by Noah Everard, Year 13 Student, Kaipara College
A good month. A great month some would say. Like a can of fizzy, cracked open and enjoyed. Was it really July that was great though? Or was it the two-week-long school holiday? I think we can all guess which one conjured the most enjoyment. I didn’t go out and about much during these weeks. To be honest I don’t think anyone really did.
Ahhhh yes… winter; doors shut and curtains closed. Binge watch a T.V. series and get addicted to some salty confectionery. Tis the season! BUT, this was not the case. The sun dared to persist. July was surprisingly full of blue skies and crisp air, creeping a summer-like sun into the cracks of the curtains. The Kaipara Harbour was calm for the most part. My sister and I capitalised on this good fortune by taking the kayak for a gentle paddle up by Mosquito Bay. It was stunning. An antidote I would recommend to anyone feeling stressed or disconnected.
On the topic of feeling disconnected, I only recently discovered that the native Ake Ake tree is rich in tannins and can, thus, stop a wound from bleeding. It made me think about all the lost and relatively unknown medical sciences of plants and herbs. These sciences were once a focal point in human activity. But now, when we think of medicine and vitamins, we think of pills and artificial supplements. These are not bad per se, but it can alienate people from the natural process of the environment, and why it demands our care and attention. We cannot survive without the land, thus, it is important to remember how to survive ‘from the land’. Rather than relying on products in the supermarket or the supplements found in commercials.
As the end of June nears, the school ball can be seen creeping above the horizon. My good friends, on the Kaipara College Student Ball Committee, can assure me that this year’s ball will not disappoint. As a year 13 I can generally state that most of my year are excited about this information, and can’t wait to make our last ball, the best ball. On the subject of school events exclusive to ‘Last yearers’, I never could believe how difficult scholarship enrolment could be. These holidays hosted a www.GoolgeOverdose. I spent hours staring at slides of vague questions, and stern demands. With the rain as my white noise I luckily squeezed out a ‘good enough’ scholarship enrolment. Merry July, and I wish you all a happy August.
