More than 80 Year 7-10 students put their fitness, teamwork and map-reading skills to the test on Friday in the Northland Secondary Schools Sports Association (NSSSA) Orienteering Championships in Kerikeri.
The competitors, from eight schools in Bream Bay, Whangārei, Kerikeri, Kaikohe and Okaihau, had to locate a series of checkpoints hidden in forest and farmland around Springbank School, both as individuals and in teams of four. Photos by Peter de Graaf.
![Kaikohe Christian School's Maketu Clarke, 13, from Moerewa, puts on some pace. Photo / Peter de Graaf](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/QOLW5GLTUXXIX7FZBIGIWJHLJE.jpg?auth=5f4f6a64c4f4a0ff19fd198911ff336fdd7a20ce5b8cc62e4277a5ed09400144&width=16&height=22&quality=70&smart=true)
![Springbank School's Coll McFadden, 10, from Opua, stops to get his bearings. Photo / Peter de Graaf](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/HQHZBYKDCTSP5TPGHOUMQHW5AI.jpg?auth=e97ff749898f32b398359f0e4a368f8bbd4ad920e971a5a538bc262201107e4e&width=16&height=13&quality=70&smart=true)
![Springbank School 12-year-olds Ella-Mae McCarthy and Ruben Kistemaker, both form Kerikeri, spring to the next checkpoint. Photo / Peter de Graaf](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/L7KG2CPHTASREMCZZBUURENLKU.jpg?auth=7c3ea4cdaad36890399e7d8d87e9d312ed16b7c3dc3274f006c3edb6e38653f3&width=16&height=19&quality=70&smart=true)