10 intrepid Year 10 & 11 Bronze Duke of Ed learners and 2 teachers went to the beautiful Tāwharanui Regional Park for an overnight tramp and camp. They spent 6 hours on Saturday walking the Northern Circuit trail, which goes through the lovely Ecology trail and out to Tokatu Point, before returning to the campground. All with fully laden backpacks in the hot sun! But, the spectacular views and native wildlife made it all worthwhile. Back at the campsite, they pitched tents, hung out with friends and made a delicious dinner using gas burners. Once the sun had gone down, set off for a kiwi hunt in the wetland. It didn’t take too long to spot a kiwi foraging for its dinner - amazing!! There were also several ruru (moreporks) to be heard and other nocturnal birds. On Sunday, they did some volunteer work for TOSSI. Spending a couple of hours replacing sand that had washed away from the sand ladders used to access the beach in the recent storm. This hot and hard work was rewarded by an awesome barbeque lunch that TOSSI put on for all the workers. It was a very quiet van trip home…. Next trip, the learners will apply all the skills learned to the test on the qualifying expedition on Motutapu Island. Photos: credit to Sophia Micua 11XUM