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    • Onepoto Regatta
      • A great day out, Ngati Toa got to welcome St James, Britannia, Tarapunga and best of all, after a long hiatus, Westshore from Napier. A few more pictures are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/8KQrwbaCX9vqcgos5 SAILING SUNBURST 1st 2nd 3rd Junior Intermediate Senior Ngati Toa (982) St James (1501) Britannia (1835) Open Bounty (514) St James (1501) CUTTER 1st 2nd 3rd Junior St James (192) Ngati Toa (69) Britannia (80) Intermediate St James (192) Tarapunga (221) Ngati Toa (219) Senior St James (192) Britannia (80) Tarapunga (221) Open ROWING 1st 2nd 3rd Junior St James Ngati Toa Britannia Intermediate St James Ngati Toa Britannia Senior Britannia Ngati Toa Tarapunga / St James Open St James Bounty Ngati Toa KAYAKING 1st 2nd 3rd Junior Ngati Toa Tarapunga Britannia Intermediate St James Ngati Toa Senior Britannia St James Ngati Toa IRON SCOUT 1st 2nd 3rd Junior Britannia Ngati Toa Tarapunga Intermediate Ngati Toa St James Britannia Senior Britannia Ngati Toa Tarapunga Open St James Ngati Toa Britannia SEAMANSHIP 1st 2nd 3rd Junior Tarapunga Britannia St James Senior Westshore Britannia St James

    • Quinn's awesome adventurous journey
      • Chief Scout Rimu Award Adventurous Journey On saturday the 1st of july i led 4 scouts including me into the orongorongos with the aim to get to shalimar hut, a private hut owned by one of kim's friends jenny. We were very happy and grateful that she let us use it when walking in. We were happy talking and when we hit the river and got off the track we started listening to music. Then we hit the big river where Derrick and Kym were waiting for us on the other side. They taught us how to cross over properly which everyone felt very insightful. We kept walking to the hut picking up some good firewood. On the way we had to leave some of it at the bottom of the track because it was too big to take up so we would have to come back to saw it up, and get more. Once we got to the hut we left our packs outside and had some snacks which made everyone happy because they didn't have their packs. We got some saws and went back to find more firewood. And saw it up so that we could bring it up the track. Everyone enjoyed using the saws and when we got back to the hut we left the firewood outside so that we could restock it later. We went inside for the first time, brought our packs in and picked our bed. Which everyone enjoyed as we looked around and found where everything was. We then got the food out and put it on the table. Unfortunately our bag of nacho chips popped so instead of having pasta that night we had nachos which everyone enjoyed. Then we talked about short term thinking, hate, prejudice, and types of conflicts and ways to resolve them in order to get our peace education better world badge. We talked while we toasted some marshmallows and ate some biscuits which people enjoyed. The next day we got up and had weetabix and rice bubbles with peaches and packed our lunch and thermals for the walk. We got our map with the planned route on it and set off into the bush on the track down to the river then walked along until we found the track stopping at the entrance of it to look at Baine Iti the oldest hut in the orongorongos then we walked up there was a lot of steep incline and we decided that we should have taken two packs instead of one so it was a good learning experience. We planned to go up to the top but everyone was hungry when we got to the south saddle so we stopped and ate lunch there. Then it started snowing and we stood there for a couple of minutes with our hands out and our mouths open trying to catch some. When we got there we talked about it and decided not to go to the summit. So we walked back down and found our arrow back to the slightly hidden track through the bush and back to the hut. When we got there derrick had found a piece of wood and Kym had found some axes and saws so derrick taught us how to split wood and once we did that we moved on to sawing up some of our firewood that we found the day before and restocked Jennys firewood reserves to replenish the wood we used. Then we went inside as it started to rain. For a game of scrabble which unfortunately Derrick and Kim won. Then we made dinner which was pasta and I found out that no one in our group likes mixed vegetables. We made too much pasta so I also learnt that I needed to buy smaller portions. After dinner we used a camp oven to make a cake in a cup. The marshmallows that we put into it melted but the actual cake was ok. Then we filmed our domestic violence video and went to bed. In the morning we woke up and made our pancake batter than one of us cooked it while the others cleaned up and packed the food into our packs. Once all of the pancakes were all done we took a little break to eat them and they were really good. Then we cleaned the dishes and got back to cleaning the hut. We finished that quickly and left for the tramp back. We walked quickly, beating our time that it took us to get in and less stopping too. We got out and had lunch in the carpark. We then went back to the den, put the saveable food back in the den and went home. All in all I would say it was a successful trip. Some more pictures are available here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/huAzmkscKBYXacXy5

    • Hannah, Rose and Hamish 's big snow adventure
      • Chief Scout Rimu Award Adventurous Journey On the our group we were taking to our camp met up at the den to get some things ready to take with us. After 15 minutes we took off in our car groups to go to palmerston north, we took a pit stop half way through to stretch our legs at Hawera to walk up to the Hawera water tower. The walk was short but very steep, my legs ached by the time we reached the top of the hill where the water tower was placed. This water tower has a spiral staircase with 215 steps! I was incredibly dizzy when I got to the top. Hannah, Hamish, Amelia, Kalina, Trinaya, and Rosie joined me and we all were amazed by the view, it was a lovely view that looked over the river Tanga Hoe River, we spotted a huge metal ball placed on the grass by the bank next the river. We began the trek down, it was even more dizzying the 2nd time though. The boys, Matt, Connor and Toby didnt join us, their loss though. We ate some lunch up there and then we walked down. There was a tunnel at the very bottom leading the the elevator which the leaders were going to take but then later discovered that it was broken. We took a nice photo in there. It was quite echoey in there and the boys went in for a bit when left. Not very social of them. When we met up with the leaders again we went to the near by Paknsave to pick up our food. Unfortunately later when we were at the the cabin we discovered we’d forgotten a few bags that were in a different locker to our other food. But then after that we went back into our cars and set off to our final destination for the day, Konini Lodge. When we got there is was very foggy and covered in forestry. It was so beautiful we were above the clouds. Dinner was burgers and then was it we realized we had forgotten the other bags at paknsave. Hannah and Hamish drove back with a leader while I was there to keep an eye on the others to make sure they didnt burn the place down. Not very ideal considering we were sharing the cabin with many other people. There were 3 or 4 other rooms there with 1 big kitchen in the middle separating the room big common rooms, with symmetrical kitchen applyiences and layouts. There was 1 hallway down the side with the 2 bathrooms and drying room. Thankfully Hannah and Hamish came back to nobody harmed or anything broken. We were all incredibly bored. I was just a teensy bit hyper, drawing on the windows, being told to sit down by Kalina and Hannah while Rosie brought her sleeping bag out next to the table and just found a spot to sleep on the ground (keep in mind there was a perfectly fine cabin across the room from us) and just, slept. Conner, Matt and Toby found a blow up baseball bat and ball so they played with that for a while, although quite proud of them for not annoying the neighbours. After we had dinner we did a review on the day, all was good but the paknsave incident came up alot. But that finished up quickly and we calmed down for a bit and then headed off to bed, it had been a long day and we needed the sleep. The next day we woke up and had some breakfast which was just some toast and cereal. But then came then we had to mentally prepare oursleves for a trecherous climb up Mt Taranaki. We set off at about 10am and there were, so, many, stairs. Majority of it was just straight stairs. We had music thanks to Matts great playlist and Hamish bringing his speaker so it made the climb faster and more enjoyable. We reached the point where we were out in the open and no longer in the trees, the view up the Mountain was so pretty and awesome but we couldnt stop, not then. We werent even halfway up. I found it really entertaining watching Rosie catch pokemons with the app on her phone. Finally after hours of walking we reached the halfway checkpoint. There we had some morning tea and looked at the view and all the graffiti sprewn all over the walls. The view was even more spectacular. “Hey, its not that bad, were halfway there. And atleast its only stars and not a straight up cliff” I told everyone. Very optimistic of me. We ate some food there and carried on up the mountain. The boys rushed off ahead and just sped up the mountain. Ages later we reached a hut. Stratford Hut. It was a private one so we just sat outside enjoying some talk with the leaders and soaking in the breaktaing view. We didnt walk up to the very top but Kym and Derrick took the boys and led them up the mountain even more, but the rest of us walked down too tired to do any more. My legs literally died hahah. It was so worth it though, the view was amazing! The steps down were almost as tough as the steps up! I tripped a few times but never fell over thankfully, it wouldved been painful. We had some interesting convos on the way down, one of them planning to go to the gym, but it went by so quickly! When we got down to the bottom, we went to the information center and ate some lunch and watched the thick fog pass by. I had to dibbs the shower because i wanted one so badly! But when we got there I rushed off to the shower while the others put on some music and played Ps & As the card game. I joined in like 5 rounds later and then left again to get my socks on because it was COLD! After that we all went to the cabin and got on the top bunks and played some baseball with the blowup bat and the blowup ball. It was *interesting*. Nothing got broken thankfully but it was very fun and we got lots of laughs out of it. Then after an amazing hour or so, Matt, Connor, Toby, Derrick and Kym came back and we just chilled for a bit. We had dinner a bit later and it was Nachos, a scout classic. I cant quite remember what we had for desert but I do remember matt making some questionable images with whipped cream on his plate (THAT STILL HAD THE NACHO JUICE ON IT!!) and ate it. I felt quite sick afterwards. Then we had the BEST idea to ambush the leaders while wearing teshirts as masks to conceal our identities. It was very interesting, Matt came up with a whole game plan and everything. I think we slept a little better that night after a long day of climbing for several hours straight :). The next morning we all slowly got up and out of bed and had some breakfast, we had some bacon, cereal and whipped cream which made me nauseous. Our main goal for that day was to pack up before 11. Somebody put on some VERY helpful songs like itsy bitsy spider and the clean up song, in courtesy of Connor. We ended up singing some taylor swift songs during that. I think i should also mention some taylor swift songs I now know of by heart, theres never been a camp that ive been on with Hannah (within the last year and a half) where I HAVENT learned some songs off by heart, anyway. We packed up by 10:30 and we took off leaving the hut better than how we found it. The drive back went by too quickly, so fast I can’t even remember where we stopped for lunch! Anyway we get back to the den and everyone gets picked up, everyone of happy and tired, so thats a win in my book. Overall I think the camp wasn’t quite a success, couldve been better but it was near a success. If only it werent for the paknsave incident, it wouldve been perfect. More pictures are available here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/XCuJqdA9iXYphfrT9

    • Matt and Connors Taupo Chill Camp
      • Taupo Camp review Mine bay carvings We started off the trip by going sailing, we did this the first day we went, our goal was to get to mine bay and back to see the Maori carvings, the sail up there was relatively uneventful and the wind was mostly in our favor. We arrived at mine bay (under oar power due to the wind dropping off), and were approaching the carvings when we encountered a large catamaran (a commercial tour boat), the catamaran was about 5 meters away from the carvings and looking like it was about to leave, we approached the carvings and two of the 3 boats we had taken out (cutters) went in front and around on the carvings side of the catamaran. The other boat we had went around the back and was in quite close proximity to the catamaran, understandably panicking the captain of the catamaran yelled at us over a P.A system, the scouts quickly cleared away from the catamaran and it sailed away, the scouts were quite shook and we proceeded to go jumping and swimming off a rock and later called the harbourmaster and Kym and Derrick talked to them. In the future we should have more understanding of the limitations of commercial boats and a plan for how we can be around them – how close we can get and what support we might need from patrol boats. It was a good learning experience because we became more aware of other boats and the things that can go wrong. The experience of our crews being yelled at was awful. We learned that it is important to acknowledge these things but to manage them calmly at the time – not to make a big deal of it – but also not to ignore it – to own up to our role in when things go wrong and the contribution we made. We filed an incident report afterwards and notified the harbor master and our zone leader. Program changes During the 5 day camp we experienced 2 main program changes, Firstly the planned pool trip(s), We had planned to go to the pools multiple times during the duration of the camp, but we later changed our minds due to not everyone being able to go to the pools. On the camp we firmly believed in 100% participation and we (and the group) decided against the pools. Secondly was the river float We had planned to float down the Taupo point of the Waikato river, however we decided against doing this due to the conditions of the river and we did not feel it would be sensible to go with the group that we were with. It was unfortunate we could not do this but the group were not too upset and we still had a fun day of activities instead. The process of organizing the camp The process of organizing this camp was a new experience for both me and Connor and we were helped by Kym and Derrick. We found this to be a new and exciting process for us, and in the end very rewarding seeing the camp come to flourish. Running the camp When Connor and I led the camp it was certainly trying something new, we had lead before but certainly not in this capacity and control and we thought that it was quite a cool experience for us. Seeing all the scouts playing and enjoying the scouts was quite rewarding as we had started from pretty much scratch (with leader help) and it had blossomed into this awesome experience. We thought that the level of help from the Kaiarahi was perfect and they neither interfered to much nor not to stepped back. So we could go to them when we needed advice or recommendations of what to do. They also mentioned that they had enjoyed the camp more than previously and us leading definitely helped them do that. Afterward After the camp both we were both completely drained, we put this down to mainly the tons of decisions and thinking that leading takes, we reckon we could have delegated more to the senior scouts as that would have ultimately taken some load off of our shoulder, we also reckon that we should have done some more coaching to the juniors so they could lead more camp stuff. In the end though we were really happy to have done it as I can say confidently everyone really enjoyed the camp and that's definitely true for us too. Letter to council Hi there Taupo Council, We are Connor and Mathew from Ngati Toa Sea Scouts. Over the summer holidays we stayed at the Lake Taupo scout den on the lake. It was amazing location, and a great place to stay. Over the course of our time there, we have been completed our Community Better World badge, this badge includes doing experiences, which was walking the Y2K trail, collecting information about the history of Kinloch and the trail which we all shared, As part of our better world badge we chose to do some community service and help clean up some of the local waterfront around to five mile bay, we ended up with about 2 full paper bags, there was very little rubbish (considering the distance we walked) but we noticed that there was quite the load of dog poo, and we wondered if installing dog poop bags and bins could positively impact the local area and reduce the amount of dog poo along the waterfront. It was really awesome to be able to sail around to mine bay in our cutters for a day. On behalf of Ngāti Toa Sea Scouts, we’d like to thank you for having access to such amazing facilities such as the Lake Taupo Scout den. Your’s in scouting, Connor and Mathew More pictures here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/YYFEX9J15X5whM3LA

    • Venture fund raiser raffle - Prize draw results
      • As part of their effort to get themselves to the seminal event in a Venturers time at Scouts, the Ngati Toa Venturers held a raffle with some awesome prizes. The draw was concluded last night, with the actual draw performed by a member of our NZ Police force. Congratulations to the lucky winners for our Ignite Fundraiser Raffle!!1st prize was a Interislander Voucher - ticket number 3362nd prize was a Coffee Machine - ticket number 383rd prize was a Bunnings voucher - ticket number 394th Prize was a French Kiss Boutique Voucher - ticket number 1119And last but not least 5th Prize was a Tuk Tuk Thai voucher - won by ticket number 1393.Was a great success , plus a special thanks to our leaders and Gareth for coming in and doing the draw!

    • Amelia & Kalinas' Adventurous Journey
      • Chief Scout Rimu Award Adventurous Journey Amelias Report Plan Before we started our adventurous journey we had to plan. Between us we planned A gear list Equipment we needed to take A menu and subsequently a Shopping list The route we took The logistics We also filled out a rams form. Do We started our tramp at our scout den from which we were driven to Avalon park by a parent who we had organised to drive us prior. We then had some fun at the park including a train ride around the park. We started walking at around 2pm and walked down the river to St James scout den, where we were staying the night. We made a dinner of Nachos including a vegetarian version and headed to bed. In the morning we cooked a breakfast of pancakes and then set off on our walk to Days Bay ferry terminal. All of our scouts managed very well on the busy road, staying to the side and crossing properly when needed. We arrived at Days Bay earlier than expected and spent some time on the wharf. We caught the ferry to Matiu/Somes Island. When we arrived at the island we underwent a biosecurity check and had to empty our packs to look for rats, mice and insects. We then went up to our accommodation Caretakers Cottage where we were staying and dropped our bags off. We explored the island for a little while, looking out for lizards and other wildlife. Unfortunately we did not see any lizards but saw some birds and sheep. On the way back we stopped at the visitor centre and had a look around. Later we made a delicious dinner of Mac and Cheese which everyone very much enjoyed. When it got dark we headed down to the beach to see the penguins. It took a little while for them to come out but when we saw them it was worth it. We went back up to the cottage seeing penguins as far up as the cottage. In the morning we again cooked pancakes but much better this time and set off to do some orienteering. We ended up just exploring the island as we couldn’t find the orienteering. We didn’t get to explore for long as the first ferry broke down and we had to catch an earlier one than intended to Queens wharf. We had wraps for lunch and then caught the train to Mana and walked to the scout den. Review After we got to the den we had a little review of our tramp. We discussed our favourite parts of the trip, what we had seen and things we could have improved. We then shared a presentation about our time on Matiu/Somes island to the cubs the following week. We also reconciled our budget and reimbursed where necessary. Kalinas Report Plan: Before going on this journey me and Amelia had to plan loads of things. Such as the following: Planning a menu Shopping list Gear list The route Logistics Budget A gear check RAMS Form AIF Do: We started our trip by meeting at the den, then got driven to Avalon park in lower hutt. We ate lunch, played a bit and even rode on the little train. Our next destination was St James scout den. We got there by walking along a trail by the river and it ended up being roughly a 2 hour walk. When we arrived we all chose where we wanted to sleep and played card games till we decided we should make dinner. After finishing our amazingly made Nacho's (Thanks Amelia and Ellie) we all went to bed and woke up refreshed in the morning. We packed up and ate a breakfast of pancakes then we were ready to go. We walked between the motorway and waterfront for 2-3 hours till we reached day's bay. Our scouts were very responsible along the busy road and listened to all instructions and wore high vis on their packs. The weather wasn't that great that day so while we waited for our ferry we found shelter under a bus stop and ate our lunch (which was some yummy wraps). When the ferry arrived we caught it to Matiu/Somes island. When we arrived we were asked to do a biosecurity check and had to empty out our packs. After that we walked up to our accommodations known as the caretakers cottage. Not too long after arriving we decided to go on a short walk to the lighthouse as well as exploring other various parts of the island. We stopped to look at the boards of information on the way and became preoccupied by a painted rock with a cat on it. We returned to make a delicious pot of mac n cheese (your welcome) and once around the table we shared something we had learned about the island to go towards our better world badges. But by far our favourite thing that happened on the trip was our encounter with the little blue penguins. A bit before it got dark we walked down to the beach to wait for the penguins. We could not find any for a while but we eventually spotted penguins huddled by a bush. They had set off a night vision light so we were able to see them in the dark. It was absolutely incredible to see them waddle up the hill to their boxes. We spotted some on the way up even all the way by our cottage! After that we got some sleep and woke up ready for our last day (even though some people took a while to get up cough cough me). Then we all ate a breakfast of pancakes and left for our day's activities. We decided to do some orienteering. Unfortunately we didn't get to properly start what we had planned when we had to leave the island due to the earlier ferry breaking down. We were a bit disappointed but quickly cheered up when we got to ride up the top of the ferry doing titanic poses. Upon arrival we ate our lunch and headed to the train station. We caught the train back to mana,signed our flag and had a quick review with Derrick and our other leaders. Review: When we got back to the den we reviewed our tramp with the leaders. We asked the younger scouts how they thought it went and how they think we could improve it next time. The feedback we got was very positive. We shared a presentation to the cubs about the island and a bit about our journey. We also reconciled our budget and refunded where necessary. More pictures here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/sAvAcR7G8U3FRmqj6

    • Harbour Race
      •  A fantastic harbour in great conditions meant a great race.  The weather while overcast was not cold.  But then neither was it warm. The downwind start brought the fleet together for the only time in the race with all the boats crossing the line within a few minutes.  There after they were all spread across the harbour. Course was Evans Bay, Somes Island, Ward Island and back to Evans Bay. The courseIt was a great day out sailing, and even our flotilla of safety boats managed to have a little fun. Ngāti Toa Patrol 1 Kiori Awa from St James (Operated by Bounty Rovers) The whaler impressing everyone with a ful suite of sails Senior winners rounding the island Results were record in true scouting style Results Harbour Race1st2nd3rdScout CutterSt JamesParaparaumuNgāti ToaVenturer SunburstNgāti ToaSt JamesBritannia A few more pictures herehttps://photos.app.goo.gl/TzNfeyfCyJ4m2C737

    • Wellington Airport Community awards
      • Voting has opened for the volunteer awards and as we were Poriru winners, we are now up for the big one. The people’s choice awards have opened for the Welllington regional volunteer awards  Thes is the link to the Peoples Choice where you can vote : https://www.wellingtonairport.co.nz/community/wellington-airport-community-awards/community-awards/community-awards-peoples-choice-award-2021/

    • Wairakei Camp, Taupō (Blue Contingent)
      • Written by Jesse - Bosun (with Bronson) of the Blue Contingent  On day zero we were down at the den at 8 getting ready to drive to taupo. The weather on the way up was wild, in Levin it was raining and then the next hour it was sunshine and 25 degrees. Me Bronson and James sadly got separated at the last moment. Day one at camp the blue group was headed for Rotorua, before we went to our campsite/den in ngonotaha we stopped at the amazing Redwood Treewalk. The walk itself was incredible with the option of walking twenty metres up along some massive trees, after the cool walk we went for a swim at the Blue Lake which was nice and refreshing. After the lake we went back to the Ngonotaha den and setup tents and then we went back to do tree walk at night, we didn’t get into bed until 1am, we were all really tired the next day. Ruby, Annaliese, Bronson, Jesse, James & Megan in the Redwoods Treewalk On day two we went on more walks, and we walked to a fun lake with a wharf. I also forgot to mention it was NEW YEARS EVE. Me, James, Matthew, Connor and Bronson where all just Vibing during the party The Blue Contingent at Sulpher Point Standing on the rocks L-R: Rose, Hannah, Hamish, Ruby, Annaliese, Sam Standing/sitting L-R: Jacob, Bronson, James, Ash, Jesse, Toby, Kalina, Alex, Lily, Emyr, Sean Blue Contingent - the group jump into the lake On day three we had a sailing day and we tried to get out to the Māori carvings but there was not enough wind and we only got halfway. And I probably got some bad sunburn on my lips which is still hurting now Emyr on helm, Annaliese on main, Hannah and James on jib and Rose as bowman Ash on helm, Lily bailing, Freddy on main, Toby and Kalina on jib Ruby on helm, Grant, Connor on main, Alex and Hamish on jib Over the next few days, we went river floating which was cool because we got to see the amazing bungee jump and hot pools, we got to go to a sweet as mountain bike park with amazing tracks that I did with Toby. Inner tubes on the Waikato River - a great way to see the scenery Sean entering the MTB park We also spent another day sailing and we made it to the carvings and got to jump off a cool rock. The "cool rock" Rose and Hannah in fron of the main Maori carving On our final day we got to do a white-water raft down Tongariro river with James which was the best part of my trip because I have never gone rafting before. Kym, Amelia, Annaliese, Charlie, Ciara, Gabi Rosie, James, Angus, Jesse, Magnus, Sean Matt, Grant, Emyr, Kalina, Dougal, Ethan On our last day it was the worst part because we had to pack everything away and drive home which took forever but Neil brought me as I did get to go home and see my family and sleep in my own be and not a stretcher.

    • Wairakei Camp, Taupō (Green Contingent)
      • Written by Rosie & Calvin - Bosuns of the Green Contingent Day one: Everyone woke up quite early and drove over to the scout den still half asleep. Once everyone had arrived we started to attach the boats to the cars and sorted out who was going in what car. Once everything was done we started to drive up to Wairakei primary school. On the way, we stopped at Taihape to stretch our legs and have some lunch. After we got to the school everyone helped set up tents and unpacked all of the gear. Next, we ate the lovely dinner that the Venturers had prepared for us and went to bed ready for the days of fun and excitement that were to come.  The stop in Taihape for lunch Setting up camp at the schoolDay two: We had mountain biking. We were to split into groups of three or more and were then free to explore the variety of trails that the park had to offer. Most people had lunch on their own time by the maps (where the cool box was), or in-between trails. After mountain biking, everyone was thoroughly hot and tired, so there was a trip to AC Baths in the afternoon where everyone had an amazing time before heading back to camp for a good sleep.  Hamish, Magnus, Charlie and Ethan in various states of excitement for the mountain bikingDay three: We woke up at around eight and had some breakfast. After that, we got all of the stuff we needed and we drove over to the scout den and started to rig up some boats. Once all of the boats were rigged up everyone made lunch and then sorted out the crews. After that, we put the boats on the water and went for a relaxing sail. Sadly it wasn’t windy enough and it was going to take too long to get to the Maori carvings so we just went back to the den de-rigged the boats and went for a swim. Ethan & Ciara & crew sailing on Lake TaupōAfter dinner on the 31st, it wasn’t long before the Venturers had thrown a full-on new years party for the scouts and leaders, complete with glow sticks, balloons, and youtube just dance.  The Venturer hosted New Years Party On New Year’s Day, we used the inner tubes to float down the Waikato River for a few hours, it was a really fun, chill time which we needed after the amazing party the night before. Near the end of the float, we also stopped to sit in some of Taupo’s famous hot pools for a while and had a great time with that as well. All in all a wonderful day.  Sitting around in the hot poolsDay five: Everyone woke up at around eight and started to get ready for the day ahead. Once we were ready we had breakfast, made lunch, and drove over to the den. Like day three there wasn’t much wind so we just went swimming and used the boats as bombing platforms. Other than that we didn’t do anything else. It was just a nice chilled-out day at the den.  Sailing races when pride is at stake, but the wind is not co-operatingDay six: We packed our bags ready for an overnight trip to Rotorua, where we did the Redwoods Treewalk and later had a fun stop at a lake for a while afterward. Later on in the evening after setting up our campsite we went to see some glow worms and took the Treewalk again before a nice, early bedtime of 2:00 am.  The light show in the Redwoods at nightDay seven: We all had a long sleep-in before we got started on our way back to Taupo. On the way there we stopped at a lake to go swimming and cool ourselves off. The only problem was that the lake was horrible, it was filled with duck poo, fish, algae, and other stuff that no one would want to touch. So instead we went to a river. The river was nice and cool and it had a big enough drop-off to be able to bomb into. After our swim, we came back to camp and just hung out for the rest of the afternoon.  Day eight: Whitewater rafting & swimming  On day eight the camp woke up early for breakfast in preparation for the drive to Tongariro for whitewater rafting. Scouts 13 and over were allowed to do level three, while under 13s went on level two. After rafting, we had lunch at a park, drove to Taupo scout den, swam for a while, and had dinner there.  Top left going forward: The guide, Ash, Ruby & Hamish Top right going forward: Neil, Hamish Brown, & Bronson L-R: guide, Rosie, James, Angus, Jesse, Magnus, Sean Top left going forward: guide, Matt, Grant, Emyer Top Right going forward: Kalina, Dougal, Ethan L-R: Kym, Amelia, Annaliese, Charlie, Ciara, GabiDay nine: Our last day on camp. Everyone woke up early, packed up everything, and then had breakfast. After that, we hopped into cars and drove back to the den with a few stops along the way. When we got back to the den we unpacked everything and had a talk about the many thousands of things that we did. Once that was over we all went home knowing that we had an amazing camp. Final debrief

    • Wairakei Camp, Taupō (Leaders summary)
      • 60kg or rubbish and 40kg of recycling were some of the measurable outcomes of this camp, however, what is not measurable is the experiences gained and life lessons learned. What is also a fact is that we went through screeds of sunscreen.  With temperatures regularly hitting the 30’s and our activities almost exclusively outdoors, the scouts were applying 3, 4 and sometimes 5 times a day.  And even with that we had some who had some very red patches. As with any camp, there is a team of very effective leaders making it all happen: Neil, Rachel, Grant, Kym, Dougal, Angus and Robin.  A huge thank you to them all.  And also to those other section leaders, scout helpers and associates who also stepped in to help: Megan, Dene, Nicki and Ross.  When next you see them, please acknowledge the effort they put into this camp.  It has been massive. Setting up camp when we arrived We also had support from Wairakei Primary School – Thank you fcor allowing us to use the school grounds and hall buildings.  They were absolutely great for this camp and provided a great base for all of our activities1st Taupo Scouts – Thank you for allowing us to use your Sea Scout Ship (Den), Boats and other equipment including the electric winch for pulling the boats up the ramp.1st Ngongataha Scout Group – For the use of their Scout Den near Rotorua for our overnight stay there, and the advice on what would be suitable activities.We will let the scouts tell you about their experiences, but the main activities consisted of:In TaupoWhite Water River RaftingMountain BikingRiver Float on the Waikato RiverSailing, Swimming, and other water activities on the Lake, including sailing to the Maori carvings at Mine BayRose and Hannah at the Maori Carvings in Mine BayIn RotoruaRedwoods TreewalkThe Blue Lake in RotoruaThe Mud PoolsOkere FallsWaiotapu Hot Pools / Kerosene CreekHannah on Rose and Hamish on Kalina at the Blue Lake in Rototua Blue Contingent at the Mud Pools of Waiotapu Back Row L-R: Robin, Grant ash, Sean, Emyr, Jacob, James, Kym, Megan, Sam Rose Front Row L-R: Ruby, Kalina, Annaliese, Hannah, Alex, Bronson, Jesse, Lily, Toby, Hamish From left: Emyr, Sean, Lily, Sam, Alex, Ruan, Toby, Jame, Ash - Looking out over Sulphur Point Ruby & Annaliese enjoying ice blocks at the 1st Ngongotaha Scout Den where we spent the night We were more people this year than last year at Whakaipo Bay.  48 of us left the den to head up to Taupō and enjoy 9 days of great adventure.  As per last year, we were unable to accommodate the whole group at some activities, so split the group in two and went separate ways in contingents (Blue – lead by Jesse and Bronson, and Green – lead by Rosie and Calvin). As per last year the weather played a big part in what we did.  However, rather than wind we had to contend with sun and heat.  Looking for shade and water to cool down became a theme and the ring of “Have you put sunscreen on?” is probably still echoing in some scouts ears. This year as per last, we had to arrange an anchor watch for the boats.  They were left in the water overnight for three nights and the scouts each did a 2 hour shift over the hours of darkness keeping an eye on the boats, as per the Taupō Harbour Masters request. The boats at anchor outside the Sea Scout Den The campsite this year was at Wairakei Primary School, a little way outside of Taupō and not a place where we based any activities, so everywhere was a drive to get to.  Our meals were made there and we all ate together in the hall.  The big playground made an excellent soccer field and a lot of the scouts used their downtime to play or simply wander away in small groups.  The climbing frames were another good escape. Soccer played on the school field My personal opinion is that this camp was better than the last, although the heat put a damper on things a little and being longer, it was more tiring.  I think if you ask the scouts it will be this camp, hands down, that they will remember for the longest. Now looking forward to the next camp ...

    • Petone Regatta
      • SAILING SUNBURST1st2nd3rdJuniorParaparaumuNgati ToaSt JamesIntermediateNgati ToaBritanniaSt JamesSeniorSt JamesBritanniaNgati ToaOpenBritanniaNgati ToaParaparaumu CUTTER1st2nd3rdJuniorSt JamesNgati ToaParaparaumuIntermediateSt JamesNgati ToaParaparaumuSeniorSt JamesBritanniaNgati ToaOpenSt JamesParaparaumuNgati Toa ROWING 1st2nd3rdJuniorSt JamesBritanniaNgati ToaIntermediateSt JamesBritanniaParaparaumuSeniorSt JamesNgati ToaBritanniaOpenSt JamesNgati ToaParaparaumu Overall results PointsGroup41St James31Ngati Toa26Britannia22Paraparaumu Beach Bounty Rovers

    • Spinnakers in flight
      • For the first time in many years, we have some Venturers who are keen on getting the spinnakers out on the Sunbursts and learning how to use them.  The venturer leaders and Grant assisted them on Wednesday night to get it all rigged up and sailing.  Below are a couple of beautiful pictures:

    • Onepoto Regatta
      • Fantastic weather and a fantastic attitude brought us an unexpected result.  Victory at our home regatta! There were some superb individuals in all age groups. Some for their ability to do the competition stuff really well, and some who were just there to be involved and have fun.  Smiles were witnessed all around.   Some special mentions (and these are certainly not all as I am only one person and can't be everywhere) The venturers for just getting on and doing it, whenever they were asked, whatever they were asked.Ruan and Rosie producing a photo finish in the Intermediate Sunburst race, which gave the group the win, whichever way it went.Our Juniors in the rowing, pouring out heart and soul over the long course and even getting the technique rightHannah and Bronson for bringing home Kayaking victories.Zoe and Maddy for helping the Leaders claim a Cutter sailing victoryI said this last year and I will repeat it this year.  Ngati Toa as a group really pull together at these events and just get everything done. I apologise, but this year for some reason we don't have any pictures, but hopefully at future regattas we will remember. SAILING SUNBURST1st2nd3rdJuniorParaparaumuSt JamesNgati ToaIntermediateNgati ToaSt JamesParaparaumuSeniorSt JamesNgati ToaBritanniaOpenSt JamesNgati ToaBritannia CUTTER1st2nd3rdJuniorSt JamesParaparaumuNgati ToaIntermediateSt JamesNgati ToaBritanniaSeniorSt JamesNgati ToaBritanniaOpenNgati ToaSt JamesParaparaumu ROWING 1st2nd3rdJuniorSt JamesBritanniaNgati ToaIntermediateSt JamesBritanniaNgati ToaSeniorNgati ToaBritanniaSt JamesOpenSt JamesNgati ToaParaparaumu KAYAKING 1st2nd3rdJuniorNgati ToaSt JamesBritanniaIntermediateNgati ToaSt JamesBritanniaSeniorBritanniaNgati Toa IRON SCOUT 1st2nd3rdJuniorNgati ToaBritanniaSt JamesIntermediateBritanniaNgati ToaSt JamesSeniorBritanniaNgati ToaSt James / ParaparaumuOpenNgati ToaParaparaumuBritannia SEAMANSHIP 1st2nd3rdJuniorBritanniaNgati ToaSt JamesSeniorBritanniaNgati ToaSt JamesOverall results PointsGroup66Ngati Toa58St James52Britannia30Paraparaumu Beach0Bounty Rovers

    • Cubs Award Night
      • This last Monday night the cubs had a special award evening, where several cubs were given their "New Programme" Bronze and Silver badges.  Some newer cubs also got invested. Cubs Silver and Bronze awards.mp4 from Ngati Toa Cubs on Vimeo.

    • 2021 Kapiti Coast Cossgrove course (NTSS edition)
      • By Ruby: "Last weekend a few of our scouts went on Cosgrove - A course designed to help scouts become practical scouts. We participated in lots of challenges, such as building A frames, axe and knife skills, orienteering, learning how to set up tents and care for them, and cooking. We stayed at the Pukerua Bay scout den, and spent the first night in the den and the second night in tents. One of my favourite activities was the  campfire. We sung heaps of songs, performed skits, listened to good old campfire stories and most of a had so much fun! On the second night Grant had a great idea, to make everyone run around the block to warm us up before we hopped into our sleeping bags, and sure enough it did make getting into our cold sleeping bags much easier.  Everyone learnt so much and had heaps of fun!" Ruby & her watch on the walkEllie has fun on the swingAll of us at the Pukera Bay lookoutRose, Ellie, Ruby, Quinn and Sam having dinner they cooked on a fireThe tents for Saturday nightBen, our Zone Scout Leader, supervising Alex on the swingsMore pictures here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/daDBA7zzPqunLJKA8

    • 2021 Learning new Vertical Skills
      • Some fun was had last night at the Leaders lead evening and some parts of the "Vertical Skills" badge were learned.  We had a cargo net up to climb and scouts we learning how to make harnesses, belay and what risks and equipment are needed for climbing.  Some pictures below:  

    • 2021 Season Results and Prizegiving
      • Second Place With great attendance numbers this year we celebrated a year of on the water events and fun. Hard to believe that in a year with 24 events at 7 regattas, we ran SECOND in 19 of them!  Notable victories this year were from the Scouts who put in a couple of good results in both Cutter and Sunburst events.  Most notable of the year is the Open rowing victory won by Grant and his team at the Hickson Regatta at Evans bay! Video courtesy of Matt Short This years results are recorded in the certificates below.  Event results grouped by regatta: Overall results by event type: However, this is what we are aiming for next year:

    • 2021 - Tramp to Atiwhakatu
      • Cheerful exhaustion What a great weekend full of food and chatter and learning.  We challenged the scouts to each write a paragraph about the tramp and the experience that sticks most clearly in their mind.  Below are some of them: From Connor: "Atiwhakatu Tramp. A tramp. My first tramp with a big bag on my back. And sure was it a difference. Instead of carrying a light day bag, you are carrying all of your stuff. At first, I thought it would be hard. But it was surprisingly easy. My favorite part of the tramp was the cooking. I love cooking with the gas stoves. Although we made an explosive out of one of the gas cookers, I still enjoyed it. For dinner, we made macaroni and cheese. For breakfast the next morning, we made yummy porridge. Our group's porridge was the best of course. Nick made some sloppy watery porridge for his breakfast, because we are so amazing and kind we gave him some of our lovely porridge. There is even a photo of me feeding him it."

    • The new way of investing Scouts
      • Scouts investing Scouts In a bold move this term, 4 of our senior scouts were given the responsibility to lead and assist the most junior member of their watch to understand what scouting is and why we do the things we do. For 30 to 45 minutes they took them aside in one-on-one session while the rest of the troop were engaged in outside activities and instructed and mentored them in the meaning of scouting the way we do it. This culminated in the investitures of the 4 young scouts (and a fifth on a separate evening). Congratulations (from left):  SamTrinayaTobyMaddy  

    • 2021 Easter Survivor Camp
      • Easter Survivor Camp was our first urban camp roaming far and wide across Wellington. The camp was Scout lead by all of the 24 Scouts present and with the help of Rachel, Neil, Grant and Cath we all survived and had a great time. Here’s a summary by Calvin, Freddie, Trinaya, Rose, Gabi and Amelia. Friday Afternoon By Calvin: Everyone had arrived and the leaders told us to grab a seat. Then the leaders told us that they had planned nothing on the scout camp and they only had food for one day. Also, the shops were only open on Saturday. Each person had to pay $150 to go to the camp and there were 28 people. We were allowed to organize anything to do as long as it stays in the budget and we do a RAMs form  After a while of planning, we were allowed to go play outside on the playground. Everyone ran over and started jumping around and using the equipment. Later people realized that there was a huge grass hill and you could roll down it. Not long later almost everyone was rolling down at full speed laughing their heads off. Finally, we went back inside and started to plan again and did some voting. In the end, we had a plan that everyone could agree on. A little later we made nachos for dinner and headed off to laser tag. Friday Night by Freddie: On Friday night we went to Laserforce in Wellington. We paid so that we could have access to all the arcade games and as many games of laser tag as we wanted. We had access to them between 6 and 10pm. It cost us about $20 per person. We decided to walk to Laserforce so that we would have more money. I think it was about a 15 minute walk and 2.5 km mostly along flat ground with just a little bit of uphill. We arrived at about 6:30 and watched the short 5 minute film about the rules of laser tag. Then most of us went in to play a game of laser tag while a couple of other people went off to play arcade games. The way to win in the laser tag games was to get the most points. You scored points by either hitting targets or hitting other players. Hitting another player gave you 100 points and hitting targets gave you about 1000 points. There were four targets for you to hit and one for you to defend. Everyone was split into two teams. There was a red team and a blue team. People in the blue team had to defend the blue target and hit the other four and the people in the red team had to defend the red target and hit the other four. Some of the arcade games included a basketball shooting game, a few luck games, some car racing games and a coupl e of shooting games. The most popular game was the basketball shooting game the highest score anyone got in that game was 70 points. So all in all, I think that it was a very good idea to go to Laserforce. I really enjoyed it. Saturday Morning by Trinaya: The time now is 8:00am in the morning and Neil is going around waking everyone. We are going to do all our shopping now because the shops will be closed tomorrow for Easter. A group of girls are going to be making breakfast today. There is a Countdown, not far away from the Southern Cross Den, so we're walking there. We waddle across in one big group and soon we are on our way back with a couple of our groups carrying what they bought. Breakfast was cereal and after a while, the breakfast group served some delicious choc chip pikelets (like pancakes). Our first activity is the Fear Factory. The timings are : Group one =11:00, Group 2 = 11:30, Group 3 = 12:00 and group 4 = 12:30. Everyone is so excited! We break apart into Groups of 6 and go exploring with one of the leaders. If you are not doing Fear Factory then you would be doing a hunt, a bit like a scavenger hunt. We had to decode the riddles and take pictures of stuff it said. For example, I look like candy floss, but I'm in the sky. What am I?. If the answer was clouds (which it is), then we took a picture of the clouds. The Fear factory was petrifying. A couple of groups didn’t finish (but I wouldn't blame them). It was seriously, bone chillingly scary. There is no word to actually describe how it felt. We had to go in a dark tunnel in a tight conga line. Real actors were in the tunnel, scaring us half to death! We took turns being in the front and in the back. By this time it was afternoon. Saturday Afternoon by Rose: We walked in groups to Te Papa after going into the Fear Factory. At Te Papa, we went into the outdoor space to sit down and have lunch. For lunch, we had sandwiches, after lunch I went down to the front because I had a watch and all the people who had a watch had to go and pick one or two people to go into the museum and be back at a certain time. I chose Rosie and we went into Gallipoli. We wouldn't have been able to go in if I hadn't told the lady at the entrance that I had been in there loads of times. The big statues were amazing and the detail in them was on point and so accurate! We learned about the big war, who fought, and when it was. It was amazing! At last, we had to go back into the outdoor space and headed back to the den. Saturday afternoon was a good sunny, warm day and it was very fun. After we went back to the Den we got all our gear and packed away then walked to Jumperama. It was very fun. I played mostly in the dodgeball area and sometimes in the foam pit. Saturday Night by Gabi: The Survivor Wellington Camp was great fun but personally my favourite bit was the movie. Everyone tired out after a long day trekking around wellington finished off with some pizza at the den. The movie that was chosen was High School Musical 1 which to be honest only about 5 people wanted yet when we looked around the room everyone was glued to the screen. All Together it was a great night with lots of karaoke and fun! Sunday Morning by Amelia: On Sunday morning we got up and started to make a delicious breakfast of pancakes and bacon! We then packed up, got out our swimming stuff and walked (and ran a little) to the Paremata Train Station. Luckily we got there in time! We then walked from the Porirua Train Station to the swimming pool. The pool was a lot of fun. We went in the pool for a while then headed back to the den to have a short review of the camp before going home. ----------------- Despite all the fun things we did and the yummy food we had, the Scouts stayed well within their budget for camp and each Scout will be receiving approximately $28 rebate.

    • 2021 Worser Bay Regatta
      •   Session R a c e Wellington Scouts Regatta Placings   2020-12-05 v11 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th S1 R1 Junior Sunburst 1839 SJ 1359 PB 1798 NT     R2 Junior Sunburst 2 381 SJ 514 NT       S2 R3 Open Sunburst 1798 NT 1839 SJ 1359 PB 1835 BR   R4 Open Cutter 192 SJ 83 NT 9 BR 221 PB 219 NT S3 R5 Open Sunburst 1834 BR 1798 NT 1839 SJ     R6 Open Cutter 192 SJ 83 NT 9 BR 221 PB 219 NT S4 R7 Open Sunburst 1839 SJ 1834 BR       R8 Open Cutter 192 SJ 83 NT 221 PB 9 BR 219 NT S5 R9 Open Sunburst 1839 SJ 1798 NT 1834 BR     R10 Open Cutter 219 NT 221 PB 9 BR 83 NT 192 SJ

    • 2021 Hickson Regatta
      • What fun!  The weather, the scouts, the sea, it all played out in a fantastically fun regatta.  Our scouts excelled themselves, playing the part of Venturers and Open teams as well as sailing in all their own classes.  The leaders got to have a couple of goes too, with Grant and Derick getting a fourth and Cath and Kym doing well too. Our Sunbursts all wearing their new coloured jibs Matt on helm in the Open Cutter Race GROUP POINTS Group Scout Points Venturer Points Open Points Britannia 5 4 Eastern Bays St James 10 12 18 Ngati Toa 8 4 10 Paraparaumu Beach 3 4 Kotuku 1 4 Westshore SAILING RACES SUNBURST 1st 2nd 3rd Junior St James Paraparaumu Beach Ngāti Toa Intermediate Ngāti Toa St James Britannia Senior Ngāti Toa St James Britannia Open Paraparaumu Beach St James Britannia CUTTER 1st 2nd 3rd Junior St James Britannia Ngāti Toa Intermediate Ngāti Toa St James Britannia Senior St James Ngāti Toa Paraparaumu Beach Open St James Paraparaumu Beach Britannia ROWING RACES CUTTER 1st 2nd 3rd Junior St James Ngāti Toa Britannia Intermediate St JamesBritannia Ngāti Toa Senior Ngāti Toa St James Britannia Open Ngāti Toa Britannia St James The Open Team (Leaders) winning the rowing

    • 2021 Onepoto Raft Race
      • They say a Captain should go down with his ship.  We'll I am glad then that the inlet is as shallow as it is and that our scouts can build rafts that last the distance, some of them impressively so.  This years raft race was won in 35 minutes.  We have never recorded finishing times before but it was certainly an impressive display of speed and coordination.   Good support from lots of troops this year made for an exciting race, both in the building and the sailing of the rafts.  Troops who built rafts include: Raumati South Scouts & VenturersNgati Toa Scouts & VenturersPaekakiriki ScoutsWhitby ScoutsWaikanae ScoutsOtaki Scouts andSt Mary's Scouts who came out from Levin(If I have left anyone out, please let me know) Briefing was at 9am, and following last years dismal number of bribes, officials didn't bother reminding people they could be bought!  Building began fairly promptly and rafts very quickly began to take shape, although some shapes were definitely more interesting than others. At 10am most of the rafts were already on the beach and reasy to start.  Lance and I waved them off and the race began. The race proceeded with less than usual coming apart of rafts and drifting barrels, but it wouldn't be a raft race without some at least.  All crews this year finished the course and came home on something that resembled the raft they left on. Below is a narrative written by one of the scouts of their own epic journey: "Once the officials had finished explaining how the race was going to work, different groups started to meld together and almost immediately started gathering materials for their rafts. My group was comprised of me, Amelia, Kalina, Trinaya, Emma, Zoe, Rose, Calvin, and Hamish. After we had established that we were a group, and that we could use eleven flotation devices altogether, we quickly split off to gather resources so we wouldn’t miss out on any of the more popular resources like ropes and inner tubes. We soon stood in front of our collection; three light blue barrels, two inner tubes, two small piles of rope, and two bottles. We spent about ten minutes brainstorming until Zoe came up with a design that we all agreed on, so we set to work building it. There were definitely a lot of little things during the construction that made it fun, adding our inner tube, realising that someone had stolen our second inner tube, making our rafts sail (A covid19 scanner, remember to scan!), naming our raft after said  sail (covid21 was her name),and all all sorts of other things. She collapsed the minute she touched the water. (See the last picture above) But that was fine, this is fine, everything is fine. Against all odds we persevered! Morale was high for most of the journey and we all had a great time, (except for those who felt a walk was the better alternative). Our odd choice of sea shanties definitely contributed a lot to the fun atmosphere on the raft, if you must know we sang ‘let it go’ and ‘barbie girl’, but definitely sang the chorus to living on a prayer a lot more than either since none of us knew the verses. In the final count we lost our three barrels and a paddle. They were all picked up by the patrol boats though, so we did have everything at the end of the race. Overall 10/10 experience would recommend."  (by Rosie) Finishing was a long process, taking between 35 minutes for the quickest to 1 hour 40 for the last raft to come home. This years race was won in both categories (Yes we have two trophies now) by Raumati South Scouts & Venturers. Raumati Scouts - 2021 Raft Race winners Raumati Venturers - 2021 Raft Race winners -  holding on to the trophy for another year Well done to all who participated and enjoyed themselves to the max.  Thats what these events are for.  Thanks to all the leaders and parents for supporting their scouts and to the safety boat crews who ferried endless numbers of raft pieces that liberated themselves from their parent rafts! Now we are all looking forward to next years event!

    • 2021 Whakaipo Bay (Leaders summary)
      • This was definitely a camp to remember.  Grant is already plotting to do it again in two years time, while the Venturers are off at Venture and the scouts have a year off from national events.  I thoroughly support this idea. The plan was to split the group into two so that no one particular activity was overwelmed by numbers.  At our peak we were 37 people so you can imaging the mountain biking or river kayaking equipment would have stretched us. As such the contingents were formed (Green - lead by Hamish & Purple - lead by Ciara).  These two have written their own reports for their groups as I was with the Green Contingent and really did not know what the Purple one was doing other than what I was told. The first day was supposed to be a River Kayaking and Camp Day but with high winds and lots of chop in the bay is was decided to postpone this programme day to the free day on Sunday and use this as our free day.  We went for two walks, one about 9km in the morning and another about 8km in the afternoon.   The first was just in the campsite.  We walked down along the side of the bay out to a small beach near the head.  It was all bush and the beach was so small we couldn't all get on it. Emma collected a bunch of weta skins on the way in.  Amelia was admiring them. Charlie, Sean, Will, Liam, Ollie and Hamish We spent the afternoon watching the Aratiatia Dam open and flood the downstream basin from ... ... this ...                               ... to this ... ... in under a minute or so. We then walked up the side of the river up to Huka Falls. Gabi and Ciara with Kym Quinn, Bronson and Matt All in a row watching the dam open We followed all this exercise up with a visit to AC Baths to get clean and cool down (sic - it was a hot pool at 36 degrees Celcius) Zoe, Amelia and Emma chilling together Rosie in action, doing a dive bomb The next day was in line with the programme and I will let you read about it in the other posts. Through all this we had a 7am swim every morning which was compusory on the last morning.  It was exhilarating.  We also had a sunset swim on one day. Beautiful evening for a dip in the lake Ciara & Will keeping Dougal company on a morning swim All together on a morning swim While we were there, we could not beach the cutters.  The centre case is of a size that means that pebbles get stuck into the casing and the centre plate can not be used until they are removed.  Therefore it was decided that the boats would anchor.  The consequence of this however was that the Taupo Lake Harbourmaster required us to maintain an "Anchor watch" over night.  All the scouts were involved in this and did a two hour shift each from 10pm every night through until 6 am the following morning for the three nights that the boats were on the water.  The scouts set up a bivouac to sit in while they were on duty and the gazebos were set up nearby to sleep in. (not that many of them did, sleeping "al fresco" was the order of the day) The Bivouac The boats looking a little pink in the sunset The boats looking eerie at night with their anchor lights There were plenty of similar activities, we went to AC Baths on Sunday night as well and had dinner therewe took a photo at a large blue chair positioned on the road sidewe played cards at nightlots of cricket, swing ball and football were played in the camp groundand some scouts even got some pioneering work doneNever a dull moment! The whole camp (except Connor) Tree house with swing built by Calvin, Rosie, Zoe and Emma (It even had a secret staircase behind it) Freddy and Toby built this bridge over the ditch for the venturers to be able to access their campsite in the bamboo stand behind them The Blue Chair Hamish & Ciara lead us through all our Flag parades Quinn, Hamish B, Matt, Roaise and Emma upstairs in their sleeping area Amelia preparing dinner with Robin Gabi goes in to bat Vanessa taking on Nathaniel with Ruan looking on This has to go down as one of my favourite camps I have ever done with scouts, and I really do feel for those scouts who did not get to sail back to Acacia Bay and see the Maori carvings on the way.  I am sure all scouts who came to this camp feel the same way. Looking forward to the next one!

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