• By Times’ Junior Journalist Alina Jiang

Motutapu Island is a great place to go for any adventure.

It’s full of lush nature, is pest-free, and also holds a causeway (a small bridge) connecting the two islands (Rangitoto and Motutapu) which gives you a great view of Rangitoto!

Another fun fact, did you know Motutapu is one of the oldest islands in the Hauraki Gulf?

But we need to be more detailed, so let me take you on a ride for a brief description of the history of Motutapu Island!

And, in addition, tell you about the Bucklands Beach Intermediate School (BBI) camp on the island!

Around 700-800 years ago, when Rangitoto wasn’t in the Hauraki Gulf, Māori lived on Motutapu.

They thought of it as a sacred place and the island was found to have more than 300 villages!

Then in 1840 when the Europeans came and claimed the island for themselves, a lot of things happened to the island.

Trees were planted, animals were introduced, homesteads were built and soon Motutapu became a very popular tourist attraction.

Believe it or not the island hosted picnic parties with over 10,000 people!

Then later in the 1900’s (1936 to be exact), during World War II, bombardment battery work began, construction of roads was carried out and observation posts were completed a year after.

The camp was constructed, additional buildings were built, and deepwater wharfing facilities were created for the US Navy.

Then, when war ended in 1945, the whole site was abandoned five years later. Wow!

For me I really can’t believe how much the island changed during the war!

The sites used in war are now considered historical landmarks on Motutapu and can be visited by tourists.

Te Motu tapu a Taikehu is a place full of history so I recommend you visit!

Now that we’ve talked about the history, let’s tell you the story of our Nikau camp!

During three weeks of March, BBI hosts three camps for each whanau (a group with four classes) Miro, Nikau and Kowhai-blue, orange and yellow took turns going on camp.

The Miro whanau went first, their activities being posted on Facebook on the BBI account, then my whanau – Nikau – got ready to go on their adventure.

On the Monday we departed for the island. We hopped on the red Sealink ferry for a 45-minute ride to the island, then took a 1.5-hour walk to the camp.

It may not seem like anything that tiring but trust me at the end of the walk when we got to the camp everyone was exhausted.

There were more uphills than downhills and for me my legs were like wiggly pieces of macaroni and cheese.

The next four days consisted of many activities, raft building, confidence course, high ropes, climbing and a lot more!

My personal favourite was snorkeling. Swimming away from the shore I saw a lot of life, from coral to tiny fish and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing!

It was as if there was an underwater rainbow consisting of many fish and coral!

But the best part was when the instructor cracked open a sea urchin (they are bad for the environment) for the fish to eat.

We were instantly surrounded by snapper, up, down, left, right, everywhere!

So much snapper all fighting for a piece of the urchin!

Also, another best part was the food! In the morning we’d have a nutritious meal of cereal, toast and milo (if we wanted it) and during the other meals we would have food such as butter chicken, steak, hot dogs, nachos and a lot more!

Then on Thursday night the whole whanau got together to watch Inside Out in the gym (not really a gym, more of a hall).

And on the final day, we gathered all the lost property and gave it to the owners, and then did a BIG cleanup of the camp.

Brooms, brushes, water buckets and more were brought out and soon the camp was sparkling clean!

Then we set out for the long walk. My legs yet again were suffering and after a long 1.5-hour walk we arrived at the dock, hopping on the ferry and heading back to our homes.

Personally, for me camp was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.

The excitement I had in the past few days exceeded the bar and I want to give a BIG thank you to everyone on the island or in Auckland who helped organise the camp or even just helped.

But now, to everyone out there, or whoever is reading this article, I totally recommend you visit Motutapu!

You’ll have the best time there and enjoy every single moment!

• Alina Jiang is in year 7 at Bucklands Beach Intermediate School