I will not attempt to put into words the experience the scouts had on Jamboree. This is because there are as many different experiences as there are scouts. Each scout will have experienced the sights and sounds and feelings (both highs and lows) of the whole Jamboree in their own unique way and I could never do any of them justice.
Jamboree is billed as a once in a life time experience for all who live through it. And for most it is.
 |
Derrick
Stories
Derrick's Story
"Arriving at Karapiro for the overnight camp before the nexts days water activities, was a breath of fresh air literally. The most outstanding experience I have had to date at Jamboree was getting out at the beautiful grassy lake onto grass, with little wind and NO dust.That evening, while scouts were all bedding down prior to lights out, I stood outside my tent on the grass in my bare feet (don't tell any scouts) and simply enjoyed the sensation of the grass under them.
The next days sailing was a load of fun as well. The lake was so still and flat that even when the wind got up I was able to get the cutter up to speed and run the gunwhale as close to the water line as I could. (Some of the land scouts were definitely uncomfortable with this, but most enjoyed the speed and fun). "
Nick’s story
"One of the innovations at this Jamboree was evening activities, and in particular special activities just for Senior Scouts. I joined three of our Senior Scouts for one of those activities - caving.We lined up in the early evening for the half hour bus ride up to Karamu Caves, where we were kitted out with helmets and lights before the short walk up the hillside to the small, rocky opening which was the entrance to the cave. We were split into groups at that point. Liam, Adam and Hamish were selected for the fast-moving, extreme group, while old blokes like me went at a more sedate pace.
We spent more than an hour inside the cave, wading through the muddy water, slithering through holes not much bigger than we were, and climbing up and down through the rocks. But we also stopped to look and marvel at the chambers full of ancient stalactites and stalagmites. Or turn off all our lights and look at the walls and ceilings covered in hundreds of glow worms. We finally emerged, tired and filthy - in a good way, back above ground, into the clear, still night, for the walk and bus ride back to camp."
Callum's Story
"My best NZ Scout Jamboree experience was The Mystery Tour. I went to a beautiful garden and did orienteering activities, then went to Laser Tag and Trampolines. It was very fun day. Afterwards, we went rock climbing which is themed around different things like King Kong, Indiana Jones and more.Other great activities that I enjoyed was riding quad bikes, drift tricycles and archery. I really enjoyed meeting the NZ scouts at the Porirua Pirates troop. Thank you for all leaders for look after me."
Ethan's Story
"I don’t know but if I had to choose I would probably say the Fast and Furious day because it had so many activities you never thought you would do, like drift trikes on a go kart track, pushing a car around a field and using a slingshot to fire paint balls.Or maybe all the free time for stuff like swapping badges and meeting friends if you have any in other troops or just sitting and thinking all I want to do is sleep because I'm soooo tired…. "
Will's Story
"The best thing at jamboree for me was hanging out after the activities. It was really good doing cards and cricket and all the other things.The other best thing was the sleep which there definitely wasn't enough of, (just a tip for next jamboree)."
Rosie's Story
"It was all so much fun, I personally really enjoyed the evening activities. I only got to do one but I think that they were a really smart idea to add so that if you wanted to learn about space, shoot everyone you know with lasers or just backflip off a box onto a trampoline (which I’m sure would be fun if I could backflip).When I did the evening activities I decided to do some trampolining, so I explored what I could do for a bit until I decided on dodgeball. I’m not very good at throwing so instead I collected balls and gave them to people who were good shots. (I definitely hope we have this next jamboree)"
Xavier's Story
"What I most enjoyed about the whole NZ22nd Jamboree was dinner time when we all got to share all the amazing experiences with each other (we still needed to keep some secret so we wouldn’t ruin the fun). A close second was learning how to operate a digger, it was pretty cool. I also enjoyed meeting and making new friends from all over the place in NZ and overseas."
