The journey thus far (part 1)

Meeting our Maori hosts

Also meeting our Maori hosts

Creepy faces watching us sleep...

We got Stefan to fly along outside the plane to get this photo

Luxury travel at its finest

Stefan's Space

21/07/2010 Wednesday

Day1

The airbus 380 is delayed coming from Dubai into Sydney but eventually offers free seats everywhere (the flight is only half full) and the kids take advantage of the sophisticated entertainment system with their individual screens. So much for a digital detox!

A traditional powhiri (Marae greeting) welcomes us into our first location. We also perform one of our songs , rub noses with the elders and go to bed with dozens of Maori face sculptures looking at us white fellows. Twenty eight people in one room finally falling asleep despite the giggles and snoring around them at the end of a long but great first day. Stefan

Adriana's Space 22/07/2010

22/07/2010 Thursday

Good evening parents, first and foremost a cold and rainy 9 degrees Celsius hello here from Auckland. I would usually go to the trouble of asking you all if you miss us, but reality gets the better of me here. Don’t feel guilty – there’s much to gain from this not missing each other thing, really. Some of these benefits include saving on water, electricity, petrol, groceries, time and sanity. I’d all highly recommend you pick up a Bunnings catalogue as soon as you can. While we’re away and busy with other things apart from being time and money consuming teenagers, you ought to think about finally putting in the new awning or fixing the driveway pavement. You couldn’t do those things before because you spend the money you could have spent on those things on us, right?

I hope you’re all enjoying the new found silence in your homes. Unfortunately I can’t say the same. Who could have known that 16 year olds once herded into a group overseas could make so much collective noise? Maybe you could take on the rather easy task of making a sound recording in your childs bedroom and send the file via e-mail? Please and thank you :) Age

Meg's Space 22/07/2010

22/07/2010 Thursday

Today as the sun was rising (6 freakin am!!) the whole class woke up to the wonderful noise of Farmer Phil banging a spoon on a pan, next we heard Stefan with his wakey wakey. We were then eating like kings with our corn flakes and buttered toast. We then played some Maori games that ‘Ben’ taught us with sticks and tricky words. We then learnt the Haka, which was really cool and quite catchy (te waka!!) we sung Jacob happy birthday in Maori and then sat down for lunch which then we were eating like queens little triangled sandwiches some with cucumber, some with chicken, some with egg. After all of that we bummed around in the Marae and got ready to go to the thermal pools. We all got in our buses and drove into the sunset heading towards the thermal pools (it wasn’t really sunset) after some time of driver Stefan and Partrice’s buses went the wrong way, so Farmer Phil pulls over by the road and no longer than 3 minutes later does a police man pull up behind it, our bus thought it was so funny. After all of that playing sweet and sour with cars the slow ones (Stefan and Patrice) finally caught up and we continued driving to the thermal pools. When we arrived there was a sudded “ahhhh” as soon as the 40 degrees water touched us, it was so good! And it was a surprise that the whole class wasn’t in the café (only a few of us). After swimming our little hearts out we started heading back to the Marae and the sun was actually setting this time. After playing one hundred and one car games and screaming we broke into song and sung our ‘te arohah’ song and arrived safely back at the Marae. Now, there’s a group of girls cooking risotto in the kitchen and the rest of us on beds either reading, attacking Josh, straightening hair, debating by the heaters or typing for the blog. I can’t wait for oats in the morning, I love oats. Over & out :) Meg

Tuesday 20/7/2010 - Prelude to Adventure

And thus do all true adventures commence, in the stillness before the true beginning. In the time of calm before the whirlwind descends. In this silent moment our adventurers have begun to come together, gathering for pizza, movies & sleep to prepare themselves for whatever the coming days and weeks will hold.
At 4:30 tomorrow morning, the true adventure begins.

Mitchell McCarthy (Alumni/Class 10 assistant)