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- By Tuakau Districts Sea Scouts
Over Labour weekend, 122 Scouts, Venturers, Leaders and helpers adventured down the
Waikato River from Ngāruawāhia to Tuakau.
The Waikato River had been in flood only a couple of weeks earlier. So, there was some nail-biting as we watched the river data and weather reports. When the day came, the river was friendly enough for us to venture out.
Scouts are aged 10 to 14 years old while Venturers are 14 to 18 years old. Some participants were old hands, having travelled these waters in previous years. Others were so new they had to learn how to handle their oar. There was lots of fun and laughter on the way as they taught each other the age-old skills of mastering their craft and navigating the waters.
On Saturday, October 25 we met at The Point, Ngāruawāhia to prepare boats and crews and have a safety briefing. Thirteen Sea Scout Cutters, 15 kayaks, eight power boats and one Sunburst dinghy were launched.
We camped at Ohinewai on Saturday night and Meremere on Sunday night. We are very
thankful to the landowners for generously letting us camp. There was work to be done pitching tents and cooking meals and stories to tell around the campfire.
The weather was a little changeable and occasionally windy. We had an odd shower of rain.
But overall, nothing to spoil the thrill of being outdoors. We were very lucky that the river levels had dropped enough for the trip to go ahead safely.
There were a few blisters, aching muscles, and maybe a light glow of sunburn here and there.
All our tamariki (children) and rangatahi (teenagers) had a heap of fun, met new friends and caught up with some old ones and learned some wonderful skills.
The groups who took part were from Tuakau, Papakura, Bucklands Beach, New Lynn, Tauhinu (from Greenhithe), and Shackleton (from Whangarei).
Keen to know more about Scouting? Check out www.scouts.nz.
