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I am so grateful, so thankful, so blessed to be given an opportunity (together with FONP Y7) to attend this Waitangi/Cape Reinga camp. The experience that I got and my exposure to your language, culture and your way of life was precious. No amount of money can pay for the knowledge I gained and the aroha I received from the whanau in every Marae that we went to. This is one trip that I will treasure for the rest of my life. Thank you to Pare, Hera, Leanne, Papa Scotty, Tania and Wati for taking us to your Marae and proudly showed us your people, your way of life and your communities. (Now I know why Leanne always talks about going up north in the holidays). I got to know you a lot more and I had built a good relationship with HPM children, they are beautiful children. I got to know them a lot better especially when I had the opportunity to walk, talk and eat with them. They are caring and loving children, checking up on me to see I that I was alright during the trip was precious. Thank you to Whaea Hera and Whaea Leanne for doing all the pre-visits and organising everything last year, your work in the kitchen and making sure food is available and ready for the children during the trip was amazing. I have never seen such hard working people. You worked so hard without a word, you knew what to do....you had the children in the core of your hearts. Thank you to Pare and Christina for ensuring everything ran smoothly during the trip. I have nothing negative to say because everything I saw and experienced was positive and amazing. To our driver Wati , our lives were in your hands especially when we were on the road. Faafetai for taking us safely to all the places we went to. You are a caring and loving person and easy to get along with. To the supokako Terry, thank you for entertaining the driver to make sure he is awake especially during the long trips, not only that but you knew how to work alongside the children and played with them. I am so proud of you Terry. This trip reminded me that our language, our culture, our whanau and where we are from are part of us. We have to treasure these as they are the gifts that God had given us. I can now proudly say that I have walked to the end of the North Island, I have touched the light house on Cape Reinga, I have slept for a few nights in different Maraes, I have seen the brand new Waitangi Museum for the first time, I have walked up the sand dunes and so enjoyed coming down in an unbelievable speed, I have seen the 4 sisters in the Waipoua forest, I have finally set foot on Ahipara beach, we drove past the Kaitaia  shopping centre, I have seen the amazing Kauri Museum and I have been powhiri into the Waitangi Marae where all the talk and the signing of the Treaty occurred. Most of all thank you for your friendship. I was welcomed with open arms and I felt comfortable as part of the team. Faafetai lava le alofa ma le agalelei. Faafetai mo mea uma. Faatutumu e le Atua mea ua fa'agaogaoina ona o faiaoga ma tamaiti FONP. Bless you all.

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I so wished I could have spent the whole week with this whanau. Was great to see the plan come to fruition. Thanks to Hera and Leanne for the previsit and experience with the areas and in knowing what would make a rewarding and enriching experience. Having Pare to cast her eye over the paperwork along with all her other talents and our FoNP whanau was also a huge blessing thanks team ! Having Mrs Patea as a leader to keep that professionalism but with total support of the whole team. Wati - what a gem ! I can't say enough about everyone concerned - all positive . Everyone had a role and awhi each other as needed, real team effort.whakawhanaungatanga !!
These Tamariki will treasure these memories made for a lifetime as will all of us.
Book me in for the next one !
I like that it was at beginning of the year to team build and cement relationships.
I liked the small numbers easier to manage and do every 2 years. Fundraise   And include service for students to help to fund it but do well in advance.

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I had a great time with you all both teachers and students alike, a camp that I would repeat again if given a chance.
But the biggest thrill for me was to take a group of people to a place that I hold so dearly and share it with you.
Don't forget what you have seen, touched, smelt, and learn during the week, hold it close and draw on it in times of need, remember the hard work you put in because at the end is when all your hard work pays off (That slide down the sand dune).
To my partner in crime Matua Derry Dalevave (Terry Talevave)  Da Man!! I have not laughed so hard for such along time.
To Whaea Pare, Whaea Leanne Mrs Malele, Mrs Patea I hope we can do this again in the very near future. To my Whanaunga Hera and Tania well what can you say who doesn't like being with Whanau. What a fitting end to a great week, there is nothing best than going out and exploring the world but there is nothing in the world that can beat coming home to the arms of our kaumatua, Nga mihi Papa Scotty.

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Positive's: Awesome experience to plan a camp from pre-visit to actually going on it and seeing the tamariki enjoying themselves as well as the having the right teachers. Having Mr Talevave on board with his humour was awesome. The hospitality from all the marae was testament to who they represent from those living and there ancestors. The children represented Roscommon very well and the units of Fotu and HPM. They not once complained about doing work when asked, Well done to everyone. Having a team of teachers that could just helped when needed thanks all so much. It was awesome having Tania, Leanne and Wati to bounce off to make sure the trip wasn't too tiring for the kids. Wati and Mr Talevave looking after the tamariki. Mrs Malele your help in the Kitchen was much appreciated, reinforcement turning up at Pakanae whaea Tania, Papa Scotty and your whanau was much needed. Taping in with Pare to critique the paper work ready for BOT was a must do job if we wanted the trip to go ahead as well as confirming venues, and paying prior to the start of our journey. And my best worker whom knows how we roll in what ever work needs to be done, no need for instructions, you just get in and do the mahi nga mih tino nunui kia koe e hoa Whaea Leanne you are just too much e hoa. Well done e hoa.
For future planning: Delication of jobs must be kept. Driver just be drivers, Cooks to be cooks. Was hard yaking being driver, cooks, tour guides. Start plannng two terms prior to going for funding purposes and activities.

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I know i crashed on the sand dunes but who cares i got hurt witch was awesome. But that what i like about trip there awesome and fun

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It was awsome to get to know the Fotu Boys and get some fun memoris with them it was sooooo cool with all the 7/8 because we all got together and treat eachother like family it was just awsome. And i loved every thing up north it was amazing.

"This Is My Family" : )

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I love'd it because i made new friends with the yr 7 boy's. It was the best week in my life because there was a lot of thing to do up there  like  playing with your new friend or you can
HAVE FUN AND HAVE A GOOD DAY!!!!!
The trip was a BLAST why because whaea pare and the kaiako help as by telling us to never give up and i love'd it when they say that because thats ture never give up just do it...
BEST CAMP EVER IN MY LIFE !!!!

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the beats day i had was at the sand dunes and making friend with the samoan because they are funny part was in the blue van gianni you now what i,m talking about hahahaha  lol  but it was so cool.
From Teponui awesome yes i do . BEAST CAMP EVER

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Positive's Best Week in my life to be honest even though i swallowed sand it didn't matter i still carried on and going to the cape was awesome love seeing the 2 oceans meet. And singing in vans on the way up Gi Me Fotu boys Quin Ponui do we now the words because if u don't where u listening to the song thanks Ponui for the music. And bring more lolies next time aye boys so we sing louder. BEST CAMP EVER IN MY LIFE

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Positives:
There were alot of positives on this trip. The sand dunes was a really big highlight and also making new friends. Most of the week was a big highlight. This trip was like a dream come true. I wished that it could go on forever. Going to the Rerenga Wairua was also a highlight. It was the best camp ever!

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My beat day was wen i get to be best friend with the samoan they are like a family to us and  the funny one was when we got to the sand dunes when we all have to walk up and down the mountain. It was so hard but i made it. It was so lovely to do that but the main thing is i like to thanks the teacher for make this happen and if it was int for us we cant do this so thanks is was a dream came true because we went up north so yeah
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BEST CAMP EVER)

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Positive's, To be honest, all I can say is that was a dream that came to a reallity. Also even though I crashed and got squashed, I stilled enjoyed the sand dune's, but my bst thing of all would of have to be going to Cape Reinga also knowen as Te Rerenga Wairua, cause I could really feel the wairua there. Also actully we should of have done haka there. And I can just say even making new friends with FOTU was a blast. BEST CAMP I HAVE EVER HAD. To be honest but when I first heard about this trip I thought Whaea Pare was lying, but when it came the camp, It was a BLAST.

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Positives.
Thanks to clear EOTC planning we were able to follow through with our programme without any worries.
There were no negative moments and the personalities and relationships of teachers as well as the friendship building between students were awesome.
The organisation of transitioning from one place to the next and one activity to the next was relaxed and we had time to carry out each agenda on our programme.
Having access to funds to pay for things like 'vans', 'museum' makes everything easy and all we have to focus on is turning up.
There was a range of activities that involved literacy, physical challenges and team builders.
Students were mindful that safety was a big overarching theme, aside from learning about the history of the places we visited.
I think some of the feedback speaks for itself.

Tena koe Sarah

Firstly I would like to extend my greetings to you. Pakanae Marae was honoured with a visit from your school last week.  We thoroughly enjoyed the energy of the tamariki and the caring adults that were with them.  We miss your smiling faces.

Once again, it was delightful to receive your kura at our Marae.

Most of all we would like to thank you all for caring of and looking after our Papa Scotty for us home people.

Our kids have prepared blogs. Attached is my recount.
http://maowrygirlstories.blogspot.co.nz/

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Positives:
Staff that went were all very useful - everyone played their part and helped when needed. The wairua and relaxed atmosphere amongst staff ensured that our tamariki had an awesome experience
Hera & Leanne were absolutely amazing in terms of ensuring  that the RAMS was sorted and they were from the Far North which reallyhelped and also the planning and menu was just spot on! Due to the work of these two ladies this also attributed to the success of the trip as kaiako were able to focus on tamariki and they did all the planning and prep for kai and ensuring that their high standards of cleaning a marae was adhered to .
Relationships with students and adults was very positive.
Marae experiences, waitangi, sand dunes, cape reinga was just amazing.
Awesome to have 2 male staff that got on really well and were ON TO IT with the kids, used initiative and were actively involved the whole time
Communication between Hera, Leanne, Tarnz, Pare, Wati for pre planning stages and ensuring that all paper work was completed before being presented to the BoT, was a key for this EOTC being approved and successful
Students leading whaikorero, karanga, waiata - seeing this in action in a real setting outside of Roscommon was a very proud moment - great ambassadors/rangatira for our school
Food was awesome - I actually put on weight and never felt hungry on the whole trip, thats why I couldn't drive cause I was alway too full!!!! - kia ora Hera!!!!
Whakawhanaungatanga between our Fotu & HPM students was really awesome to see
I really liked how Matua Wati used the Sand Dunes experience and likened this to struggle in everyday life and what success feels like when you reach the top. This was an important life lesson for our kids.
The whole trip was an amazing experience because we were all about the same  kaupapa and that was to ensure our students had a real authentic and exciting experience in the Far North.