Susan Blick, from Embassy Aukland, writes:
Our excursion was planned for Piha, a west coast beach 45kms north of Auckland. The beach has been made famous in the television programme ‘Piha Rescue’ a take on the Australian equivalent ‘Bondi Rescue’. Piha, with its shimmering black sand and weathered rock formations is very picturesque and a great place to have a picnic or BBQ.
Two large buses pulled up outside the school and as teachers, Susan and Ferooz, checked the lists, the students piled onto the buses ready for a day beyond the city-limits. As BUM the buses pulled away from the curb, five more students were noted running frantically to catch up to the bus. They hadn’t pre-booked and instead were able to pay on the bus, so now we had a total of 63!
On the way to Piha we stopped at a lovely vantage point known as Arataki which affords stupendous views down the river, across the dam and out into the sea, with a faint hint of Auckland City in the far distance. Arataki is also home to the visitor’s centre for the area and they have very informative displays of the local bird- and plant-life and also some Maori art.
Once at Piha the students were instructed that they were not allowed to swim. At first sight it became obvious why a surf beach with an outgoing tide should not be taken lightly. Indeed, the beach can be hazardous especially for swimmers without boards and fins. Thankfully the students were ok with not swimming and set about picking teams for playing beach volleyball and soccer. Others decided to climb Lion Rock and go off on little walking trails in the vicinity.
Sometime later, teachers Susan, Siva and Ferooz ensured the bbq lunch was ready and made certain everyone got their share. Many were noted going back for second-helpings, for which there was food aplenty (thanks to our supplier New Zealand Discovery); all the beach sport had really worked up an appetite. Devouring burgers as some sat under trees in the shade, others chose the sun catching-rays and boosting their vitamin D levels.
Unfortunately the day passed too quickly and we all piled back on the buses for the hour-long ride back to school. The trip was thoroughly enjoyed by students and teachers alike.
