In 1965, the Church Building and Loan Fund (CB&L), at the request of Methodist District Education Council, gave permission for the purchase of 15 acres at Journeys End, North Canterbury for £500. Over a period of more than five decades the site has been improved and developed by a small and dedicated group of Methodists from the Canterbury District and other supporters who have spent countless voluntary hours dedicated to providing a special place for people of all religions and no religion to come and stay.

In 2021, Helen Buxton, secretary since 1991 compiled a history of Journeys End. This article draws on that history, along with input from those who have supported the campsite and those who have returned to stay, year after year.

Nestled in the foothills of Mt Grey in North Canterbury, bordering the Ashley State Forest and Mt Grey River, the site was formerly owned by the Deane family of Deane Apparel. The area was named Journeys End because that was as far as the wagons could go (elevation 300m) to start a picnic trek to climb Mt Grey (934m).

Helen says, “During my decades as secretary, I have witnessed countless hours of voluntary work that have brought many improvements to both the beauty and comfort of the site, all the time retaining a cost structure that enables all to enjoy a wilderness experience, albeit with the pleasures of a hot shower and a comfortable bed. Alternatively, this is a place to just relax in the serenity of its 15 acres, bordered by a (usually) peaceful river”.

Easter Camps a Faith Tradition

Paul Beaumont, aged 91, is still an active member of the Journeys End committee and has contributed greatly to the original purchase and subsequent evolution of the site. In 1965 he was a member of the Methodist District Education Council, whose members drove the purchase of Journeys End. The Canterbury Methodist Young Men's Bible Class Union raised funds for the purchase.

Paul says, “Canterbury Methodist Easter camping started at Stewarts Gully in 1915, then from 1923 to 1965 in Amberley. Following the biblical festival of tabernacles tradition, Easter camps are considered by countless Methodists to have been a formative time for their faith. When the lease for the site of the hall in Amberley Domain was running out, new premises were needed. Many sites were investigated, most of which are now covered in dense urban development. Inexplicably, out of nowhere, we were offered the 15 acre gorse and blackberry-infested Journeys End site at an affordable price. Overcoming much criticism, including that the site was not close to a railway for transport, we bought it.”

Ongoing Improvements and Additions

The first group to camp there in 1965 was the Beckenham Methodist Boys Brigade. Paul Beaumont was an Officer, along with Rodger Hardwick and Bryce Hadcroft. The original 1965 camp was followed in 1966 by the first Methodist Boys Bible Class Annual Adventure Easter Camp. In 1968 a concrete block of flushing toilets was designed by Frank Walls and built when the Amberley Hall building and bed shed were relocated onsite from the Amberley domain. North Canterbury Methodists have held Easter Camps there every year since 1966 - apart from the year of the Wahine storm, and this year due to Covid.

One early Easter camper John, (he asks that his surname is not used) has fond memories of clearing the undergrowth to dig their long drop, and of meals being cooked in the large Hall, then taken in hot boxes by Paul and Joan Beaumont to the boys overnighting on a long tramp.

An excerpt from the 1969 newsletter of Christian Youth Methodist Movement CYMMER reads: ‘The first mixed JE Bible Class Easter Camp in 1969 attracted 170 people from 15 church groups, with groups responsible for their own equipment, cooking and studies etc. “Instead of the camp just being a home away from home with a few of the amenities missing, the camp is so different that the comforts of home are not missed at all.”

In 1970 the Raithby Church (1866-1967) was gifted to the camp. Relocated after storm damage to its present site in 1982, the chapel has been reroofed and reclad by volunteers. Over the years the land has been progressively cleared of broom, gorse and blackberry bushes and planted in native and exotic trees. Working bees have been undertaken by Easter campers and other church campers with a connection to the site.

Facilities have been extended and upgraded to include two former Ministry of Works cabins (The Oaks and The Pines) relocated from Waipara and in 1998 two large barrack blocks were relocated from Harewood. The barracks named ‘Amberley Lodge’ and ‘Leigh Lodge’, acknowledge the girls and boys bible class campers who had worked at and valued both of the former locations.

With a Little Help from Friends

Towards 2000 began in 1986 and evolved from the Whitecliffs Music Festival, held on a farm in Whitecliffs, Canterbury. The farm site eventually proved unsuitable for the increasingly growing crowd of participants and in 1993, Towards 2000 relocated to Journeys End. In the early days, around 100 people gathered for a week-long drug and alcohol free festival over the New Year period. Jeff Cartridge attended one of the first events at Journeys End and along with his partner and family has been every year since, with the exception of the past two years when Covid restrictions meant cancelling the festival now known as Convergence.

Jeff’s daughter was two-years-old when the family first participated in the festival at Journeys End. Jeff says, “The facilities were certainly limited as there was just Amberley Hall and the chapel, but that was better than spending five days cooking in a tent in the pouring rain.” Although he was not involved in selecting the site, Jeff recalls that festival organisers considered several options. Journeys End appealed for a number of reasons. “The site was off the grid and had limited mobile access - even today. Being at the end of the access road meant there was no through traffic and the area was surrounded by hills and the river. All of that appealed.”

As well as their annual attendance at Convergence, many of the festival-goers - including Jeff and his family - have returned to the site to participate in numerous working bees, helping clear scrub, develop infrastructure and create pathways. “At times there were up to 40 of us on site clearing blackberry and scrub and planting trees.” Beyond the work achieved by Convergence attendees, having the support of that volunteer workforce provided invaluable assistance and encouragement for the Beckenham church community involved in developing the site.

Since 1996, Convergence has had a permanent booking for the New Year period. In 2000 the festival drew a record audience of almost 600, and since that time around 300 people of all-ages gather each year to enjoy the festival and the venue.

A Team Effort

The campsite is ideally suited to larger groups with bedsfor up to 80 guests along with the caravan points, camp sites, a laundry and bathroom, kitchen, dining and lounge facilities. Groups can range from a small retreat for about 12, to festivals that attract hundreds. Bigger festivals bring in extra facilities like portaloos and showers.

Helen and her husband Neville, Paul and Joan Beaumont, and Dianne and Graham Claughton are just some of the many Beckenham parishioners who have been integral to the success and continuity of Journeys End. Paul’s son Sam has followed in his father’s footsteps. He is a member of the Journeys End committee and brings numerous skills to the site, including building, maintenance and landscaping expertise. Each year he recreates river bathing pools and he has constructed walking, mountain biking and all-terrain vehicle tracks. Sam has also arranged the installation of playground equipment and initiates and oversees action activities especially enjoyed by the younger campers.

Helen has huge admiration for everyone who has contributed to the site, from those involved since 1965 to the newcomers who offer their assistance in many ways. “It is like a kind of a passion for them. You cannot stop them. They love to go out there and see something for their efforts. They are all brilliant. Graham McHarg worked while convalescing for more than a year onsite modifying the transported Leigh Lodge into sleeping accommodation and also on ground works including tree and daffodil planting. And Wendy Anderson, our treasurer and Booking Agent has been crucial in her role.”

“There is an ancient farm cottage at the entrance to the camp that Paintball Club members are renovating. So often members of groups who come here get a passion to help with the work.”

Support from Many Realms

Financial support from community organisations over the years has also enabled ongoing development. In 2020, the North Canterbury Synod agreed to release sufficient funds from the Leigh site sale proceeds to enable a contract to be let to bring Amberley Lodge up to Building Code compliance. Volunteer work continues. Sam Beaumont is currently Project Managing the refurbishment of Amberley Lodge. “The huge amount of work required to ensure Leigh Lodge complied with the new building code would not have been possible without the countless voluntary hours put in by our committee members and others,” Helen says.

From finding the site in the 1960s through to its present amenity and facilities, Paul Beaumont has seen God’s intervention and influence. “God has inspired many people to give their time and skills to develop Journeys End. The remarkable stories about the acquisition of the various buildings on the site all trace through to the intuitive influence and economy of God's provision. There are many anecdotes from groups using the site who mention how individual people who have camped at Journeys End have changed their lives”.

At a meeting in January this year to look at the future of the site, Paul Beaumont opened with a homily that said:

‘This Journeys End Camp site is not ours.

It is not our Synod’s or the Methodist church’s;

God is the interested owner of this complex

as demonstrated by his many weird interventions

in its development that we have not recognised

or gasped at the grace by the way it was presented.’

For bookings, call Wendy Anderson (03) 352 3671 or 027 279 2307. Bookings can also be made via the Methodist website.