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Published: February 28th 2013
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Up just before 7am, and there are a few children milling around and all the adults are up. I go down to the lake, it looks beautiful this morning, wash my face and brush my teeth – luckily this completely refreshes me and I now feel a lot more awake. The children gather around the camp fire, and those that aren’t awake yet are woken up. Before breakfast we head into the forest, finding a nice spot for us all to sit and perform a presence absence test for four particular birds the children have been studying – the Robin, Tom Tit, Paraquet and Bell Bird. We hear a couple of Robins and Tom Tits but no others. After a breakfast of Weetabix, peaches and milk we get back into out groups and retrieve our tracking tunnels and insect boxes to see what we have. Unfortunately only two groups had prints in their tracking tunnels – which by the ink prints on the card were mice, but at least we found something, and a few insects in each of the boxes.
A little resistance was felt to packing up bags and tents, partially as it marked the end of the
camp for them, and also because it was difficult to get everything back in the bags – both tent bag and their own bags – and again we were only allowed to help direct and not do. It didn’t take too long to complete once they got started however, and after some more free time on the beach all was forgotten.
Lunch was devoured (sausages on the bbq) and more baking, and once the next class had arrived to start their camp, we all started walking out. To start with the children were walking at a good pace, faster than on the way in, but nearer the end there was quite a few tired and grumpy looking children! After a few stops and a bit more baking for sugar boosts on the way out we reached the control gates and headed back to the school. Once back I then headed off back to the hostel to unpack. I had a really fantastic time, but I was quite looking forward to having a toilet again. Once unpacked I grabbed my swimming gear, headed down to the lake for a while to read and then went for a very long swim
(must be the sugar from the baking I have eaten over the last few days!). It was heavenly especially when followed by a lovely long hot shower back at the hostel.
After having some nice healthy food for dinner (needed after bbq and baking of the last few days) I spend several hours evening chatting away to an English girl in the hostel, Emma who is lovely and funnily enough from Hitchin and then moved to the North Norfolk Coast! We had both indented to have an early night, but after chatting away the whole eve, and me gaining lots of good hints about where to go etc in New Zealand as she is nearing the end of her trip now, it was 10pm before I headed to the land of nod!
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