Ōmakere School students climb their way to education

One of the Ladder Kids of Omakere School testing their new way of crossing Pourerere Rd's washed-out access.

Schools often feature an adventure playground in their schoolyard, but for five Central Hawke’s Bay school students, the adventure is in getting to school in the first place.

Ōmakere School is praising “creative parents and dedicated staff” who have worked together to make sure the five students, who have been cut off from school by a swept-away bridge after Cyclone Gabrielle, can make it to school despite the odds.

It's an adventure to get to Ōmakere School, if you're a Ladder Kid.

Ōmakere School is a rural school of 70 students, usually just 20 minutes from Waipawa.

However, during Cyclone Gabrielle, the Gollan’s Bridge approach was swept away. This meant instead of catching the school bus and travelling 10 minutes to school, students had to work from home. The access to Waipawa was also cut off so there was no choice to attend school in person... or was there?

Not to be beaten and with great Kiwi ingenuity and attitude, a group of parents and Ōmakere School staff set up an alternative for these kids, now aptly named the Ladder Kids.

Cyclone Gabrielle destroyed the approach to Gollan's Bridge in Pourerere Rd.

A ladder was firmly attached to the remaining bridge and a slide added to the home side, enabling students to meet at the town side of the bridge, slide down, walk across the remaining metal of what was the bridge approach, climb a ladder onto the bridge and meet a teacher or the Ōmakere School principal on the school side and be driven to school.

A group of Ladder Kids head off to school.

The Ladder Kids caught the attention of a crew restoring power lines nearby, and the group of workers have been helping carry school bags, dog food, cat food, and the kids as they go up and down the ladder to and from school.