On Monday, 12th November at 4.00am, 34 Year 10 students and 6 staff met at LAC. There, we set off to Abel Tasman National Park to complete our final memory moment of the Year 10 Invictus programme.
As a group we travelled in a convoy to Wellington where the ferry took us across Cook Strait; from there we headed down to Marahau, the gateway to Abel Tasman National Park. Students embarked on either hiking or kayaking, carrying all their overnight gear to Anchorage Bay where they camped for two nights. The Year 10 cohort was then challenged with an additional day of hiking and kayaking, where we travelled to Bark Bay. This was a challenge for some as this was a battle against the tide, where if you miss the tide you have a 4-hour hike, opposed to the 2.5-hour low tide route. Our students took this challenge in their stride and successfully completed this challenging route.
On our final day in Abel Tasman, the groups changed and set off either hiking or kayaking back to Marahau, the finishing line for the outdoor experience. It was an incredible Journey and would not have been possible without the students working together and supporting each other throughout each of the challenges. It was a great treat to spot from our kayaks, sea lions, jellyfish as well as several stingrays. For most of our students, this was the first time to see such sights.
This outdoor experience offered our students the chance to learn about the importance of preparing for their Journey: having the right gear, planning meals/food and following directions, and problem-solving many different challenges that arose along the way. Many thanks to parents for supporting your child in coming on this journey. It was a fantastic experience, where each staff member involved got to thoroughly enjoy the chance to share with students in this outdoor experience.
Mrs Korte and Mr Rashleigh,
Invictus Teachers
Student and Teacher Comments
“The Invictus journey reinforced for me and many others, the mentality of never giving up.”
Bryan Mhonde
“The Journey was definitely a lot of fun! There were many struggles but everyone managed to accomplish it. With the help of my classmates and teachers, it definitely was an enjoyable camp to cherish forever.”
Tsarine Gardner
“Invictus has been one of the best LAC experiences for me. It challenged me physically and mentally. Abel Tasman is a beautiful slice of NZ and we were hugely blessed with the weather. Probably one of the biggest highlights for me was getting to know the students and teachers better outside of the classroom. Year 10 are an amazing bunch of students and it was great to see every single one pushing themselves and surprising themselves with their capability.”
Mrs Bain
“The Invictus journey for me personally was pretty difficult, especially the kayaking part. Kayaking through the mad mile was hard. You go around one bay and come out to see that there is still a long way to go. Kayaking against the current and the wind was, to be honest, pretty difficult. But it was great having the feeling of accomplishment when we got to Anchorage Bay. I would never turn down an opportunity to go there again.”
Elliud Ganaii
“I was really impressed by the way this group of students stepped up, helped each other, pushed their comfort zones, and displayed resilience. There were some epic struggles, especially as our group paddled into a tough headwind on the first-day kayaking, but the team worked together to do what was best for the group, and this forged some great new connections. It was an honour to be a part of the best Invictus camp ever and to see this bunch of awesome young people living out the purpose of Invictus, and making the theory real. Also, it was awesome to develop great relationships with the staff of the trip and develop some amazing stories and tales that will keep me giggling until I’m an old lady.”
Miss Grayson