Year 11 Outdoor Ed - Ripple Effect 2026

Year 11 Outdoor Ed Trip - Ripple Effect

During my time at the Ripple Effects Trip, I learnt many things. I was able to set up a tent, cook my own food, and learned how to work together in the Waka Ama.

When we first got to our destination, I was a bit nervous; over time I was able to get used to the routine and I was able to have a really good time. We learnt many things about hazards and solutions, some hazards that were mentioned was weather (strong winds), behavior, and not having enough supplies. But everyone was able to listen.

I had lots of fun at the campsite, one of my highlights was playing spotlight during the night, I used up all of my energy to find good hiding spots, everyone had a good time. Another highlight was cooking our own food, some people had burgers, noodles, nachos, and more. One more highlight was when everyone was playing volleyball, it was super fun, everyone was able to participate, and we all did a good job at the end.

I would like to thank Mrs Burton for taking the time to plan this trip, and I would also like to thank Mr Taylor for supporting us.
-Christopher Afoa

The trip was a good way of giving me an opportunity to try new things. I especially liked kayaking because I got to see the vast glow of the blue ocean, the cold breeze hitting my head, and having to steer the kayak itself was fun. The camping was also an experience, plus we got to cook our own foods! We played volleyball, did spotlight which is hide and seek in the dark, and also being able to calm down while seeing the forest. All in all the trip was fun and I got to learn something new and it was a trip I can remember with a smile for a long time.
-Vince Arceo

Our Outdoor Ed trip began early Monday morning, we headed out to Okahu Bay to start our Ripple Effect activities. We arrived ready to get in the water, we started by doing wet exits in kayaks which is when you get flipped in the kayak and have to push yourself out. Once everyone had had a turn at the wet exits we made our way back to The Landing to then get into two groups. My group started with Waka Ama. Waka Ama was a really cool experience. We learnt all the signals and phrases they use on board, they taught us how to use collaboration to make the waka go faster by keeping in time with each other and using communication skills to stay in tune.

We then headed to Omana Clifftop campground and spent the rest of our day there. We set up our tents in which we’d be sleeping in for the night. Each student cooked their own dinner using the very few appliances we had. As the night went on we played volleyball, spotlight and watched the sun set beautifully across the sky. Everyone went to sleep soundly excited for the day ahead which would introduce my group to kayaks and others to Waka Ama.

It was an early start with everyone a little cold from the drop of temperature during the night. We started packing away our tents and putting everything back into the trailers and making our way back to Okahu Bay. The kayaking was hilarious but also useful, we did leant how to raft up and the importance behind it. We played games in our kayak pairs such as tag and trying our very best to swap seats while everyone was rafted up.

After lunch, we started to make our way back to school, with a quick stop to McDonalds on the way home. Overall the Outdoor Ed Ripple Effects trip was a blast! A huge thank you to Mrs Burton, Mr Taylor and Paul for accompanying us on our trip, none of this would have been possible without your hard efforts!
-Ciara van Heeckeren