Camp 2013- Gemma

The 22nd October had approached. It's what I had been waiting and preparing for since the start of term 3. Camp 2013- held at Peter Snell Youth Village, Whangaparoa. Packed with everything, bag as full as full can be, we all headed for Whangaparoa.

The bus trip: Along the way we had to complete a scavenger hunt. This included questions and activities such as; what is the first bridge you cross,  how many signs, places do you see/pass, draw the signs you see and about 10 other questions.

Arrival: Finally after about an hour and a half of a slow drive, we reached PSYV (Peter Snell Youth Village). We; unpacked our bags from the bus, all equipment was unloaded, we got introduced to Gordon and his wife (Managers of PSYV) and started our first rotation of activities but of course after a scrumptious morning tea.

Activity 1, day 1 (rifle shooting): Rifle shooting was a great way to start camp. Shooting the rifle was a bit scary. We used slugs (bullets) to shoot tins (small and large). I shot a few which was exciting. Rifle shooting was cool with the group I'm in (The Champions).

Activity 2, day 1 (rock climbing): Rock climbing was harder than it looked with moving hand-holds and hard-to-reach places  but with a lot of support, it was achievable.

Waterslide: After each night doing the waterslide was compulsory. It was cold and quite scary but everyone did it.

Burma trail: The first day was very fun and to finish it off we did the burma trail. We didn't knw what was ahead of us nor did we know that there were some sneaky parents in the bush. prepared to scare us. There was a lot of screaming throughout from the group.

Activity 1,2,3 & 4, day 2: Wednesday there was 4 activities (camp cooking, initiative course, archery and absieiling). Camp cooking was...interesting. We used hobostoves to cook mini pancakes. They were successful but messy. Next was the initiative course. We had to work as a team to get through all stations. It was challenging but we finished all stations with good turnouts. After we had archery (with my dad). I felt like a girl version of Robin Hood. The string was painful- striking my face and arm several times- but I shot a lot of targets scoring 80 points overall. Lastly we did abseiling. I went first and found it easier than I first anticipated.

Cotton- Eyed- Joe dance and Talent Show: That night we had the Cotton-Eyed-Joe group performance. Our group (The Champions) came 3rd and it was very fun. After, all the students had to do an act (solo or group). The group I was in (Girl Power) came... 1st! It was awesome to hear how our hard work and commitment had paid off.

Snowplanet (Thursday): Wow! What an exciting day that was. I learnt how to ski properly- without any major falls. It was hilarious to watch my dad try and snowboard. Unfortunately for two people (Jansje and Callahan) the day wasn't the best. Callahan had a suspected broken arm and Jansje broke her leg! Nevertheless, they both stayed for the last night.

The Why Games: I now know how it got it's name. There was; baby food, lollies (yum), questionnaires, fizzy drinks and a lot of tummy-aching-people. Everyone had a great time (maybe not everyone) and it was definitely something to remember.

Last day (Friday pack up): The camp had sadly come to an end and we headed back to Wattle Downs. It was a quiet trip back- thankfully. Thank you so much to; parents, teachers, Gordon and his wife, also to all the students who helped to make this camp possible.