Student quote of the week:

"I wish school was like this everyday"

After a long Easter break, Te Kinga students faced the challenge of climbing up to the last lookout on Mount Te Kinga. This is the view from the top - and everyone made it! 

A group photo on the way up...

Snacking and enjoying the view at the top...

Some were overjoyed to come down!

Some were simply exhausted!

After a quick lunch it was down to the lake for a refreshing dip!

Followed by fire-making to warm up again!

And with fires there MUST be marshmallows!

Another quick dip...

and back to school! 

As the teacher in Te Kinga, I was extremely proud of each and every one of our students for making through the mud and conquering the slippery terrain to reach our goal destination. Those who were tired, those who stumbled, and those got sucked into the mud, showed great resilience by not giving up and continuing on. It also was great to see them look out for each other and work well in teams (especially in fire-building). 

Of course we wouldn't have been able to go anywhere without our dedicated team of adults and a highlight of the day was having karakia and singing a beautiful waiata with Di, as we looked out at the beautiful landscape before us at the top. 

And finally, it was refreshing to hear the words 'I wish school was like this everyday' with not a device in sight! A stunning day spent with a special group of people - it's going to be hard to top this one...