By Mia Wisniewski and Serena O’Dea
13OUTE
We ran up the stairs to the Pinnacles singing at the top of our lungs – it was like a scene out of Mamma Mia!
Reaching the Pinnacles summit gave us an amazing sense of accomplishment – seeing kilometres of lush green bush from a towering 759-metre-high summit, we realised how small we are in this world and that all our worries are insignificant.
Each trip as part of outdoor education has taught us that life is so much better outside! We have realised that cell phones are not a necessity and that there is so much more to experience than the confines of modern life. Being in the bush is such a great feeling of relief from the city, it lets you reset and have a fresh mindset.
In having the same team for two years, we have created an unbreakable bond through every tramp, camp and adventure. These trips bring everyone so close – together we created memories that will always be looked back on once the time comes to leave Westlake Girls.
This subject has taught us resilience and built up our stamina. Most importantly, it has helped us to appreciate the amazing outdoor attractions that we are lucky to have on our own doorstep.
Although the scrapes and bruises are healed, our memories of outdoor ed will stay with us for a very long time, even if it is just to be thankful for your warm, dry, COMFY bed!
A note from PE teacher Rebecca Bouterey
The hike talked about above was a 3-day tramp in the Coromandel Forest. We spent 2 nights in the hut at the top and explored other tracks on the other days. We went off track to search for a Dam and went up to the summit. The students were absolute champs and were very welcoming of all other guests and schools when we in the hut for dinners and breakfasts.