Camp Omakau was enjoyable, challenging and immersive.

We completed a range of activities and adventures and we are grateful for the opportunity to go on this camp.

On Monday, we gathered into the vans and drove to our first destination, Flat Top Hill walk (which wasn't very flat at all..) We crossed the Butchers Dam then climbed up to admire the views over the Central Otago Basin and down into the Roxburgh Gorge. After the walk we made our way to our base camp located in Omakau. The campground was very peaceful and had a comforting sense of community.

On Tuesday, we got up early for our very busy day. Our two groups rotated between horseback riding with Debbie at Backcountry Saddles and croquet at the Alexandra Croquet Club. Horse riding was very fun, even if it was a bit chaotic. The horses were excellent for beginners (such as us) and the route we took was lovely. We all made friends with our horses and learnt skills required to ride and groom a horse. The Croquet brought in a fun sense of competition, and maybe a hint of marital discord from some of the lovely volunteers at the Alexandra Croquet Club. Look out for the Otago Girls High School Croquet club which Mrs Millar is keen to add to our Sporting endeavors. A visit to the Alexandra Museum provided a glimpse of the History or the area and we were treated to a behind the scenes tour of the archives. Lots of interesting artifacts from around the area. After that we were taken to the top of the Alexandra Clock Walk to walk down and meet the teachers at the Shaky Bridge.

On Wednesday, we were very excited to meet our new friends from Omakau Primary School. We ran a whole spread of games for the children to rotate through in their whanau groups. It was a fun morning with lots of giggles and playtime. The afternoon held some not so desirable weather, as we walked from Oripo to Lauder on the Rail Trail in buckets of rain. The tunnels provided some respite. In the evening, we celebrated Rhianna’s 15th birthday with some ice cream cake.

On Thursday, we took a drive to Bannockburn and did the sluicings walk which was very pleasant then went to the Kiwi Waterpark in Lowburn near Cromwell.The waterpark was a great experience because there were only 16 of us on the whole park. Lots of laughs, spills and splashes, filled the afternoon along with making friends with some of the lifeguards.

Pizza and chips were eaten on our way back to Omakau due to the inclement weather.

We spent our evening playing charades and never ending games of Phase 10.

Tent pack up was very efficient on Friday morning after which we were again dropped to walk over a bridge into Ophir for an exploration time.

A good time was had by all.