No man—or woman—had a chance to be an island at Curious Cove. Over 120 students, gathered together in one place, cut off from the outside world by hills and sea, could not escape from each other, anyway. Nor, as the unending discussions proved, did they have any wish to escape from the responsibility that bound them as students to the rest of society.

Curious Cove turned out to be the ideal spot for such a function as the N.Z. University Students' Association's first Congress. Every prospect pleased, and even the human company was not too vile. The sun shone warmly for nine of Congress's ten days. Congredients dived off the jetty into the smooth Sound, rowed to the heads to fish, climbed 2095ft. at the back of the camp, and played volley-ball (with Fred Marshall and the man from Bourke). That was, when they were not in deep consultation about the affairs of the world.