by Sequoia Thomson, Year 13 Student, Kaipara College
Happy school holidays to everyone involved!
Hopefully, everyone is at home, safe, sound, and warm after Cyclone Vaianu passed through, and is helping out any friends, family, and neighbours who need it.
With gusts exceeding 130km/h, heavy rain, and large swells, some regions were hit harder than others. Auckland escaped relatively well, but the coastal Whakatane district, Bay of Plenty, and Rotorua saw heavier damage and extensive evacuations. Luckily, New Zealanders prepared quickly, emptying supermarkets by Saturday and readying for possible blackouts and property damage.
Though, as casual people, we New Zealanders did seem to confront the storm with a relaxed vibe, as evidenced by an update by the New York Times, which stated that a local Mount Manganui cafe was “overrun by demand for ice cream” - it seems like even in the worst situations, ice cream is always the solution!
On a school-related note, term one finally ended on an early Thursday, much needed by the many exhausted students at my school (including me). Though the term has flown by fast, many of my friends and I have found it has still been very tiring and very, very busy. I myself am rather grateful for a quiet break at home after going so nonstop - somehow, it seems we have managed to survive both school and the storm.
Ball is also coming up soon for our year twelve and thirteen students in late term two, though the location and theme are yet to be revealed … but no doubt, it will be magnifique. For those who are a bit stuck, shopping for ball dresses can be very hard and expensive, especially online, so I recommend, as a certified thrifter, looking through some local and city op shops for ball dresses. Karangahapa Street has some really high-quality second-hand stores, in which you can get very expensive designer dresses or just well-made dresses from good brands for an affordable price, whilst being of high quality. I personally recommend Paper Bag Princess and Recycle Boutique. My wonderful dress last year was second-hand, and I altered it to fit perfectly.
The PSSP is also soon to have a very exciting camp coming up in the first three days of term two - the 2026 PSSP Hui, which trains our wonderful new PSSP members (including myself) to be able to help, support, and educate Kaipara College students on health issues as best we possibly can. We will be there from Monday to Wednesday, with around five other schools. It is sure to be awesome!
Stay safe, stay warm, and I will see you all again next month.
