Hamilton Christian School Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Expedition – December 2025

Day 1

We departed the school grounds at around 8:00 am, spirits high despite the long and somewhat tedious van ride north.

The trip was broken up with a lunchtime kayak practice activity at Parau Bay, playing stuck in the mud on the water, quite a challenge.

Then on to the Rawiti marae, where we set up camp, pitching tents in the midst of a sun shower and heading down to the beach after cooking dinner.

Day 2

At seven thirty the next morning, breakfast was over, tents were packed, the weather was perfect, and we set off.

After walking for hours through dense bush, cutty grass and along ridge lines offering sweeping views of the outstretched islands, our late lunch stop at the old whaling station couldn’t have been more deserved. We sat beneath the Pohutakawa trees, sharing stories from the morning and taking in the history around us.

We followed the coast South towards our destination at Elliot Bay. Setting a bearing, we bush bashed over Whangamumu peninsula until Umuheke Bay.

Walking alongside the edge of the ocean was absolutely stunning, and really hot! We set up our tents at Elliot Bay and had a lovely swim. Followed by a campfire and some of the short talks on our assigned expedition-related topics.

Day 3

The next day we followed the coastline back the way we’d come, bush bashing over Whangamumu peninsula until reaching Whangamumu track. We took this inland and got picked up by the vans at the end of it.

A busy evening preparing for kayaking followed, packing drybags and triple-checking everything. We cooked our dinner and settled down for the night.

Day 4

The next morning, after driving to Paihia, we packed our belongings into brightly coloured kayaks before pushing off from Paihia and heading off.

For some, sea kayaking was a new experience, but thankfully the sea was very calm, and the weather was absolutely beautiful. A few kayaks were lucky enough to spot penguins bobbing about in the water.

We made steady progress throughout the first part of the day, before landing on Roberton Island, our shoulders sore and in need of a break.

Once we left the island, our group ran into a challenge: teamwork. Struggling to interpret a bird’s-eye-view map and convert it into our water/eye-level surroundings, heads butted, opinions clashed, and pairs drifted off in different directions, each following their own idea of what was right. Eventually, as we realised that the only way forward was to solve the problem together.

We regrouped, formed a new plan, and finally landed safely on the beautiful Urupukapuka Island.

That evening, ten colourful kayaks slid onto the beach and twenty tired bodies hauled them above the tide line. We looked for shells, had a swim and demolished some scroggin.

Mr Harvey, who had been shadowing us on his boat all day, gave us a ride on the biscuit, which was so much fun. In the cool of the evening, my group made a mound of sand on the beach and cooked our dehydrated curry facing the gently lapping waves.

We had a little meeting and devotion at the top of the hill (Phil 1:6), a very fitting close for the end of the day and our Duke of Ed careers. After everyone went to bed, Arthur, Harvey, Eva, Holly and Brierley went back up the hill and watched for shooting stars, of which there were many. Brierley – who hadn’t seen one before – said it was so perfect she almost cried.

They got up, and lo and behold, the blood moon was rising, so of course they stayed for that. It was a lovely end to the evening.

Day 5

Our final day began bright and early at 5:30am. Once we’d packed,we headed to Roberton Island for a scavenger hunt challenge and then kayaked through to Russell. Once there, we pulled up along the shore for lunch and treated ourselves to ice creams (big thanks to Mr Wisse!)

After our break, we began the final stretch to Paihia. Navigating the boat traffic, blisters and sore arms was the trickiest part of this leg, but it was a great feeling when we finally landed in Paihia. We dropped off the kayaks, loaded up the vans, and began the journey home.

We stopped for pizza in Warkworth and eventually arrived back in Hamilton around 8:30 pm. The trip home was quiet — everyone tired but grateful. It was the perfect end to an unforgettable five days, filled with amazing memories and shared accomplishments.

A huge thank you to Mr & Mrs Wisse, Mr Thomas, Mr Martins, Mr McIntosh and Mr Harvey and Benji Thomas for all your support before and during this expedition.

Also, a massive thank you to our fantastic gold group. It’s been a privilege hiking with you throughout the years. I know that God’s good work in our lives will indeed be brought to completion, because although this has been good, by the grace of God, there is more good to come.

Eight students from Hamilton Christian School were awarded an FMC Youth Award Grant: a cash grant to go towards their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award Expedition. To learn more about the Youth Award Grant or to apply, please visit the FMC website.