This years expedition started a week before the return of school, with a morning meeting on Thursday 27th to check all students gear and tents. A followup meeting the next morning rechecked the gear and started the peer support training that would be completed on the island.  10am Sunday 30th January saw the departure of 99 year 13 students, nine staff, ten parents and one ex student - from Sandspit wharf.  Despite the tail of cyclone Wilma, only having just passed through, the sea conditions were perfect for the crossing and a pod of dolphins a particular highlight.

Once landed at Port Fitzroy the party split into five separate tramping groups  of 22-24 , to hit the trails.  Each group rotated, in turn around the tracks and DOC campsites at the northern end of the island.  From the summit of Mt Hobson (Hirakimata) and it's dreaded 1,000 steps, to the serenity of the wild coastal sea views of the Haratoanga Walkway.  It also included the gut busting Tramline Track, with the fearsome drop & ascent of the Awana Gorge and the equally arduous Kiwiriki Track.  Few escaped unscathed; exhausted, dehydrated, cut, scratched bruised, blistered and nursing various aches sprains and pains. The staff fared no better with both Mr Callachan and Mrs Atkins going down with knee and ankle sprains on the first afternoon, requiring Mr Simon Johnston to leave Mr Stirling's group and take over Mrs Atkins group until she'd recovered.  It takes a peculiar mix of wit and guile to persuade a grumpy bunch of teenagers that sweating like a pig with blisters like bunches of grapes that tramping is fun and not some form of sadistic torture - fortunately leaders Mr Kee, Mr McHale and Mr Collins were experts in this field.

Whilst camped at Okiwi School Mr Callachan had each group undertake night trust games and at the Haratoanga camp Mrs Johnston completed the peer support training.  At the Awana Mr Peter Johnston divided each group into two competing teams to carry out an army styled search and destroy mission, with the evaders having to crash through the bush, wade through the swamp and sneak through the rushes to try to make base camp unobserved. The final night, Thursday 3rd February, saw all the groups rendezvous back at Akapoua campsite at Fitzroy for a desperately needed hot sausage sandwich fix, at the BBQ, before the variety concert.  Most would have been relieved to stagger home by midnight to the welcome of a hot shower and comfy bed.

The physical challenges were only part of the story though. The students may have finished as physical wrecks but the compensation was the discovery of untapped self management and motivation skills and the development of a whole new circle of friends, to support them in the academic and extra curricula challenges of the year ahead.