Year 10 Bay of Islands trip
By Arina Bosch
On Thursday, 6th May, myself and seven other staff members embarked on the twelve hour trip to the Bay of Islands with the entire Year 10 cohort. Seventy-two students and eight adults filled two buses and hit the road before 9am, excited about the whirlwind of activities we had planned. Our first stop was the Treaty Grounds at Waitangi, where the wonderful staff were there to welcome us as we stepped off the buses. Students made an outstanding impression with their genuine interest in the kōrero of the guides, and their readiness to answer questions. We were lucky enough to see Ngātokimatawhaorua, the ceremonial war waka, as well as Hobson’s Beach, James Busby’s house, and of course, the wonderful museum filled with artifacts from this critical period of New Zealand’s history. The students seemed most impressed with the chartered ferry from Waitangi to Russell. Many were brave enough to sit on the third level, although a few came back down once the ferry picked up speed! While in Russell, students visited Pompallier House, the old French mission building and printery, and Christ Church, believed to be the oldest church in New Zealand. We walked around looking at the historic buildings of Russell, once the notorious Kororāreka, known as the ‘Hell-hole of the Pacific’ for it’s grog sellers and unsavoury behaviour (I am pleased to say that our students did not follow the example of the poor behaviour of these early settlers!). After catching the ferry back to Russell, we boarded our buses and headed down to the historic pā site at Ruapekapeka, where British soldiers were lured into the middle of nowhere to attack the pā site. Our students enjoyed the final stop for the day, which involved fast food in Whangārei. The bus trip home consisted of very hyped students, and very tired teachers, but a wonderful day out was had by all, and the weather was spectacular.
