At Wellington Airport, about to board our flight to Sydney.
We had a long journey to get there, finally arriving in Darwin at 4.30am NZ time on Friday morning. Just a few short hours later we were up and on the bus, in incredible heat and humidity, and off to the TIF opening ceremony. This was overseen by the local Larakia people as we were in their 'country'. The atmosphere was buzzing as 600 kids from Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Hong Kong all came together to celebrate. The opening ceremony gave us insight into the customs and seasons of the local indigenous people and was really interesting for the students to compare with home. It was also where the Spirit of the Tournament was established. At this level of the competition the main emphasis is not on winning, but on supporting each other, teamwork and friendship. The hard work has been done - now its time to really enjoy what you do together.
With the Queensland and HongKong Social Sciences teams.
Badge swapping is a huge part of the TIF.
Local Northern Territories schools provided the opening ceremony entertainment and then after some very welcome ice cream, it was off to Crocosaurus Cove. Most of this time was spent inside in the cool dark reptile house enjoying the air conditioning!
The afternoon included a fascinating Learning Carnival led by Lee Watanabe Crockett. Our team made the most of the opportunity to explore their strengths and weaknesses as a collective and to share with other teams as they tackled prioritising key global issues and how to combat them.
At the Thinking Carnival, brainstorming key global issues and strategies for overcoming them.
Meeting in Mrs Zhou's room to go over team strategies and roles for the upcoming lockdown challenge.
The next day saw us head out to Charles Darwin University for the Tournament proper. Our team worked to their greatest capacity in their three-hour lockdown and enjoyed getting to know the Queensland social science team as they sat together to watch all the teams performances in the afternoon. Whakarongo really showed great courage and resilience. They were one of the youngest teams in the category and were up against teams who had attended multiple International Finals. They created a fun solution that showcased many of their talents and the parents and I watching were so very proud of them.
Whakarongo were the greatest champions of the Longburn Adventist Team.
Talking to the judges after presenting our challenge solution.
Once all challenge solutions had been presented it was off to Nakara Primary School where there was a huge dance party, international handball games, giant bubbles and other activities to relax with. This was my favourite part of the Tournament as we saw teams all mixed up, having fun and hanging out, laughing and eating dinner together. It was really special to see the spirit of the Tournament in such a tangible way.
Outside the Darwin Entertainment Centre, prior to the Closing Ceremony.
The closing ceremony was such an exciting atmosphere. Teams were so supportive of each other - kids stood to acknowledge the success of their state teams and their new friends. Again, the Spirit of the Tournament at its best. Whakarongo was proud to stand and support the Thailand team who overcame massive challenges and for the Northern Territories teams who had endeared themselves to us all.
It wouldn't be TOM without Freddos!
Heading to the Jumping Crocs and Pudakul.
Sunday was a jam-packed day for us, we packed up and met our shuttle, heading out to Wulna country to join the Spectacular Jumping Crocodile cruise...after ensuring that all limbs were safely secured inside the boat, we set off down the river to spot some crocs. We had fun watching Pearl, Trevor, Candy and Marilyn jump for their food - watch out for those teeth! Then it was on to Pudakul to learn about DreamTime and local stories, to meet Graham and Tarisma as they showed us their traditional way of life. Everyone braved the 37 degree heat to have a go at spear throwing - Louis and Prya had the best chance of catching us dinner!!
After our big afternoon, a long swim was in order. Handstand competitions in the pool were a hit before we climbed back into shuttles to head out to Mindil Beach. Hundreds of people were gathered on the sand of the cove to watch the sun go down, but with the risk of jellyfish and crocs, no one goes in the water. Then it was time to explore the night markets. Kiwis were treated like royalty with many vendors gifting local merchandise once the kids introduced themselves - a really fun night.
At 10.30pm it was time to head to the airport in order to meet our midnight flight back to Sydney, a very short night later we arrived there in time to make our flight back to Wellington, finally arriving home to Palmerston North seventeen hours after we left Darwin.
Still smiling in Sydney, about to board our flight to Wellington.
This was a fantastic opportunity for the students and parents to be a part of. We are hugely grateful to the Board of Trustees and the PTA who supported us financially and made our attendance possible! What an amazing Tournament season Whakarongo School had in 2018!
