We had a great week on camp experiencing the local treasures throughout the Manawatū region. The camp started out the first day with us doing the Dam Block loop that is around the back of Massey University and ends up at Kahuterawa loop. On the second day with weary young men we biked the 35km loop around Palmerston North. On day three we did the Kahuterawa loop in the hills behind Palmerston North, the tracks were great and the young men learnt some great bike riding skills. On day four we walked the Sledge Track and on the final day we went swimming and to the movies.

After departing PNBHS, we headed for Mangaweka where we completed our first activity for the week: rafting the Rangitikei. The group had a great time racing each other down the river, splashing other rafts and jumping (or being pushed) over the side for a swim. Once we were all dry again, we had lunch in Taihape and continued to Venture Lodge in Ohakune. Later that evening, we set off to walk the Mangawhero Loop Track by torchlight where multiple boys discovered that three kilometres was actually quite far and that carrots don’t make you see in the dark.

Tuesday morning, we conducted an extended bag check where we had to inform boys that their month-old lunchboxes wouldn’t be required in their packs. We met Ben, Nate, and Jesse at TCB and were fitted for mountain bikes to tackle the Old Coach Road. The teacher to student ratios were a bit off as a few of the staff members congregated at the rear of the pack, discovering that mountain biking was perhaps not their forte. Special thanks to Mr Dubbledam who led the pack with confidence. A few scraped knees later, we made it back to Ohakune all in one piece.

Unfortunately, heavy rain intervened with our plans on Wednesday, and we ended up journeying to Taupo for a cold dip in the lake followed by a much warmer swim at the AC Baths. On the way home, the boys were treated to a fancy dinner of fish and chips in Turangi.

For the final full day, the boys were lucky enough to have the skills of Mr Miller guiding them to Blyth Hut. However, he did advise us that there would only be one river crossing, when in actual fact there were at least ten. The boys put in a solid effort getting to the hut but were not shy about talking about their cold feet and exhaustion for the duration of the trek back. We suspect it may have been the first time some of them had seen nature outside of their phones.

Of course we awoke to a beautiful sunny day on our last morning which we spent cleaning and packing. On the drive home, boys shared their highlights of the camp which mainly consisted of mountain biking, rafting and trips to New World to spend their pocket money on lollies.