable, and they certainly left the island with happy hearts and many new experiences.