Rakiura Adventures 2019

All students were fantastic and a real credit to their families. Big thank you to Miss Pearce, Mr Lousley, Mr Scoles and Mr Jenkinson for their help in making it such a a great way to finish term three. Next years booking has been made and it looks pretty exciting, with a change of venues inside the predator fenced area at Mamaku Point. It is the most densely populated area for brown kiwi in the world and has five private beaches!

The Stewart island trip was the best school trip by far. I made lots of new friends, memories and enjoyed every activity that we did.

My highlight of the trip, was when we went fishing. I struggled at first, but Mr Scoles showed me the ropes. In the end it turned out well because I caught the biggest blue cod. After the exciting day ended, we all went down to the local. There we had a scrumptious meal of blue cod for dinner that we had caught earlier. It tasted so good! It was especially tasty because we caught the fish ourselves. 

By Macy

The very second I stepped off the boat I knew I would have an amazing week. I was so excited then thinking back I know I had a reason to be excited.I thoroughly enjoyed the whole action packed week. I’d have to say one of my favourite moments was kiwi spotting at night, seeing a kiwi in the wild was surreal. I highly recommend this trip to anyone who loves fun and adventure, it’s worth every dollar.

By Charlotte

This year I was lucky enough to be chosen for the Stewart Island Trip. We were away for a week doing the most amazing activities. Some of my favourite things we did were fishing, tramping, kiwi spotting and pretty much everything we did.

The boat trip over was very rough, most of the group was sick. We stayed in a cottage close to the town. We went on many kiwi walks late at night. One night a couple of us saw a little kiwi. It was one of the most amazing things that happened on the trip.

This Stewart Island trip is an amazing experience for anybody that loves the outdoor world. I would definitely recommend this trip to everybody. This would be the best trip you can go at Tahuna!

By Luke

I loved this trip because of all the fun outdoor activities, fishing, kiwi hunting (kiwi spotting), bird watching, games at night and making new friends. My favorite part of this trip was the fishing in the rain and hail and then eating fresh battered blue cod for dinner. The car rides there and back were the best with Mr Lousley, playing loud music, singing to it and playing games. When you are on Ulva Island you will most likely get to see some rare birds such as Saddlebacks, Riflemen and The Stewart Island Robin. I really recommend this trip for everyone.

By Jessie 

I would largely recommend the Stewart Island camp. It is a great opportunity to learn about the history of Stewart Island and to learn about the wildlife around you. My favourite part of the trip was Ulva Island. It is a bird sanctuary free of predators. The wildlife is incredible. It is an amazing experience to be able to see what New Zealand would have been like when humans did not inhabit it. The kiwi walks are one of the best parts of the trip. I didn’t see any kiwi personally but I did see a little blue penguin and lots of other people saw a kiwi. The Stewart Island camp is an absolute must and you have to apply if you get the chance.

By Ted

I was one of the very privileged few who were selected to go on the Tahuna Stewart Island trip. It was the very first day and there was doubt in the air as we drove down to Bluff in the school vans, as there were high winds which meant there would be big waves. We had a plan B if the waves were to high and we could not cross we would stay at the Bluff Marae. We struck luck as the crossing was not to rough to cross, although sick bags were being filled and we had butterflies in our stomachs.

Two of the activities that we did were a 20km loop hike and a trip to Ulva Island which is a predator free Island. Ulva Island  is never quiet with all the birds and wildlife that flourish without predation. We stayed at Bunkers Backpackers which was a great place to regroup in our free time, some of us would be getting up close and personal with all the wildlife the Island has to offer, and some would be playing games. We had done lots of things outside our comfort zone, even the meals such as trying Paua and Kina. 

My personal highlights would have been fishing, catching 12 Blue Cod and a Dogfish, seeing all the wildlife such as going out at night and trying to spot Kiwi. I also enjoyed the teacher challenges such as the Fishing Charter, being split into teams to try and catch as many Blue Cod as we could - even better, I was on the winning team. I have learnt lots on this school trip such as developing more teamwork skills and learning about Stewart Island’s history and all the wildlife in it. This is the best school trip I have been on by far and I would recommend this trip to anyone who likes adventure and the outdoors if you like these things but are still unsure - just give it a go!  

By Marley