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MUD GLORIOUS MUD

“Mud!”
“Where?”
“There!”
“Oh yeah! Where?”
“That’s not mud that’s sheep poo!”
“Don’t jump in that!”

During week 5, we year 7 and 8s went for a 4 night camp at the Waitomo caves. One of the first things we did was the team covenant.
Jed our awesome guide took us to the starting point up on a steep hill. The boys ran ahead towards the post where we were meant to start.
“Don’t waste your energy just yet; we still have a while to go”
The boys started to sprint down the other side of the hill yelling “SORRRRRRY!!!” Unable to stop.
“Do they ever listen?” Jed asked.
“Only on a special occasion or in other words, no” we replied.
“First we will need to collect earth or in other words mud”
“YAY!”
“WOHO!”
Did I mention we like mud?
After we had collect the mud and wallowed in it we walked on to find the sunlight and came across a river blocking our path.
“Ladies first!” I screamed charging in.

Most people crossed the bridge which was the smarter choice of the two but instead Tama, Kate and I ended up not being able to escape the wrath of the evil grass which pulled us back by our ankles.
But then David came to the rescue and heaved us out
“Well, at least our clothes are clean”
We walked on and on holding the gumboot with the mud we had collected inside and also the empty gumboot until we came across circle outlined with small rocks. There was a stout wooden post in the middle of the circle with a gumboot on the top of it.
“All you have to do it get the gumboot out of the circle without taking a step beyond the rocks. The circle represents the sun so if you step in it you will burn and die. You can only use the rubber band and 3 ropes provided” Jed said.

In the end we managed to retrieve the gumboot. Just. We held the ropes tightly and then twisted them around the gumboot pulled the ropes across slowly and ta-da we got it.
We walked some more and climbed down a steep rocky ledge and what do you know – water. It didn’t look deep but as soon as we pounced into it we were up to our necks in muddy water. We filled the empty gumboot with water and then for what seemed like ages we wallowed in it and then crawled limply out.

We walked for some more and then we painted the ninja stripes on our faces with a bit of thee mud we had collected. We then came across a huge rock with a crack in it big enough for someone to squeeze through
“Only ninjas can squeeze through here” Jed said with a wide grin plastered on his face.
We climbed over a fence to a small cliff. Ginny was then strapped to a harness and we housted her up so she could reach the rusty key to unlock the valuable treasure chest. While we were heaving her up we feel into a deep mud puddle that made an oozing sound. The treasure was two yummy chrunchie bars each. We ate them like a hungry wolf would eat a fat little boy. This activity was really enjoyable.

by Rachel

These are some of the students before we went to Stubbs Farm

And here they are during the activities.

Abseiling

“Man Kate,” my mates muttered to me. “It’s soooo scary. I bet you won’t do it.”
“Oh yeah,” I replied. “We’ll see about that.

It was team 2’s turn for abseiling and we were extremely excited. Well at least I was.
The boys had told me that it was hard but I’m a girl, I can do anything.

“HARNESS TIGHT?” Ben our guide asked.
“CHECK!”
“HELMET TIGHT?”
“CHECK!”
We were good to go.

First we went to the practise hill (which wasn’t even steep.) He taught us how to lock part of our harness to the rope and how to go down slowly with our hand by our side.

Then Ben took us up to the 10metre high, steep rock-face. I could see the boys shaking on the bench, meanwhile the girls were bouncing with excitement. Rachel had called dibs on first so I went second.
I watched Rachel disappear out of sight from my seat. And that’s when the butterflies came, my nerves kicked in.

After what seemed like ages of silence a small voice called “I’m at the bottom.”
I let out a sigh of relief.

“Next.” Ben called.
I got geared up and stood hanging off the edge of a 10metre high cliff. I felt as light as a feather, like I was dreaming. Then, reality kicked in.
“Good to go.” Ben said with a grin on his face.

I hesitated, then my hand slid to the side and my legs started walking like I wasn’t controlling myself.
At about half way there was a bit of a dip in the wall. My foot slipped off the rock and I was hanging just hanging like a fly dangling from a web. Somehow I managed to get my feet back on and abseil for 5 more metres.

I could hear my mates yelling words of encouragement to me but they sounded like faint voices to me because all I could hear was my heart beating.

After about 30 more seconds I thought ‘Where on earth is the bottom?’ Then my foot reached something that wasn’t rock. It was moist and kind of soft.
‘Ground.’


Finally I had reached the ground.
“Good job.” I heard faintly from the top. “Now unhook yourself.”

I struggled to unhook myself because my hands were shaking with excitement.
I walked down the rough pathway like I was walking on pillows. I was obviously still a bit dizzy.

When I was up the top I watched everyone anxiously. Some of the boys didn’t want to go but they faced their fears and went. I was dying for another turn but unfortunately we ran out of time.

When we all assembled back I told the boys that I had done it. They just smiled and said whatever but I knew they were thinking ‘She really did do it!’

Abseiling was a great experience and I loved it. I would love to do it again someday but I don’t know if my parents would like the idea of watching me disappear down a rock-face only being held up by a piece of rope. Maybe I’ll convince them someday.

by Kate Jones

Huhunui Cave by Harlem Ioelu

An awesome journey through Huhunui cave as we are at the start of the cave with our helmets on and with our light turned on. We walk through the really cold water kicking rocks as we walk through the cave. As we walk a long Jar and Troy tell us how caves form and how long they have been around for. When we get further in to the cave all you can hear is Jar and Trent singing and they where singing nearly the whole way. When we got half way we had to turn off our lights and put one hand on the person in front of us then we kept walking and there were glow worms every where. We looked and it looked beautiful with all the glow worms glowing. We walked through the cave with our lights off for a long time. Then we turned them back on and looked at how they catch there food. After we looked we kept walking and when we were nearly out we sat down on rocks and Jar and Troy gave us some hot raro and some biscuits. I had four biscuits with my drink. Then when we finished, we kept walking along in the dark and there was heaps of deep parts and the water went up two our chest. So Trent carried Josh over so he didn’t drown in the deep parts of the cave. When we got out of the cave it was colder but we all had fun going through the cave because we had seen glow worms and we got raro with biscuits. It took us two hours to walk through the cave because it was really cold, no warmth got in to the cave. That is why the cave was so cold. When we walked through the cave we saw lots of things like old rocks and lots of stalactites and stalagmites.

by Harlem Ioelu

Here We Are At Camp Waitomo

My Camp Story by Bridget Sullivan

The feeling of terror struck me like a lightening bolt. The feeling shot all through my body, from my head, all the way down to my toes.

I couldn’t think straight, my head was spinning with lots of different thoughts.

Would I slip? Would I fall? Would I break a bone?

The answers to these questions I didn’t know, but I did know this, I had to do this and be brave.

The harness felt tight against my waist and my head ached with the weight of my helmet.

Click!

I heard the rope that would lower me down get fastened to my harness.

“Put your right foot here and your left foot there.” Said our guide. I did as he said.

“Now lean back and relax, slowly put your feet on the cliff and walk down it.” He said. “Take as much time as you want.”

This was easier said than done. Leaning back was scary, but walking down the cliff is even scarier!!!

I remember how boring it was, waiting in line for my turn.

I remember feeling excited when it was my turn, but then I saw it, looking down the cliff I remember seeing how big it was. I couldn’t even see the bottom!

Now here I was, walking down the face of that very same cliff, BACKWARDS!!! “This is crazy!” I said to myself.

I relaxed as the guide said. “This is actually quite fun.” I thought.

I inched myself down the cliff, pausing for a photo for Mr Easson. I sped up my pace and in no time at all I was safely on flat ground.

“That was really fun. I hoe I do it again.” I said.

When I was at the top again the guide said. “You were great!”

“Thanks.” I said.

I sat down on the bench and waited for my turn for the second time.

Abseiling is now my favourite sport. If I ever do it again I hope to do it on an even bigger cliff.

by Bridget Sullivan