The trip down was unlike any other school trip we’ve been on. It was an enjoyable ride with a tonne of snacks, bad singing, unit standards, Mr. Pugh shouting Lady Gaga and Amy acting as the weatherwoman.

Arriving in Wellington, early into the night, we checked into our apartments and hit the town... for pudding. Strawberry Fare was the mystery location. With two pages of desserts we were spoilt for choice. After a few drinks of fruit juice, laughter bouncing off unsuspecting victims and many smiles filled with chocolate all round, the plates were left half empty, like Mr Pugh’s diminishing stash of cash.

Wednesday morning started with Aotearoa Audio struggling to perfect their ties, while iCock sent out a search party for a missing wallet. The Oral presentation went spectacularly well, with lots of good responses from the judges, who even bought a few CDs! We moved apartments, and checked out the hotel pool before climbing back into the van again, ready to explore Wellington!

After a very nice morning tea, a quick swim in the sea for AA’s mentor, we headed to Weta! Weta workshop was scary; we saw real life versions of movie characters and had a lot of fun.

The few hours left of Wednesday afternoon was full of shopping. We picked Lisa and Mikeala up from the airport, and proceeded to get ready for the Trade Fair. Scoping out the competition at Trade Fair was fun-filled and exciting. It was really great to see the other Regional winners. iCooks display and colourful red aprons along with their cookies really made a big impression. Aotearoa Audio focused on selling CDs and had many opportunities to meet and greet important business people.

Finally, it was time for dinner at the Duxton. We shared two tables between the 18 Taranakians who attended, and we all had a blast. Many high-profile people attended. There were long speeches and excellence awards were collected. One of the biggest challenges of the night for Meg and Caitlin was having to learn to pronounce the Governor Generals name.. Sir Anand Satyanand. Caitlin succeeded, Meg didn’t.

At the end of the night just before the scrumptious dessert, Aotearoa Audio was announced as third best YES team in New Zealand. This was really exciting and we all felt very proud and honoured. After dinner, we headed to town again….. only to find that all the coffee shops were closed!

The next day started a little later than planned....with tired girls from the big night before. Aotearoa Audio set off to Te Puni Kokiri, whilst iCook got another chance to shop. Aotearoa Audio had an amazing time with the team at Te Puni Kokiri, they discussed the expansion of their company and even got goody bags! Two hours later, everybody was back in JAMO (The trusty van) and ready for the long trip home.

We arrived back at New Plymouth Girls’ High School, trophies and all, tired and ready for a good night’s sleep! The whole experience of attending the Nationals was quite amazing and very rewarding for all of iCookaroa

Whose keen for next year ??

Thanks very much to Mr Pugh, Ms Jennings and Virginia Winder for their continuous support and encouragement throughout the trip.

Results:
iCook: National Excellence Award for Leadership
Aotearoa Audio: National Excellence Award for Communication and 3rd place in New Zealand (YES Team of the Year)

Meg and Caitlin