The Duke of Ed practice hike was an amazing opportunity. We went to the Tāwharanui Peninsula where we camped overnight and completed two hikes.
The challenges started as soon as we arrived, when we had to unpack and set up our tents.
After this, we set off on a 6km hike with our packs, through forest, paddocks, beach and many steps! We were happy to see plenty of wildlife, such as kereru, pukeko, dotterels and piwakawaka on the way. On our return it was time for our next challenge; to set up our sleeping areas and organising our food. The biggest challenge of the trip for me was cooking dinner on a camp stove. I didn’t realise it would take so long to boil water, though it was worth the wait, dinner was delicious.
In the night, I got woken up by kiwi and pukeko walking around our campsite, and making the loudest noises. Despite this, I didn’t have a horrible sleep though, which I was grateful for!
The next day we cooked breakfast then started out on second hike around 8km long. On the way we were challenged to take a navigation bearing, deal with a simulated first aid scenario and leave a message for the other group to find.
This hike was more challenging; walking on sand, gravel, concrete and a few really steep hills. We were excited to see some cows and one of my favourite moments was walking through a paddock of sheep with lambs!
I loved walking through the forest and fields and seeing all of the wildlife and scenery. I also liked seeing the dotterels and their adorable chicks, because they looked like toasted marshmallows.
I really enjoyed the Duke of Edinburgh expedition, and I can’t wait to go on the qualifying journey in December!
By Millie Rotherham 10WBM