February 4

Be at the starting line at 6:30

People could start to get a little shirty

Learning the ropes, as we skippered a ship

Running everywhere, no time for a kip

Briefings, loads of team building and eating

Turns out having a hot shower is cheating

No time to think yet, it's all been full on

I think I should appreciate these days before they're long gone

February 5

There's a fantail tailing us, chirping away

It lifts our spirits when fatigue makes us sway

It dives at our ankles then swoops away with delight

The dance of a fantail is a beautiful sight

Our group had our first big challenge today

We came through alright, I have to say

We slugged through bush, and we're all pretty spent

Now we are all spooning in a sick as tent

February 6

The bush is teasing us, it just keeps going

Our morning enthusiasm is gradually slowing

We were up and at 'em, all guns blazing

We were all packed up and the moon was still phasing

I think the hills might have taken their toll

Slowly crushing our poor little souls

As I lie here with muscles in cramp

I realise it was only our two-day tramp

February 7

A "rest day" they said, well that ended pretty quick

We were late to PT so we got extras 'til we were sick

Then our first taste of kayaking, which was trickier than first thought

Our attempts to roll our kayaks made us giggle and even snort

Davey's in the navy, and probably will be for life

Dunstan climbs like a goat who is running from his wife

Abi's got every ointment under the sun and sky

Ferg crunches the deeper questions like what, when and why

February 8

The group opened up tonight, really laid it all down

You never know what people are going through 'til you ask around

We talked of foundations and finding your true North

I intend to set more goals going forth

Hannah's got mad kayaking skills in the river

Dan's slower out of bed than a snail's slither

Ollie froths over his Tame Impala

Auntie Cooper is cuddlier than a koala

February 9

So much time for activities when you're running everywhere

We've jumped from so many ledges that there is nothing left to fear

There's a special kind of tired saved for inability to eat

Sleeping while kayaking is no mean feat

Erena runs like she is shark bait

Ella will demolish anything on her plate

Janelle will let nothing stop her from crossing the finish line

Savannah has the voice to make even Dan rise and shine

February 10

Oh hot chocolate, shut the front door

Your suffocating sweetness leaves me gasping for more

I like coming home to you when I've had a big day

I like how you listen when I have something to say

What is the secret to your magic, the beat that makes you tick

Whatever it is I know I need to get some in me quick

Grab a glass and down it before it is too late

The water must boil, hot chocolate, for now I must wait

February 11

Poems can be hard to write

I fear I could be up all night

This daily poem business has caught a snag

The internet speed has encountered lag

I stared at a page for over an hour

Stopping only to snack and to have a hot shower

I'm writing poems on poems, I've hit rock bottom

I would mention the day's events, but I forgot 'em

February 12

Trees grow higher when their roots connect with others

They sway, shoulder to shoulder like brothers

Their fingertips ache for the touch of the sun

Swaying, stretching together as one

Beneath them a stream cuts a leisurely path

It tickles their roots making the trees shudder and laugh

Their presence is powerful, so alive and so still

Protection is also our duty to fulfil

February 13

Constructing a proper bush hut is harder than it looks

When you're out there all alone without guidance from the books

Think carefully about the corners, don't choose a dodgy log

Else you'll end up eating sticks that night, you're a human not a dog

Chuck on the roof, a door mat, hell even a window pane

Jump on in to your sleeping bag and hope to God it doesn't rain

It all sounds good on paper but I'm starting to fret

It looks flawless by daylight but I haven't slept in it yet

February 14

They gave us three carrots, three apples, three flapjacks and scroggin

Whoever decided these portions deserves a good floggin'

They should be forced to sing Nickleback

In their birthday suit, on top of a yak

Then made to watch every Shortland St show

In chronological order, then backwards in slowmo

Or maybe I'm being a little bit rude

I'm learning to really treasure my food

February 15

Soft oranges and greens emerge from the grey

Birds ruffle feathers and start saying g'day

It's a celebration as light filters through

The chance to begin, a new challenge to chew

Uncertainty to clarity the morning stirs my soul

Plants arc their spine, hastily stretching for their goal

I observe, yet I belong, no different in a way

The stream trickles on as the birds start to play

February 16

Our band of 13 set forth on our tramp

Thinking only of adventure and where we might camp

Day one kicked off with quite a buzz

When wasp nest dodging had us all in a fuzz

Such a pointless creature, back off me right now

Get back in your hole or I'll give you a POW!

Just kidding, please don't hurt me, we're good

But I still might step on you because I really should

February 17

Here's a funny joke, go tramping even if there is potential

For 25cm of rain in a day, which borders on torrential

But wait the joke gets funnier, say no when they offered you tents

It's Summer right? Taking a couple of fly's would make more sense

But were there gale force winds you ask, oh yes we had them too

So all in all, when huddled in a storm, there were choices we were beginning to rue

There is no punchline to this joke, so not really a joke at all

Just a rather miserable night where we really dropped the ball

February 18

Feet squelching we trudge, amid piercing cries

Shaking fists at the moon for our sandpaper thighs

Like penguins we waddle, on through the grey

'Til the chafe feels like fire ants swarming their prey

No need for a path, we're too tired to care

Stumbling over roots, we hope we are drawing near

Oh chafe you rascal, you've ruined my day

And that is all that I have to say

February 19

The black canvas sparkles with white speckled paint

I breathe it all in, without restraint

The boat rocks gently to the tug of the tides

We lie still, listening to what the universe confides

This has to be it, this is life without noise

It's uncluttered and carries a purpose and poise

Nights like these, though they slip away fast

Make me feel so deeply linked to the past

February 20

Finally a gust, we've been rowing too long

The wind had been absent but is now blowing strong

The call comes to jibe and our yacht turns on a dime

We are all having one hell of a time

For dinner we anchor and hop on to shore

It is one of those evenings that warms you to the core

Skimming stones, strumming tunes, just generally thriving

Then early to bed with a new day arriving 

February 21

Insults were flying and bare butts were shown

As the two boats lined up with the wind a'blowin'

The wager was set, losing would come at the price

Of cleaning the other boat's poo buckets that night

Our start wasn't great, and the wind died down

For a while there those poo buckets were looking extra brown

But in the end we smashed the other boat to smithereens

Then left a few extra presents for the other boat to clean

February 22

Ah yes, the half marathon just to top it all off

We guzzled our breakfasts like pigs at a trough

Then before we knew it, it was BANG, good luck!

Those first few k's always suck

Slowly a breathing beat emerges

A pattern of thought swirls and surges

It's nice to return from those dark places

To a cheering crowd of friendly faces

February 23

A sombre day of smiling sadness

Because the last few weeks, through all the madness

I'd found something, a connectedness

A group that I'm really going to miss

I'm homeward bound but I'm leaving home

A place of peace where kind people roam

The goodbyes were too short, I should have said so much more

We walk backwards toward a distant shore