There’s nothing better than a beach trip, and when that beach trip is made by the New Zealand’s most geographically distant school from the sea, well you’ve got to make a good go of it!
Pukeokahu School set off on a sunny Sunday morning, to the beautiful Bay of Plenty, with warnings from the locals to ‘watch that weather, it’s going to rain’.  Well, I do believe that Whakatane turned out to be the best place in the country that week since not a drop fell from the sky.
While the swell was unusually high on one day of our five day camp, it didn’t stop our tough country kids.  As locals wrapped in their woolies watched in disbelieve, the Pukeokahu Kids charged through the surf and battled the waves.  From boat fishing to crab hunting, from fish filleting to oyster gulping, from shell hunting to giant hole digging, our kids did it all.
Sustained by excellent baking, and the Principal’s sneaky chocolate stash we all trouped around the amazing Kohi Point walk.  From up on high we surveyed the lay of the land, the view extending from the distant haze of Motiti Island, to the looming presence of Moutohora (Whale Island), and the ever puffing volcano of Whakaari (White Island).
Shell collecting reined supreme for the junior girls, though I wonder if any smelly treasures have turned up under car seats over the last few weeks.  Amongst the boys, catching and filleting a Kahawai was a definite highlight, with a few brave souls treated to their first taste of fresh raw fish on the back of a boat.
Finally, the digital light show and epic sorry of the Mataatua Marae, ‘The House That Came Home’, was an extraordinary experience which enthralled even the smallest Pukeokahu Kid.
A huge thank you must be given to the hard working adult helpers, who with their good humour and flexibility made this camp possible and a great success.  And finally a big thanks to the Pukeokahu Kids, who’s impeccable behaviour and manners, made this old Principal so very proud.