Variety became the dominant theme of the Year 10 Aquatics Camp for 2024.
Plan A, B, C and D all went out the window for the Year 10 Aquatic Camp. Our plan was to attack different routes, portages and camp sites on Manapouri in our kayaks but the wind had different plans.
On day one we lashed all the boats and expectantly headed over to the lake but we were greeted with white caps and a stiff head wind. Not wanting to put the boys off paddling for life by ploughing on, we headed back to Te Anau. We headed out on a smaller expedition on the larger lake but did not have much more luck. We would get out on the water only for the wind to pick up and, in turn, the conditions would go from pleasant to hazardous. This became the climatic theme for camp.
The highlights became the campfire games organised by Jason Palmer and our local meat dominant menu. A little rain on our bivouac night did nothing to dampen the camp's enthusiasm; though Tim Niblock did look like a prizefighter in the morning after being eaten by sandflies.
We even slotted-in a little walking as we did a little in and out tramp from "end" of Kepler Track on the Thursday.
All camps converged on Te Anau Downs for the last night and the resulting camaraderie was palpable. Enthusiasm championed talent for a few crews but the entertainment value was excellent.
A special thanks to James' father Darren for all his help on camp. He was fully involved throughout and even proved himself a seaworthy navigator in the kayak rudder seat.
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