William Pike Overnight Survival Camp

William Pike Overnight Survival Camp

“Phew! What a night!” I didn’t know that learning to survive would be that strenuous but I’m glad I went on the trip and most of all survived the night.

 The Hunua Ranges was where we went for the Overnight Survival camp on the 30th oh March. The camp taught us how to survive in the wild and learn survival tips.

The first step was to unpack what we packed from home and repack into a actual hiking bag. When we got the hang of it we finished packing and tried on our flash bags. It was difficult in the beginning but we got used to its heaviness and loaded it into the van. One last pep talk and a prayer and we were off!!

The car ride was about an hour and 10 minutes and we knew we were near when were nowhere near normal civilization. Only paddocks, mountains, farms, cattle and unknown roads. When we got there we got a warm welcome from the sun and a bit of drizzle. We got our packs and Our instructors from Bigfoot (Kelly & Sam), went to our campsite to drop off the other gear and leave the other van there. When they got back we started our hike.

The hike was definitely something to remember. It was 3 hour long and to add to our distress we had to carry our own packs the whole way. Along the way Kelly and Sam told us names of the trees, leaves and birds. We learnt about the Manuka and Kanuka trees. Manuka is the mean tree that has rough leaves and bark, while the Kanuka is the kind one. It’s leaves are as soft as bird’s feathers and is very smooth. We got to our campsite in a very desperate state. We were exhausted, starving and needed water. So we decided to dump our bags and eat our lunch. We then were huddled in a group to split us in groups. One group in building our shelter, the other collecting fire wood for the fire and the last collecting water for cooking our food and for drinking.

When everything was completed we unpacked our sleeping mat and sleeping bag and made our beds for the night and went to change for the fire. We all circled the fire pit and watched in awe at the small fire turning bigger and bigger by the second. After we went to cook our food in the gas powered pots. Our menu was: Pasta and Noodles. Yummy! We grabbed our plates and scurried to devour our last meal for the night. We ate happily, sang songs and cleaning up our mess. Mrs Lako called us to sit around the fire to sing our school songs and wait till it was dark and the fire was big enough to roast our marshmallows. We went sleep early because if we slept late we had to run up and down the hill until the adults say stop.

The next day we woke up from a deep slumber and started to change and re-pack so we don’t have to do it later in the afternoon. Once we were dressed and prepared we went to have Milo and Weet-Bix for breakfast. Our instructors called us all in a group to discuss something with us. They announced that rather than walking up that road we are going to learn more survival tips rather than wasting the precious 3 hours. There were also 3 groups like yesterday but today we will rotate every 45 minutes. There was Flax weaving, river crossing and Tree and  Bird watching. Mr Naseri did flax weaving, Sam river crossing and Kelly Tree and Bird watching. They were all good experiences and we were glad we learnt how to cross rivers in a group, the names of the trees and birds around us and how to weave with flax.

We re-checked our campsite for any rubbish and remaining belongings. We put all our shelter down and put out the fire that was still burning from the night before. In the process I got burnt. Once we were all suited and ready Kelly and Sam went back to get the van so that we can put our bags in while we played and waited patiently. When they got here we loaded our bags in the trunk of Sam’s van. Then we had to walk up the hill because it was to steep to take us. When we got there we got into the van and started our way back to school. We unpacked our belongings from the pack and re-packed again to our bags that we came to school with. We hugged Sam and Kelly goodbye and returned to our normal lives.

The trip was a great experience that certainly got me out of my comfort zone and taught me many new things and was fun along the whole way.

Gloria Tautaiolefua

Year 7