El Rancho's waterslide is a favourite activity. Photo / Judah Plester
El Rancho's waterslide is a favourite activity. Photo / Judah Plester
Ask someone what their favourite childhood memories are, and chances are a visit to El Rancho will be one of them.
Set in an idyllic 24ha on the banks of the picturesque Waikanae River north of Wellington, El Rancho has always provided a welcoming presence not just for children, butfor all ages.
It attracts about 20,000 visitors - including 5000 children - a year who come to stay and enjoy a wide range of activities or simply to recharge.
El Rancho has about 420 beds, 26 motel units and 60 campsites, and is run by 21 staff.
The history of El Rancho dates back to the late 1950s when two businessmen, John Campion and Bill Crighton, became inspired by a Christian convention in Ngāruawāhia.
"They got a whole bunch of the people from the community together to actually volunteer hours, from contractors to individuals, and starting building places," El Rancho director Bruce O'Brien said.
Children's camps, church camps, schools and the community started using it.
By the end of the 60s, the name El Rancho was given to the children's holiday camps held every school holiday.
After many years, and because of its fond connection with so many, the average person acquainted with the park began to simply refer to it as El Rancho.
Raft building is lots of fun. Photo / Judah Plester
El Rancho, a not-for-profit registered charity, is known as a popular camping ground, but there's so much more than that.
Let's start with the kids' camps held for one week every school term.
The camps, which can number about 250 children, feature a jam-packed day of activities including food and refreshments.
And there's lots to do at El Rancho: horse riding, go-karts, rock wall, archery, air rifles, mini-golf, kayaks, low ropes, wilderness survival, waterslide, confidence course, tennis, river tubing and lots more.
A game called archery soft is a recent addition.
"You have a full bow and an arrow with a foam piece on the end," Bruce said.
"We are going to make that available to the community at different times."
Children have lots of fun during the camps and gain lots of confidence too.
"We get some kids who have been in some traumatic experiences, but when they come to camp they can be kids, be safe, have fun, and challenge themselves too.
"You get to see children come to life without a computer, a laptop or a cellphone."
Rockwall climbing is certainly a challenge. Photo / Judah Plester
El Rancho is a great place for adults too, and in recent years has added marriage retreats.
"It's all open, everyone can come, and all the activities are free."
Horseriding is a popular activity. Photo / Judah Plester
And it caters for a wide range of organisations that run their own programmes and kaupapa, from the NZ Defence Force At Risk Youth courses, Inspiring Stories (empowering young leaders), to Child Cancer, Christian Fellowship for Disabled, House of Grace (supporting young mums), to name only a few.
"The key thing that we love is that the groups are so diverse."
And staff readily adapt "to meet the ever-changing needs of the people in the community".
While El Rancho caters to a wide range, it was good to remind people "that an individual family can come here and do their own camp".
El Rancho, which has a close connection with the Takamore Trust and mana whenua, also offers various training scholarships, plus an intern programme for students wanting to do a gap year.
