The group had a welcome rest once they arrived at Russell Park, Waipukurau.
The group had a welcome rest once they arrived at Russell Park, Waipukurau.
By Anna Oosterkamp, Waipawa School
For the third year in a row, Waipawa School’s Yr 3 and Yr 4 students have trained for and conquered a big bike ride to Waipukurau and back.
Some of the most memorable learning experiences happen outside of the classroom walls, and this was certainly one of them.
We started training in Term 1, just after our swimming season ended. Some of our students didn’t know how to ride a bike, while some were accomplished at cycling. We knew from previous years that we needed to put in a lot of training to ensure that our Year 3 and 4 students would be able to ride to Waipukurau and back again.
Waipawa School students heading up Tapairu Rd on their way to Waipukurau.
Our bike ride was initially planned for May, but the weather didn’t play its part so we decided to postpone until the beginning of Term 4. The first two weeks of term were spent getting our biking fitness back up to scratch.
We were so excited to get on our bikes on the last Thursday of October.
The day was a stunner, with very little wind. More than 20 parents (and grandparents) came along to ride with us on the day, which meant we could keep our groups small.
Smiles from the group as they reached Russell Park.
A bonus was the assistance of Constable Che Lind, the school community officer, who organised for a team of police to help us along the way. The children, and adults, felt extra safe because of them.
All 74 children made it to Russell Park in Waipukurau and they still had big smiles on their faces as they biked down the track towards the park.
After a quick bite to eat we set off to the Civic Theatre, to watch The Wild Robot, a story we had all been reading in class. We were rapt to have the traffic stopped briefly so we could cross the road safely. We are so grateful for the support of the local police.
Enjoying the sausages courtesy of Waipukurau New World.
While we were relaxing at the movie, and getting our breath back, a few of the parents, along with Constables Che and Rachel, fired up the BBQ and cooked some sausages.
A huge thank you to Waipukurau New World for donating the sausages, bread and sauce. It was definitely appreciated by our hungry students and parents. Being able to fill up our new drink bottles, kindly supplied by Road Safe Hawke’s Bay, was also fantastic.
Ready to cross the road, with Constable Che, after watching The Wild Robot at the Waipukurau Theatre.
After a quick play on the playground, it was time to get back on our bikes and ride back to Waipawa. I’m not sure whether it was the tail wind, or the tenacity of the children, but the bike ride back seemed so much quicker.
Cooper, age 9, commented on the ride home, “If this was last year my legs would feel like jelly.”
And would you believe, most of the children had enough energy to go to the school disco that evening.
