Ross Bishop retires as principal of Tauranga Adventist School after 27 years

Ross Bishop will be swapping teaching for tools and trains after calling time on 27 years as principal of Tauranga Adventist School.

The Tauranga principal has plans to renovate his home and continue travelling the country - and the world - by train after announcing his retirement at the beginning of the year.

"It was not an easy decision to come to," he said. "I guess it was almost a denial that you are coming to an end of something."

Bishop was farewelled with a school-wide Mad Hatter's Day, which included his first ride in a helicopter on Monday.

"I woke up this morning knowing there was something going on but I had no idea it would be a helicopter ride," Bishop said.

Beneath him were his 100-plus students who had spelt out the word 'thanks' on the school field. "It was a very special ride," he told the children.

As part of the special farewell, pupils wore hats they had decorated during the week for a Mad Hatter's Day theme - the principal donning a Dr Seuss Cat in the Hat.

Puzzle pieces, feathers and dominoes were glued to different headwear and awards were given to the pupils with the maddest, most colourful and best-designed hat as well as the teacher's pick.

One pupil's hat included a photo of himself and the principal with the letters 'BFF' which stood for Best Friends Forever.

The winners of the Mad Hatter competition were invited to help their principal cut his farewell cake which featured a model railway on the top - the principal's favourite hobby.

Bishop graduated from Longburn Adventist College, an integrated co-educational Christian school in New Zealand for Years 7-13, in 1974 and got his first job a year later.

He has taught in schools from Kaitaia to Invercargill under the Seventh-day Adventist education system. "I have always been a principal from graduation," Bishop said.

He began his role as principal of Tauranga Adventist School 27 years ago when the Bethlehem school on State Highway 29 had just two classrooms.

"Back then there was two teachers and 30 students," Bishop said.

Under his leadership, the Christian school grew to have five teachers and a maximum school roll of 125 pupils.

The principal plans to spend his retirement renovating his home and travelling by train with wife Lynley.

"Renovating the house is first on the list," he said. "I will be keeping myself busy."

The couple travelled Europe by rail in 2009 and came back inspired by the Swiss rail system - so he built a model railway version at home.

Bishop said he would miss the pupils at Tauranga Adventist School.

"It is part of your life for all these years," he said. "I will miss the interaction with the students, with a school this size it is like a family."