Year 12 PE Studies students had a week full of surfing, kayaking and well, lots of water! As part of their PE Studies course, 25 Year 12 students went camping at Tawharanui Regional Park with Mr. Bali, Mr. Camp and Ms. Samaeli. During their time there, they not only had a fun experience but they also learnt and applied risk management skills on the beach.
Day One:
Starting their day off early in the morning, the students headed to Piha Beach. Here, they learned how to identify different risks when on the ocean, how to kneeboard and how to rescue someone if they were drowning. After this informative lesson, they drove up to their campsite.
Day Two:
On their second day, they headed to Goat Island, where they went snorkeling and kayaking. While snorkeling, they were able to get up close to the sea life animals, such as fish, eagle rays and crayfish. Here, they were getting assessed on the application of their snorkeling skills which they had practiced in some of their PE lessons. This was also a great opportunity for the students to apply their risk management strategies in kayaking. After these activities, they came back to the site, made dinner and relaxed.
Day Three:
This day was full of surfing where many students described it as a “fun experience.” Although many did not know how to surf or have never tried surfing, almost everyone was able to catch a wave and stand up. As it was new, it was definitely a thrilling experience with lots of falling and splashing. Later, they went to have a walk late at night at the beach. This gave them the opportunity to reflect and also think about their assessment.
Day Four:
The last day of their camp consisted of many students tired and sunburnt. The day was mainly filled up by cleaning and packing up their stuff. Though it was sad to leave the camp behind, they created new memories that they’d cherish forever. So, to end their once in a lifetime trip, they had McDonald’s to finish it right.
Throughout these activities, the students learnt new things and had a fun and enjoyable time. Joshua Wooler summed up his experience at the camp saying, “It was so good! We were able to have fun during activities that have a high level of risk, thanks to our risk management strategies and the help of our instructors/teachers.”
A huge thank you goes to Mr. Bali, Mr. Camp and Ms. Samaeli for their preparation and all their help in making this camp possible and for keeping it fun.
