At our last meeting we had Kataraina Nock, Principal of Edmund Hillary School, and a year 8 pupil, Faith, tell us about their recent time at YMCA’s Camp Adair, Hunua. The school, which is a Decile 1, has been unable to fund camps for the pupils for many years, but this year reached out to the community for assistance. The total cost of the camp, including food and transport was $25,000. 70 pupils and several staff, plus one parent, spent 4 days in the beautiful rural bush setting. Papakura Rotary Club, in conjunction with Downtown Rotary and a District Grant, gave a total of $6,000 towards the cost.
The children from Years 6 - 8 spent four days of varied activities - kayaking, bush walks, archery, mud slides, high ropes, confidence course, Flying Fox, Burma trail, camp fire and a night walk to see glow worms. For many of the children, this was their first experience of being away from home, of being out in the countryside, let alone participating in all the activities. The smiles on their faces said it all as they carried on through the rain, covered in mud at times. The children were very supportive and encouraging of each other and their personal growth in confidence was evident. They will all have wonderful memories of their time at camp.
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