The trip started with a twist - strong winds tried to hold us back, and closed the road north with a truck being blown across the road - but nothing could stop our campers! By 10am we were on our way, cruising through the stunning Waitaki Valley, soaking up the scenery and excitement. After a quick stop for lunch at the awesome CPlay playground in Timaru, we were back on the road and ready for adventure!

When we arrived, we were welcomed by the friendly camp staff and settled into our rooms before exploring the amazing campgrounds. From trampolines and volleyball to disc golf, basketball, maypole, and a giant walled sandpit (affectionately dubbed The Colosseum), there was no shortage of fun! Dinner that night was a hit - nachos and fresh salad - before diving into our first Kangaroo Court, where “crimes” like rule-breaking and general silliness were judged and punished with hilarious or gross food challenges. The evening ended perfectly with a few games of Spotlight, followed by hot chocolates topped with marshmallows.

After a not-so-silent night, we fuelled up with breakfast and lunch packs and headed to the International Antarctic Centre! Students braved the icy storm room, rode the epic Hagglund vehicles, met huskies and penguins being rehabilitated, and even watched a 4D movie where it actually snowed! From there, we bounced over to Ninja Valley, where everyone got to test their limits on ropes courses, trampolines, wall climbs, slides, and foam pits. There was lots of laughter (and a few flips!) and of course one torn calf muscle - by a parent! - as we all challenged ourselves to try something new. Dinner that night was delicious — Butter Chicken — and Kangaroo Court was full of laughter — plus one very creepy Scary Movie mask that made its way into Spotlight! Another yummy hot chocolate and marshmallows saw us hit the hay much quicker than the night before!

Thankfully, night 2 brought some real sleep! During the morning, it was revealed that we would be leaving today, a day earlier than planned to avoid the forecasted weather system. And so with that we squeezed in as many final camp activities as we could before heading home. Students raced around the go-kart track, soared down the zipline, scaled the outdoor climbing wall, laughed A LOT on the chilly outdoor waterslides, and showed off their aim with the air rifles. After a burger lunch, we packed and cleaned up camp - only to be surprised by the magical jingle of… Mr Whippy! What better way to end camp than with ice cream in the sunshine? We got on the road and after a quick dinner stop in Ashburton for Domino’s Pizza and garlic bread (yum!) we made our way home through Fairlie and Tekapo, arriving right on time at 8pm. It may have been slightly shorter than planned, but we squeezed in plenty of fun and laughter, and made many wonderful memories. 

What a fantastic three days — full of adventure, teamwork, and unforgettable moments!