PAST EVENTS

2002

December 13th - End-of-year Finale
We walked along to Grasslees Reserve where we spent the first half of the evening. Some entertained themselves in the play area whilst others threw a few water balloons around.
Then it was back to the hall where 41 enthusiastic kids got stuck into making Christmas cards for the old folks at the local rest home. [See pics].

December 6th - Intermediate kids only
We arranged a last-minute get-together for the intermediate-age kids only (many of the year 6 kids having been at a school camp the past few days).
It was a pleasant little gathering of just 14 kids and we had a few games which we kind of
"made up as we went".

November 22nd - "In the Red"
This was an occasion when we combined with the Anglican and Catholic intermediate-age groups at
St Francis Xavier School. Everyone came dressed in as much red as possible (or at least they were meant to!). 77 kids were split in to 10 teams (of not quite equal size) and went from one "challenge" to the next, accumulating points along the way. Tossing the sponge, carting water from one bucket to another, kicking a ball into the goal, and carrying out certain indoor pursuits in a race against the clock were just some of the activities which took place. The combined event proved such a success that we intend to get together with these other groups at different times in the future.

November 8th - Out for Dinner
We started with an entree of chippies, sausage rolls and drinks at the church hall. Then off to Dawn's place (once the keys for the bus had been located!) for self-serve burgers outdoors. Last port-of-call was the Hollow spread in the Takapu Valley for
ice cream with a choice of various toppings.
34 kids, 6 leaders/helpers, and heaps of food.

October 25th - Barbecue at Dawn(s)
It was barbecue time at Dawn's place.
After eating, we had a number of questions to which the kids (all 35 of them) found answers in nearby streets. "What's big, yellow and white and on wheels in someone's front yard in Somerville Tce" was just one example. Once it started to get dark everyone came back for a body-bending
game in Dawn's garage. [See pics].

October 11th - What's the Score?
A fun night at the hall. We came dressed in our favourite team colours - well some of us did anyway, even if it was just our red & black socks! We polled the kids to find out what their favourite games were. Two of the most popular seemd to be indoor hockey and "gladiator-style" bullrush. In that game the two male leaders and helper Sam were the "gladiators" who had to shove the kids to the side of the hall using squabs/mattresses - and it was quite exhausting! Not just quite, but very exhausting! Dawn ran two other slightly quieter games before we finished the evening with indoor hockey, involving just two competing kids at a time. That looked a little exhausting too, but at least the leaders only had to watch and not take part!

September 20th - Late Nighter
It was a special end-of-term event. We spent the first part of the evening at the Johnsonville pool, then dined on hot chips before jumping back on the bus and heading off mid-evening for a game of
10-pin bowling. Then it was back to the church hall for a quick supper before the church bus and 2 cars dropped all 31 kids off home - the last just
a minute or two before midnight!  [See pics].
Those who scored 80 or more at 10-pin bowling
(of those who handed in their results) were:

1st - Caleb  111 2nd - Jonathan  105 3rd - Jarrad  102 4th - Rachel  100 5th - Sam N  99 6th - Nathanael  85 7th - Freya  82 8th - Evan  80

August 30th - An Ice Nite
A chilly games night at the hall, mainly ice-based games like hockey with a large block of ice as the ball. Another game saw a couple of girls stuffing ice down the shirts of two boys who were foolish enough to volunteer - not knowing what was in store! Dry ice in hot water producing huge quantities of steam-like gas created a great effect and
much entertainment for the kids.

August 16th - It's in the Box
After answering 2 out of 3 questions correctly, some took the pebbles whilst most opted for the unknown prize in the box. Most boxes contained a little something (like a water gun or sweets), but some were empty and presented participants with a challenge instead. By beating their two teammates in the likes of a coke-drinking contest, the winner was given a bar of chocolate (rather than another can of coke). Another challenge saw 3 teammates wedging an egg between their own knees and racing to the other end of the hall. Only one succeeded in leaving the starting line without his egg dropping
to the floor and breaking! A rather boisterous
evening enjoyed by 29 kids plus leaders.
[See pics].

August 2nd - In the Commonwealth
Our own Commonwealth Games saw New Zealand, Australia, Canada, India and South Africa competing against each other. Events included the shot put (a weighted bag), javelin throw, skipping race, indoor running relay, balloon popping, etc. True to form, Australia took out first place, and New Zealand came in an honourable fifth!

July 19th - Meals on Wheels
The church bus (plus 3 cars) moved us from one burger restaurant to the next to the next (various McDonald's and Burger King). Half a burger here, fries there, etc - 4 stops and a tasty time had
by all 38 (including leaders & helpers).
[See pics].

June 28th - Sing for your Supper
We've put up a separate page with a bunch of
photos and a summary of what took place.
To go to that page, click here.

June 14th - Gladiators!
They crossed the plank (doing their best to avoid the weighted bags being swung at them), then "chair hopped" to a ladder which they scaled in turn, then under one table and over the next one, walked along a bench, ran through the unlit back two rooms before crawling under the large used carpet, manoeuvered along a narrow beam on the floor and (breathlessly?) crossed the finishing line. 5 teams with an average of 6.6 kids in each.
The fastest team's time: 2 minutes 36 seconds.
The next event involved "sumo wrestlers"
(see pics), protected by inner tubes, striving
to force each other outside the circle.
After a strenuous version of Bullrush in which 34 energetic youngsters did their best to charge past
3 hardy (foolhardy?) gladiators, a guest speaker who had experienced much of the unpleasant side of life shared with us how God wants each
of us to be a part of his army.

May 31st - Progressive Dinner
Despite a forecast of rain, the evening was "fine" although obviously dark and a little cool (but we
are heading into winter after all!). Following our first course in red & black land at Malcolm's place, we all walked (not exactly very quietly) to Dawn's, 5 minutes away, for a main course of burritos.
The somewhat spicy mince filling was enjoyed by many but too much for a few! A further 15-20
minute hike to the Lucases for our just desserts, ice cream, etc, before heading back to the church. The fact that 31 kids were there (at the start of
a holiday weekend) confirmed, once again, that
this sort of evening is always a very popular one.
[See pics].

May 17th - Black 'n' White Nite
We came to the hall dressed in black & white
and enjoyed a number of games in addition to a visiting speaker/entertainer who shared his life story and held everyone's attention for more than half an hour. 28 kids there this time around.
[See pics].

May 4th - Hurricanes v Crusaders at the Stadium
There were 48 of us at the Stadium to see the Hurricanes take on the Crusaders. 24 were current Club Intermeders, 12 were adults (leaders and parents), and 12 were brothers & sisters or previous Club Intermeders. See more details and pics of the match on our Stadium outing page.
The prize of a large cake of chocolate for the one who looked to have made the most effort in dressing and painting their face for the occasion was shared between Ashleigh (Hurricanes fan) and Jackie (Crusaders). Well done to both of them!
The prize of a small bar of chocolate for being closest to guessing the final score went to Jamie. The match ended at 20-48 (home score first). His guess was 25-47. We're also giving a small chocolate bar to Sarah D whose guess was 25-45.
We hope you all enjoyed the outing. It was certainly a great atmosphere at the Stadium, even though the final result may not have pleased everyone. It did please some though!

April 19th - A Pedestrian View of Tawa
There were 26 keen young adventurers (plus another 9 not quite so young helpers) who set off from the church on foot in 7 separate groups. Their mission was to follow directions which would take them from one street to the next and through several alleyways, at the same time answering 20 questions along the way. To add to the challenge, each group had to be on the lookout for a certain car patrolling the route and one of them had to hurriedly sit in the plastic chair they were carrying before the torch shone on them. If they were "spotted" with an empty chair they would be penalised. As it turned out most were very alert. Only one team (of older girls) got "caught"
- and that was more than once!
Even though it wasn't a race, some groups certainly treated it as such! First place went to a younger and slower group calling themselves "Girl Power" who answered 19 of the 20 questions correctly. Close behind were "Roxy" (2nd), "The Night Crawlers" and "Teletubbies" (3rd=).

March 22nd - Is there really an Easter Bunny?
We left the answer to that one up in the air, but we did satisfy ourselves that Easter was about more than just eggs. On Easter Sunday we celebrate the most important occasion in all history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
We played a number of Easter-related games, as well as some that had absolutely nothing to do with Easter! Judging by the noise, I'd say most of the 28 kids (plus leaders) there enjoyed themselves.
I know that I did.

March 8th - Water-time in the church hall
Although we were back at the hall we still had a number of water games (both inside and outside) with some participants getting seriously wet! The floor needed a major mop-up at one point too. Water balloons, water guns, various water-filled containers, and 24 active youngsters - all in all
a rather fun time! [See pics].

February 23rd - Barbecue'n'Swim
As the weather wasn't kind to us, we didn't get to the beach as planned. Instead we had a barbecue tea in the church hall (after a tiring round of sock hockey) and then jumped on the church bus which took us to the pool at Johnsonville. Even some of the leaders got into the water, but not for too long - kids climbing all over them kinda wore some out!  It was an enjoyable way to start the year.