Wainuiomata Camp

Schedule

Students will arrive at school early in order to catch a private bus to Camp Wainui (campwainui.co.nz). Tawa College will have private use of the whole camp. Students will set up tents with their friends. Tents will hopefully be provided by families!

Meeting at school, students will need to have their day pack/ backpack with lunch, water bottle, sun hat, a warm jumper/thermal and rain jacket. In addition, they will have one overnight bag, with the gear listed below, and a tent if you are providing one. The day pack must be separate from the overnight bag. Please wear appropriate sports clothing with lace up sports shoes with good grip. No denim please. Bring your own medication if required.

Once at Camp Wainui your child will either go on the Orongorongo walk or do the activities at camp, depending on their house group. These two options are detailed below.

Back at camp we have a large camping area at the back as well as the use of the hall and kitchen and toilets in the huts. There are a few showers available but we would strongly discourage the use of the showers where possible as it takes a while for 120 people to shower and we are only away for one night.

There will be some relaxing time before dinner before we eat in the hall. Dinner will be cooked by staff in the hall. The menu will be pasta, mild chilli bolognaise (halal beef mince or veggie options) topped with cheese, and fresh buttered rolls. Ice cream and fruit is for dessert. In the evening we will play some camp games/quizzes and spotlight before everyone is sent back to their own tents for lights out at around 10pm.

On the second day we will wake nice and early and have a breakfast of cereals, toast and spreads in the hall. Tents will be packed down and overnight bags packed. These will be left in a pile ready for the buses to pick them up in the afternoon.

Students will then do the activity that they didn't do the previous day, either the walk or the camp activities. The private buses will arrive at camp ready to pick us up around 2.45pm. We will return to school around 3.30pm.

Camp Activities

Students will be split into a further three groups and rotate through three activities at Camp Wainui. One will be emergency bivvy making where they will learn to construct shelters that will help them survive in an emergency.

Another activity will be strolling to the Grattan Bushline hut which gives them a taster of an old school DOC hut. Here we will sit in the bush and learn about search and rescue techniques.

The final activity will be raft building in teams at the lagoon. The lagoon has great visibility all the way around, no currents and students can stand in almost all of it. If your child chooses to race their group's raft, they will wear a PFD (lifejacket) that has been fitted by staff.

Orongorongo Walk

Students will take their day pack with their second lunch and a water bottle, rain jacket and warm top/hat and board the bus to go 7km down the road to the Catchpool carpark in the Remutaka Valley Park. From here they will walk the Orongorongo track in and out of the valley (5.2km each way).

Please note, there is a track detour right at the end of the track due to a potential slip - we will be taking the detour that DOC has provided. On the way, your child will learn some map reading skills and about local flora and fauna and some basic tramping skills/etiquette.

Once in the stream, we will relax, explore the valley, have some lunch and learn how to make some hobo stoves for toasted marshmallows.

Reminders

• There is very limited cell phone coverage at camp. If you need to contact your child in an emergency and you cannot reach them via their mobile phone, please contact the school during school hours or Camp Wainui after hours on (04) 564 5305. There is not an abundance of power points for students to charge their phones whilst away. I would advise them to either have a power bank, or even better, turn their phone to aeroplane mode whilst at camp to preserve battery and then turn it back on when they arrive back at school if they need to contact you for a lift home etc. They should not be on their devices whilst away.


• In the permission slip, caregivers agreed that they would discuss with their child the rules of camp. These include no alcohol, vaping, smoking, drugs and following the rules at all times. If students are found to break these rules then you will be called to come and pick them up and there may be further consequences at school. Once it is 'lights out' in the evening, all students must stay in their own tents.


• Remember that students need to bring their own packed lunches for both days. Please ensure your child has enough food to sustain them on the 10km walk and for the activities at camp. Water bottles can be refilled from the camp taps and should be brought for dinner time and breakfast.


• If you have not yet paid, I would appreciate it if you could soon. If payment is a problem please let me know. The total cost for the four days is $90. If you have a personalised programme due to injuries etc, please contact the school office and they will advise you on how much you need to pay. If you wish to pay via internet banking, please use the following:

Details are Tawa College, 12-3192-0011938-00. Please include 'Last name, First name' and 'EOTC' in the reference box.

Gear list

Day pack

Lunch, water bottle, sun hat, sunscreen, a warm jumper/thermal and rain jacket. Any personal medication. Please label your day pack with your name and form class.

Overnight bag

Pyjamas, torch, sleeping bag, a full change of warm clothes, warm hat, small towel, togs if you wish to go in the lagoon for raft building. Toothbrush and toothpaste. Your packed lunch for the second day, roll mat or inflatable mattress (highly recommended but you will cope without one). Any medication / sanitary items you may require. Please name your bag clearly with your name and form class.

Optional

Pillow case (that you can stuff with clothes to use as a pillow), snacks for nighttime, a sports ball or playing cards etc for evening entertainment, insect repellent, slides or jandals for the evening. Please leave speakers for music at home.

Tent/sleeping bags

If your family can provide a tent and/or spare sleeping bags, please label it clearly with your name and form class. Parents - I would advise you to check how many tent pegs etc there are so that your child gets them all back in. You may also wish to check your tent when it is brought home to make sure it is completely dry. We will be packing up early and hopefully all the dew will have disappeared, but I would hate for you to open a mouldy tent a year later!