A Trip of a lifetime

By Arama Wigmore

On a boiling summers day a rowdy group of Ponsonby Intermediate students arrived at their destination Orakei Marae, pushing and shoving off the bus .This was part of their E.O.T.C programme.

The children then walked up to the Mahau (entrance of the Marae) and waited in the blistering hot sun , then the Whea welcomed them onto the Marae .The students then walked slowly and casually up to the entrance and took their shoes off.

Then the Kaumatua and Whea welcomed themselves and introduced the students onto the Marae.

They then told the students lots of history about the Marae , soon after the students went to see the Waka . It was huge and needed 180 people to paddle it , also after that they went to see the remains of One Tree Hill.

The elders of the Marae had plans fro it , they were going to carve it and then give it to another Iwi . After this it was soon time to hop back on the bus and head back to school.