October 2007 - Takaka Camp

This camp was fantastic. We stayed at Collingwood Campgrounds in a house that slept 12. We had 8 boys (ages 9-12) and 3 adults. It was full-on! Despite the rain for the entire time we were there, we did all that was on the itinerary.

The following is a snapshot of what we did. We went carting, visited a salmon farm and the animals park (including feeding eels), went on a boat ride down the coast, went caving to look at the stalactites, stalagmites and glow-worms and painted cloth bags and T-shirts at Nicola Basham’s house which included a very informative talk to the boys on the impact that plastic bags have on the environment . Nicola and her supporters are responsible for the first plastic bag-free town in New Zealand (Collingwood). We visited Farewell Spit at the northernmost tip of the South Island. We had access there through some farmland, then went to a restaurant for dinner paid for by one of our sponsors. The boys played tennis, went swimming and amused themselves with indoor games. Some of these children had never done some of these activities.

We are looking to run a lot more of these camps for kids who are unable to go on holiday for various reasons, as it expands their minds and at the same time gives their carers and parents a break from these sometimes demanding children that we have all experienced at some stage in our lives. Looking forward to the next one.

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