Over the course of two days we had the privilege of participating in an exchange with Ashburton Intermediate in a battle of sports as well as a showcasing of performing arts talents and building friendships.
On Tuesday, we took 84 students on a huge double-decker bus and travelled for just over an hour to Ashburton Intermediate. Singing bangers such as ‘Let It Go’ and ‘Cotton Eyed Joe’ on the way there, we warmed up our voices ready for the beautiful welcome Ashburton Intermediate put on for us.
Upon arrival, we were welcomed with a karanga and haka before settling in to watch their Kapa Haka group, Pasifika group and Hip Hop dancers as well as a beautiful solo ballet performance by one of their incredibly talented boys.
Following morning tea, we left Ashburton Intermediate to head off to our sporting grounds. Football played at Argyle Park with the Boys team taking the pitch first and convincingly winning 21-1. Next the Mixed Football team took the pitch and won 10-0. Both teams showed an immense level of sportsmanship and enjoyed the day!
Hockey played down the road at NBS Hockey Turf. The Girls Team took the pitch first and battled hard for an hour, eventually going down 3-2. Following a refreshing run through the sprinkler system the Mixed Team took the pitch and unfortunately lost by quite a large margin.
Basketball and Volleyball both played at the EA Center. Volleyball played some really fun games where we mixed up the teams and played Ashburton and South Karamata together and had a hugely enjoyable, social time. Basketball had the boys play first and had a huge win of 24-58 while the girls played their hearts out and fought hard, they ended up going down 36-25.
After a huge day out in the beautiful Ashburton sunshine, we went back to Ashburton Intermediate for a farewell and boarded our bus again for a sleepy trip back to school.
On Thursday it was our turn to host Ashburton Intermediate, we started our day with a mihi whakatau, welcoming them to our school with a haka before showcasing our many Performing Arts talents through Jazz Band, Orchestra, Hip Hop, Choir and Pasifika.
We then went out to show our guests around our school before competing in a range of sports. First up was Netball where our A team attempted to redeem a loss to Ashburton at the CAIMS Tournament. Unfortunately, South Karamata lost 16-18. The B Team battled it out fiercely, eventually tying the game 9-9.
Ki o rahi was up next and we played this socially as it was a new sport for Ashburton Intermediate. We played with integrity, teaching them the rules and also displayed high levels of integrity too.
Lunchtime was awesome as our school bands played a live concert for everyone to enjoy and a bit of a mosh pit started to form.
When playing touch, it was apparent the damp grass was going to hinder play but both teams battled hard to represent their school well. Eventually, touch was the winner on the day as we didn’t really keep score.
Korfball was another new sport for Ashburton Intermediate so we played socially with them by mixing our C & D team up amongst them. Around 38 students from Ashburton were keen to give it a go and had heaps of fun using their netball and basketball skills and adapting them to fit the Korfball rules.
Our school haka was showcased with the whole school coming out to give it their all prior to the first 7s Rugby game, Ashburton Intermediate returned with a passionate Tahu Pōtiki Haka.
Our South Karamata A rugby team delivered some huge hits and showcased some amazing footwork in their win, 30-25. However, the Ashburton B team came out firing and delivered some big blows to our B team with the eventual score being 35-5.
Overall, we had an amazing, action-packed two days and made some lasting memories with people who were once strangers and are now friends.
A huge thank you to everyone who participated in our exchange, from behind-the-scenes work to playing their sports with passion and performing in the showcase to their top level. We hope to foster this experience in the years to come.
