Two weeks ago our year 12 History class travelled to Akaroa along with Mrs Johnston and Mrs McNaught.
We had a wonderful time, staying one night at the TOP 10 Holiday Park, which also had a pool. We travelled around the surrounding Banks Peninsula area, learning about the rich Māori, French and European history.
On our first day we stopped at the Onawe Peninsula, where we walked onto the site where the old pā (Ngāi Tahu fortress) once was in the 1800's, we also visited the Takapuneke massacre remembrance site, Akaroa Museum. We traversed down the rugged countryside dodging a random dog, until we found ourselves at the Britomart memorial, where the British flag was once hung to demonstrate British sovereignty.
In class we have been learning specifically about these sites so to visit them in real life was a really amazing experience and allowed us to collect information to use for our internal.
We finished the day off with fish and chips near the beach, and for a couple of us, a cheeky wee passionfruit Bundaberg washed it down! We then digested the feast by a stroll out on the wharf and a drive out to Onuku to see the marae and church.
The next day a few of us (not me luckily) had to wake up early to complete a maths practice exam for a derived grade. While they were struggling through that the rest of us had Nutella toast for breakfast and made our packed lunches. We then drove out to a French cemetery in Akaroa and then out to Okains Bay. The Okains Bay Museum was amazing full of historical treasures and we completed a treasure hunt. Symbolised by the free painted shell we got from the museum, we held our new experience in our hands as the weather decided to turn gloomy to match our mood on the way back.
A huge thank you goes out to Mrs Johnston and Mrs McNaught for organising and giving us this opportunity, we all had an awesome time! - Olivia Huddleston