WBHS team aces 5-day challenge

They may be winners, but they're still teenage boys.
Fresh from winning a five-day outdoor challenge, eight Whangarei Boys' High School all-rounders are aiming high: They reckon beating their own spit to the bottom of the cliff when abseiling would be a great sporting goal.
The Year 10s cleaned up in the inaugural Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC) Get2Go challenge on Great Barrier Island last week, heading off nine other teams from Auckland and Northland.
Two days of problem-solving - including sailing and blindfold kayaking - and three days of orienteering tested brains and brawn.
The winners - Ben Scotland, Callum Harris, Cory Malcolm, Craig Fraser, Marcus Grierson, Nick Wheaton, Oliver Robinson and Sean Rusk - were chased hard by runners-up Whangarei Girls' High. Beating their sister school was a top goal, and the boys were particularly pleased to have pipped them at the pancake and Milo-making challenge.
Team leader Callum, 15, said the toughest parts were climbing a 630m hill and covering about 50km on the three-day navigational challenge.
Their secret was good teamwork - "... and Callum pushing us," said Sean, who turned 15 during the event.
Oliver reckons living in Northland gave them an edge over the Auckland city-dwelling ``jafas''.
"We did heaps of fitness stuff: Rockclimbing at the stadium, kayaking around Limestone Island, running up Parihaka," said Ben, 15.
Get2Go event manager Darren Ashmore said it wasn't enough just to be the fastest - strategy and teamwork were key.
"Most of the kids pushed themselves pretty much to their physical and mental limits at some stage," Mr Ashmore said.
Regional challenges involved 300 students, with 10 teams of Year 9 and 10 students from schools throughout Auckland and Northland competing in last week's final.
Northland's other finalist was from Te Rangi Aniwaniwa in Awanui, a decile one school with a roll of around 150.
"They were probably the team with the greatest spirit. They hadn't done a lot of that stuff before but their spirit was amazing," said Mr Ashmore.
Windsurfing Olympic gold medallist Barbara Kendall was at the finishing line to congratulate the competitors. SPARC partnered with the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre to set up Get2Go, and aims to roll it out North Island-wide next year.