In week 8, the Year 13 Outdoor Education class completed a four-day navigational exercise known as a Rogaine Tramp in the Kaimai-Mamaku Forest Park near Te Aroha.
Rogaine is similar to Orienteering where students work in small groups to find points marked on a map. Points may be visited in any order, however, they are allocated various points depending on how hard they are to find.
All of the students had to plan their routes, factoring in where they would aim to sleep, as wherever they were at 5pm was where they would be sleeping that night. Some groups made it to a hut, while some slept on the side of a track under fly canopy.
With the groups walking up to 14 km each day over steep, uneven ground and then sleeping out overnight, the students were often pushed to near breaking point. This showed their true character and provided an opportunity to take their interpersonal skills to a higher level.
Thank you to Andy Belson, Shae Muirson and former MAGS Outdoor Education student Ethan Hooper for their assistance on this trip.