Scouts: It's not just about knots

Scouting is not just about knots, woggles and big shorts, and it's not just for boys either! There are approximately 16,000 young people in Scouting in New Zealand, spread across five age-related sections: Keas, Cubs, Scouts, Venturers and Rovers.  Each section has its own balanced programme of activities, badges and awards.

A time-honoured organisation run by passionate, committed leaders and parents for kids aged 7 – 19, Scouts is a wholesome, tried-and-true outlet for your kids’ creative energy, in a safe, supervised, yet challenging environment. 

We are fortunate to have several excellent local Scout troops in the wider Blockhouse Bay area – each with a slightly different ‘flavour’, with both land- or sea-based to choose from. There is definitely one that will feel just right for your family.
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New Lynn Sea Scouts
Contact Andrew 027 693 9756 newlynn.seascouts.org.nz
Western Bays Sea Scouts (Lynfield)
Contact Suzanne 09-627-3018 wbssgroup@gmail.com
Iona Scouts (Blockhouse Bay) Contact Colin 021 208 1103

Seeking adventure-loving kids!

Do you have a 5 to 15-year-old child who is looking for new adventures in 2019? Perhaps Scouting is the opportunity for them.

At Iona Scouting Group our activities have included orienteering, rowing, kite flying, bike riding, the Onehunga Coastal walk, campfires at Motu Moana, a visit to Karangahake Gorge, swimming, bushwalking, finding glow worms at Gittos Domain, Stardome, Extreme Edge, Camp Sladdin, cooking and much more. We also have a focus on conservation, helping people and cleaning up the environment.

A yearly tradition is the Founder’s Day Camp at Motu Moana which is coming up on the weekend of 22nd February. We join other packs from around the region for a weekend of action-packed activities, of which the huge water slide is a highlight.

Some of the Iona Scouts enjoying cooking sausages over their hobo stoves.

We have planned another exciting year for our Scouts, and we’d love to share these experiences with more kids. Interested? Why not come along a few times and have a go, to see if scouting is for you and your family. You will find us at the hall under the Blockhouse Bay Community Centre, beside the car park on Exminster Street, every Wednesday evening during the school term.
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Keas, school years 1–3, meet 6.00-7.00pm, Cubs, school years 4-6, 6:30 – 8:00 and Scouts, school years 7 – 10, 6:30 – 8:00.

Fun on the water

While from a youth perspective, the Scouting experience is all about the adventure, a key underlying purpose is to encourage the development of important life skills such as communication, teamwork and leadership. This is something that the nautical environment supports so well due to the wide range of activities and challenges available.

The New Lynn junior rowing crew demonstrated these skill elements recently at the Orewa Regatta, which became a clear highlight for them. With so many of the previous Juniors having moved up an age group, it was time for a new crew to make their mark. Of the six-person crew, two had only rowed a handful of times, and four picked up an oar for the first time the week before. Yet this novice crew demolished the other teams.

While their opposition typically went for a brute strength approach, New Lynn applied a ‘tortoise and the hare’ approach ending up beating most crews by a margin ranging from 1-3 minutes! While the crew had one of the slowest stroke rates of any crew, they focused on communication and teamwork, which meant the timing of their rowing was very good, which in turn maximised their efficiency through the water.

Unlike the usual ‘first past the post’ style of race, in the Orewa Regatta rowing event teams set off at one-minute intervals to navigate a course, which made it difficult to tell how you as a crew are faring against others, requiring mental toughness and resolve.

New Lynn SS playing on the water on a magic summer's day.

For the Leaders it was a very rewarding experience watching the Juniors expressions as it dawned on them how their teamwork, communication and leadership had compensated for their lack of experience and physical strength, to pull off a win that was otherwise unimaginable to them.