Finding their way in the world
More than 600 school students have taken part in one of the biggest orienteering events ever held in New Zealand.
The Orienteering Big Day Out on July 1 involved students from eight schools in Taupō and surrounding districts.
Taupō Orienteering Club chairman Lyndon Haugh says it was a large increase in participation, despite an initial postponement due to bad weather.
He says the event was a fitting finale to a series of in-school orienteering training sessions held by the Taupō Orienteering Club for 13 schools and more than 950 students.
The sport is growing in popularity with a 30% increase in numbers for both the school sessions and the Big Day Out.
Two new maps of schools were made so that every school in Taupō and the surrounding area now has an orienteering map.
“The enthusiasm level of all the students at the schools has been very evident.”
Finley Priest-Jacobs and Carter Swetman from Hilltop School took out overall honours in the year 5/6 category while Patrick Wilson and Skye Conway from Taupō Intermediate came out on top in the Year 7/8 category.
Lyndon says the courses this year were more difficult than last year.
“While no team managed to clear either of the courses in the time available, the proportion of teams with good results has undoubtedly increased which shows that the overall orienteering skills of all students have improved.”
This year six of the eight schools competing shared in the first three placings in each section with students from Taupō Intermediate dominating the year 7/8 category and five schools sharing the honours in the year 5/6 category.
Lyndon says it is the sixth year that orienteering education training sessions have been held in primary and intermediate schools and it seems that it has now become a much anticipated part of the Term 2 sporting scene.
He says they will keep the sessions going next year.
He says the club could not provide the in-school sessions as well as the Big Orienteering Day without the support from Sue Maclean from Kiwisport.
To provide more opportunities for school students and their parents to enjoy orienteering, the club intends to run a Parents Big Day Out using the same courses used for the students on July 26 with a 10am start at Spa Park.
They will also be running a short series of after-school orienteering events and an in-town urban orienteering series to start in August.
Details will soon be available on the Club website; taupoorienteering.nz
Students fan out across Spa Park. Photo: Supplied