Hoping to navigate to top, have fun on way
Fiordland College students and Southern Orienteering Club members Ianthe MacMillan Armstrong and Jemima Hoskin will compete against other teenagers in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Orienteering Championships.
Fiordland College deputy principal and New Zealand orienteering coach Shaun Cantwell said the girls had already proven how talented they were by how well they had done in regional competitions, so doing the national schools contest was mainly about having fun.
"They're very sensible, mature young people who have coped well with competitions.
"They're both very smart, which you have to be to a degree for orienteering because you're making a lot of decisions, and solving problems effectively, which is what the navigation is.
"They are going up this weekend to just enjoy themselves."
Both students were part of the Fiordland College team which took out the national Get2Go championship held in Tongariro National Park last year.
The duo had already earned their spots on the New Zealand Secondary Schools Orienteering Team heading to the Southern Cross Challenge held in Queensland, Australia, in September and October.
The orienteering clash pits Australian and New Zealand secondary school students against each other in order to win the Southern Cross Trophy.
The event runs for 10 days.
Mr Cantwell said the girls, along with their team-mate Victoria Underwood from Wakatipu High School, were expected to perform well at the Southern Cross Challenge.
"They lift themselves to the competition [and] if they got nervous — it wouldn't overwhelm them as they would work well under pressure.
"They're quite well adjusted."
Last year was the first time students from the Southern Orienteering Club had represented New Zealand at the Southern Cross Challenge since 1998.
Club committee member Sally Duston said she was very excited about having three members of the club go to Australia.
"To have these three talented girls competing in this multi-day competition is awesome and a great inspiration to all our Southern Orienteering Club members, especially the young students."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
1News
a day ago
- 1News
More people are learning to eat out on their own
Father and foodie Andre reserves a "table for one" every couple of weeks — he prefers to try fine dining restaurants alone. The Auckland-based IT professional is a 'busy guy' with a family and a demanding job. 'Sometimes it's nice to just have a bit of chill out time on your own, go somewhere, and eat some food,' he says. 'Probably about a third of the time that I would dine out, I would go on my own.' While sampling degustation menus and new 'nice' restaurants is Andre's idea of a good time, his wife and two teen children are not as into food as he is, so he's happy to go solo. ADVERTISEMENT 'If my wife doesn't want to accompany me to a particular restaurant, but I really want to go, then I'll go solo. It's totally fine. Even if I travel with my wife, I will probably eat half the number of meals solo.' Statistics show that Andre is, ironically, not alone. A rise in the number of people making solo reservations seems to be a global trend. Restaurant Reservation Service OpenTable reported an 8% increase in solo dining reservations in the US last year compared to 2023, and the UK and Canada saw an increase of more than 10%. The phenomenon has become ever apparent across the ditch too, with the average Australian dining solo 49 times in 2024 according to a national hospitality report. NZ Restaurant Association CEO Marisa Bidois says it's likely New Zealanders are following suit. A member poll conducted by the association in 2022 found 30% of responding restaurants reported an increase in solo dining. 'I think that it's probably becoming more acceptable as dining out is becoming part of our everyday life more,' Bidois says. ADVERTISEMENT 'Travelling on your own is certainly becoming more common over the years. So, as we see our tourist numbers tick up, we may see more [solo diners] as well.' Bidois also acknowledges the cost-of-living crisis as a possible reason for the increase. 'Not everyone is in a position to head out for dinner at any one time. And if you're a real foodie, and that's what you're putting your money aside for, you still want to be able to treat yourself.' Auckland chef Al Brown told RNZ last year that his restaurants, which include inner-city Best Ugly Bagels and Depot Eatery, have experienced a rise in customers who are dining by themselves. He says there seems to be more confidence around the activity – and also credits a rise in solo travellers. '[People are] really enjoying their alone time in an atmosphere which is full of theatre. You're being looked after, you're eating a delicious plate of food hopefully – there is a whole lot of feel-good around that. "You don't know what is going to happen so there is a little bit of anxiety. But generally, in hospitality, we're trying to look after people. That's our big thing; making people feel comfortable and giving them a great experience. When you come in alone, you get special treatment, there is no question about that.' ADVERTISEMENT Brown recognises that all owners want their tables to be full, but says the importance of taking care of solo diners should not be underestimated. 'If you look after a good single diner, every time they come to the city, they'll came back to you for sure.' Nosh Restaurant dish featuring Wild Rabbit from Eastherbrook Farms 2019 (Source: Takimi Mazesoba, a booth-style ramen restaurant with a layout specifically designed to cater to solo diners, opened in Takapuna on Auckland's North Shore in January. Adjustable partitions along the tables allow customers to separate themselves from others, creating a private booth with a sense of personal space. The restaurant's layout is inspired by aspects of dining culture in Japan — a nation where nearly a quarter of the population eat out alone. Restaurant operating manager Amy Wu says the booths are designed in response to changing modern lifestyles where people are increasingly valuing space and autonomy. ADVERTISEMENT 'This is not about isolating people, but rather about providing freedom of choice and respecting individual comfort. Many people today enjoy having personal space while still being part of a shared environment,' she says. 'People no longer feel that eating alone must be awkward — instead, it can be peaceful, restorative, and enjoyable.' She says it's mostly young people who savour their brothless-style ramen dish in solitude. Wu believes the layout attracts more solo diners to Takimi Mazesoba than traditional restaurants. 'We believe that offering privacy as an accessible standard, not as a luxury, creates stronger loyalty. 'Many customers have shared that they feel no awkwardness dining alone here as they see others doing the same.' The Restaurant Association survey showed more traditional restaurants are looking at how they can best accommodate a growing demand for friendly solo dining options, Bidois says. ADVERTISEMENT 'Some people had specific areas in the restaurant with a nice outlook where a solo diner could sit and enjoy the view, a lot of shared tables and shared spaces and some people were adaptable with the menu as well,' she said. And after 25 years of solo dining, Andre has developed his own list of what makes a restaurant ideal for a meal alone. 'It's always nice if they have a predefined section asking 'What kind of table do you want' on the booking page,' he says. 'With the proliferation of shared plates, which isn't particularly solo dining friendly, it can make picking options difficult. When I dined in Europe lots of restaurants I went to offered half-size entree or half-size sides." He also rates restaurants that offer a degustation menu for one. Filipino-flavoured Bar Magda and Italian-inspired Amano are among Andre's top picks for places to dine solo in his hometown. For those who want to eat out alone but need that extra confidence boost, the seasoned solo diner says, 'the fear in your head is typically worse than the reality'. '...Sometimes you'll go to a restaurant where people are kind of furtively looking at you and thinking 'Has he been stood up?'. But to be honest, I don't really give a toss about any of that. I'm there for the food; I'm there for the experience and I don't seem to notice anybody else.' By Aisha Campbell for
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
South well represented
A strong group from Otago and Southland have been named as part of a New Zealand secondary school cross country team to compete in Australia. Wakatipu runners Siena Mackley and James Weber, Otago Boys' runner Ruie Hyslop and St Peter's College runner Millie McFadzien will race at the Australian all schools cross country championships in the Gold Coast in September. — APL
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
James O'Connor returns to Wallabies for British and Irish Lions series
'We need to improve our accuracy and cohesion with a very short runway leading up to the first test in eight days.' O'Connor was a revelation for the Crusaders in their charge to the Super Rugby title this season after a move from the Queensland Reds. But he was overlooked by Schmidt for the warm-up test against Fiji this month, where a ragged team narrowly avoided a morale-sapping loss. While they struggled to assert themselves in the 21-18 win, the Lions have been hitting their stride, winning all four of their tour games so far. First-choice flyhalf Noah Lolesio was injured in the Fiji match and needed neck surgery that has ruled him out of the three-test series. That opened the door to O'Connor, with Schmidt mirroring Lions coach Andy Farrell, who also opted for experience when Elliot Daly broke his arm against the Reds. He called up his son, Owen Farrell who – like O'Connor a seasoned flyhalf – has not featured for England since the 2023 World Cup. Farrell was on the bench for the Lions in all three tests of the 2013 Australia series. 'I had a few conversations with James during the year,' Schmidt said of O'Connor. 'He had a good Super season for the Crusaders. He stayed close, he stayed connected the whole way through (with the Wallabies). He can potentially help the players, particularly our young 10s.' Longevity Slipper will inch closer to becoming the first Australian player to be capped for 150 tests after coming off the bench in all three games against the Lions 12 years ago. 'His longevity is something that is quite incredible in the game. And, you know, part of what makes Slips a little bit special is he's always challenging himself to get better,' said Schmidt. 'He doesn't believe that he's quite got to the best version of himself yet, despite his many, many tests. So he's going to keep working really hard.' In the only other change to Australia's Fiji squad, lock Josh Canham is recalled after impressing for the Reds during their loss to the Lions. ACT Brumbies winger Corey Toole and Western Force backrower Nick Champion de Crespigny are the only two uncapped players. Forwards Rob Valetini and Will Skelton, along with flyhalf Tom Lynagh and scrumhalf Jake Gordon, were all included despite missing the Fiji test due to injury. Wallabies squad: The Wallabies players, head coach, and staff pose for a photo after the squad announcement for the British and Irish Lions series at Suncorp Stadium on July 11, 2025, in Brisbane. Photo / Getty Images Forwards: Allan Alaalatoa, Angus Bell, Josh Canham, Nick Champion De Crespigny, Matt Faessler, Nick Frost, Langi Gleeson, Tom Hooper, Fraser McReight, Zane Nonggorr, Billy Pollard, David Porecki, Tom Robertson, Will Skelton, James Slipper, Carlo Tizzano, Taniela Tupou, Rob Valetini, Jeremy Williams, Harry Wilson Backs: Filipo Daugunu, Ben Donaldson, Jake Gordon, Len Ikitau, Max Jorgensen, Andrew Kellaway, Tom Lynagh, Tate McDermott, James O'Connor, Hunter Paisami, Dylan Pietsch, Harry Potter, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Corey Toole, Nic White, Tom Wright -Agence France-Presse
