Isabel Haxton and classmates at the start of school camp. Photo / David Haxton
Isabel Haxton and classmates at the start of school camp. Photo / David Haxton
One of the best things about being a parent helper at school camp is seeing children step out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves.
Whether it's watching them navigate a high ropes course, hurtle along a zip line, team up for a river crossing, create a bivouac, or delight in making a fire, every bit helps nurture resilience, character building and a sense of achievement.
I've just returned from three nights at the well-run Makahika Outdoor Pursuit Centre where various classes from Raumati Beach School went for the annual school camp.
Situated in the foothills of the Tararua Range, just out of Levin, the centre has become a popular place for schools and other groups to get a good dose of adventure-based learning and have fun doing it.
The centre's dedicated team of enthusiastic instructors and support staff strive to make the experience as enjoyable as possible while getting children to stretch their boundaries in a safe outdoor environment.
"Become comfortable being uncomfortable," it says on the centre's website.
As part of the parent helper team for Room 12, where my daughter Isabel, 11, is a student, it was a matter of chipping in when needed.
The main task was supervising children, while offering them lots of encouragement or sometimes the odd reprimand, through to helping prep food, washing dishes, and staying positive.
Upon arriving at camp and getting a briefing from instructors, our class set off for a tramp that included various trails, lots of mud, and stream crossings.
Throughout the camp individual students were allowed to wear a high-vis vest and lead various walks while in radio contact with the instructors; great for self-esteem.
Later that day we arrived at a bush hut, next to a picturesque stream, which would be our base for the night.
After hamburgers and salad for dinner, we lit some fires and toasted marshmallows, played charades, before everyone went to their designated tents and tried to sleep while a fierce wind whipped the tree tops above.
The next day, after a hearty breakfast of sausages and scrambled eggs, the students learnt about the long-finned eels in the stream, before tackling the art of fire lighting, creating a bivouac shelter under time pressure, and the importance of holding onto each other while carefully navigating river crossings over slippery rocks.
Isabel Haxton navigates a high ropes course. Photo / David Haxton
Some finished the day with a chilly river swim while wearing wetsuits to keep a bit warmer.
Night two was in a different tent area, where a hearty pasta bake was served up, before trying to get some sleep while the wind again did its best to disrupt.
With a continental breakfast in our bellies, the children spent the next day on a high and low ropes course as well as a 170m zip line.
Watching children take a deep breath and walk a horizontal power pole, very high up, with safety line attached, was impressive.
And hearing them shriek with delight as they whizzed through some bush and over some paddocks via the zip line was cool.
Night three was in a lodge featuring large communal area and adjoining cabin rooms with bunks which was a bit of a luxury after tents.
A chicken roast dinner was devoured before a scavenger hunt, quiz game and bed.
The last day involved all three classes involved in an adventure/orienteering race before saying farewell to the instructors and hopping on buses back to school.
I asked one of the kids how he rated the camp out of 10. After careful thought he gave it a nine. A great score for someone who was nervous about going to camp.
A lot of work goes on before school camp so a big congratulations to Jenni Adams and the other teachers for all the preparation.
And well done to all of the camp staff, the cheerful parent helpers and especially the children who will fondly remember the experience for a long time.
