If these walls could talk...

As one of New Zealand’s largest boarding schools, boarding has long been at the heart of Lindisfarne’s identity. From its early days as an all‑boarding College, with only limited exeats each term, Lindisfarne has evolved into the predominantly weekly boarding environment we know today. Old Boys reflecting on their own time in the hostels may marvel, and perhaps shake their heads in disbelief, at the comforts now enjoyed by today’s boarders: air‑conditioned dormitories, regular access to technology, and the freedom to shed uniform after school hours. Yet while the facilities may have changed, the spirit of boarding life has not. The stories passed down through generations remind us that, although conditions were often simpler and sterner, the camaraderie, fun and lifelong memories forged in the boarding houses have always been central to the Lindisfarne experience.

Roger Alexander, a first-day pupil, recently returned to the College to be inducted as a Notable, an honour recognising those associated with Lindisfarne who have achieved distinction in their chosen field and/or made a significant contribution to the College. He recalled that the very first students slept on the upstairs Homestead verandahs and, when it rained, their beds were frequently soaked. Health and safety expectations were clearly very different in those early days. On one occasion, following a visit to the Hawke’s Bay Show, a student failed to return to the waiting transport at the end of the day. After a phone call to his mother in Auckland, it emerged that he had caught a lift on Pakowhai Road from a passing truck driver, who kindly dropped him at his family home in Auckland. Unsurprisingly, he went on to become the College’s very first Old Boy.

Murray Richardson, fondly remembered by many Old Boys, was Head of Junior House for many years and witnessed substantial changes in boarding life. Reflecting on his time in boarding, he noted, “When I was in boarding, boys wore uniform all the time and could earn mufti privileges for the weekend through good behaviour. Any infringement meant an immediate return to uniform for the weekend.” Exeat weekends, he recalled, were rare, and Sundays were far from free time. “All the boarders would go on organised outings to places like Splash Planet or Te Mata Peak whether they wanted to or not,” he said.

Wearing uniform, however, did little to dampen spirits, and the Junior House lawn was the scene of countless games of cricket, volleyball and touch. Less visible, but arguably more ambitious, were the boys’ tunnelling activities! Nearly every boarding house boasted an underground tunnel painstakingly excavated over time. Even the dorm prefects were not above joining in, and many of the trapdoors to the tunnels were ingeniously concealed under the prefects’ desks!

There are also well-documented reports that, on quiet Sundays when the Homestead was deserted, boys would venture into the roof space and descend into the wall cavities in search of the mythical wine cellar that has intrigued Lindisfarne students since the College’s earliest days. This story gained unexpected credibility during major Homestead renovations some years ago, when boys’ names were discovered scrawled inside the cavity walls. Gap tutors who lived in the Homestead at the time of the explorations were convinced that the building was haunted, having heard whispering and scuffling within the walls!  The only area that remained forever beyond reach  was the Rector’s office which was always kept locked and was widely believed to conceal the elusive cellar trapdoor beneath the Rector’s desk.

For  many boarding Old Boys, these recollections will feel familiar, and perhaps reassuring. While boarding life at Lindisfarne has changed in many practical ways, the friendships, shared routines and moments of fun that shaped their school years remain a common thread across generations. It is this continuity of experience that continues to connect Old Boys to each other, and to the College, long after their time in the boarding houses has passed.