Last Wednesday 85 students involved in the Duke of Edinburgh programme spent the day outside learning important skills for the outdoors, in preparation for their tramps.

We started off the day by setting up our tents which was not only good practise, but also provided some shade for the very hot day. We then covered river crossing, using the Orewa estuary as our river, and learning lots of safety tips. Bivouac building was one of the highlights of my day, which involved making a safe place to sleep using only a tarpaulin, rope and bush! We learnt how to safely use our gas cookers and even got to make our lunch with them! First Aid was the next essential skill we covered before finishing off the day with a refreshing swim at the wharf. It was such a great day as we covered important training while having fun and I feel so much more prepared for the outdoors with the knowledge and skills I gained.