The senior school was down on numbers last week as Winter Tournament was on and some of our students were still recovering from their winter ills.
Senior staff and student leaders, accompanied by a music group, travelled around contributing schools talking to Year 8’s. The feedback from this has been positive and our Year 9 students have enjoyed the new experience of speaking formally to some of their old class-mates.
On Wednesday of last week, we held our senior option evening where students and parents had an opportunity to talk to Heads of Departments and teacher- in-charge of subjects regarding courses for next year.

On Saturday 22nd August, five students from Tararua College; Braden Davenport, Andrew Galloway, Cody Drysdale, Hamish Morgan, Stephen Van Beek, tokgether with Ashleigh Beale from Dannevirke High School, set out on the long journey up to the Kawekas as part of their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme. Expedition Leader Tim Swale reports:
“After a very long drive, we eventually reached the road-end at the Mangatutu Hot Springs. After consulting maps, and a bit of discussion, our intrepid group set off up the Mohaka River valley with a two-way radio so they could keep in touch with myself and the shadow party.

The river cuts a serpentine course through high hills, often with sheer rocky cliffs providing some spectacular views. After a little less than three hours the group reached Te Puia Lodge for a well-earned afternoon tea. Dropping off the overnight gear, we headed on upstream across the new bridge to the Mangatainoka Hot Springs. Here DOC have set a couple of fibreglass tubs into a deck area so that they are filled by hot water from the stream. This makes for a very pleasant soak on a winter’s evening, especially after the exertion of walking up the valley. It was too cloudy to gaze at the stars, but glow worms in the bank next to the hot tubs caught our eye.

The morning dawned fine and clear, with just a few wisps of cloud on the surrounding peaks. Despite the early night, some found extracting themselves from sleeping bags was a struggle and so it was after 8-30am when our group finally headed off for the big climb up out of the valley towards Makino Hut. Our group worked well as a team, staying together and eventually reaching the summit trig late in the morning - after a final steep scramble on bare, rocky slopes. A well-earned morning tea, and the realisation that some had drunk far more water coming up the hill than they had expected, leaving them a little short for the rest of the journey. It was then on to Makino Biv, which is pretty derelict, for lunch. From there, it was a matter of following the ridge high above the Mohaka Valley through beech forest and manuka scrub, until the track dropped steeply down to the gravel Makahu Road.

A couple of kilometers of road walking brought us back to the minibus at the road end car-park and the end of our expedition. Despite a few blisters and aching legs the tramp went well with our party, showing great determination, thorough planning and a good team spirit; exactly what the D of E Award Scheme is all about. Finally it was all aboard the minibus ready for the long trip back to Pahiatua, and of course tea at the Golden Arches in Taradale on the way.”

Manawatu U18 Rugby Representative Year 13 Jackson Clince

The Duke of Edinburgh Group outside the Te Puia Lodge