Learning outside the classroom gives students the opportunity to understand how a location has affected or has been affected by people and events in the past. Our Year 13 History students experienced this first hand when they visited Rangiriri Pā last term as part of their studies on Colonial New Zealand. Rangiriri is of particular significance as it was one of the fiercest battles of the Waikato War. The pā was built there by Māori to block British advance into the Waikato and was one of the first places in the world to use trench warfare. Students walked around the pā and its earthworks and visited Te Whero’s Redoubt. Students had a great time exploring the pā site despite the weather on the day!
