A group learning to ski at Youthtown Auckland's Snow Adventure camp.
From ponies to penguins, caving to campfires, Danielle Wright finds plenty of camping action for the next school holidays.
Spring is the perfect time to push your children out into the great outdoors to make new friends, discover passions and to take a break from electronic devices. Here's our round-up:
Give city kids a slice of the country life during the school holidays by sending them off to The Farm in Northland. Choose from either a "Mean As" Boys Camp or a "Sweet As" Girls Camp. There's an emphasis on farm life but also time for sailing, fishing, horsemanship, bushcraft, paintballing, motorcycle maintenance and firearm safety.
Owner Ellen Bennett is originally from Arizona, but says she never went on the summer camps many Americans go to when they are growing up, so was always jealous of the kids who did. She had been offering horse camps for around 20 years then started the more general camps around nine years ago.
The camps began when her children were almost teenagers so they developed the camps to be the ones they would have liked to go on. The girls' and boys' camps share similar activities but the down time is different. The girls might put on plays and sing, while the boys work on motorbikes and kick a ball around.
"The big thing for us is not just for the kids to have fun, but also for them to learn valuable life skills," says Ellen, who is about to launch an online profile system where the kids get to gain acknowledgement for the skills they learn at camp, which may be used as an online CV in the future.
"We have an 80 per cent return rate for the school holiday camps," says Ellen, "The camp leaders are all well trained and work on the school camps [during term time], our main business. It's always about building confidence through ability."
The Farm attracts kids from as far away as Wellington. If you want to dip into the camp experience, Ellen can put together a weekend camp for your child and their friends, which lets you choose the activities. Weekend camps are $60-$100 per day depending on activities and school holiday camps are from $400-$600 (includes accommodation, activities and food).
Give your children a chance to experience the snow, without the expense of a full family skiing holiday, by signing them up to a Youthtown Snow Adventure Camp run in the July and October school holidays.
"Anyone aged 7-17 can sign up," says Youthtown's Outdoor Pursuits Programme Manager, Brian Walsh.
"It's a good opportunity for kids to be themselves and is an affordable option for parents because we get big group discounts. We see children come along on a Monday not knowing anyone, then leave the camp on a Thursday having made a mate for life."
The camps, which have been running for 15 years, let the kids try skiing and snowboarding, as well as mountain biking, rock climbing and hot pool trips if the ski fields are closed. Children from all over Auckland attend and they once had a couple of kids come all the way from Blenheim.
"The big thing is the challenge the kids have from packing their bags, to mucking in with the cooking," says Walsh, a qualified ski instructor. "We give them plenty of responsibility."
Former Olympic skier Ben Nanasca is also part of the Youthtown team on the camps, which cost $730 (includes adult supervision, accommodation, food, transport, gear hire, lift passes and ski/snowboarding instruction). The weather has forced cancellation of this year's October camp, so make a note to sign up for next year.
The first YMCA camp was held in the US back in 1887. The innovative organisation went on to be credited with inventing basketball, softball and volleyball, the phrase "body building" and, even, Father's Day. YMCA's Auckland branch was founded in 1855, so has a long history of running quality youth camps with an emphasis on building confidence and growing self-reliance. Today, YMCA Auckland runs senior and junior camps during the school holidays at two locations - Camp Adair in Hunua and Shakespear Lodge in the Shakespear Regional Park.
The juniors (ages 6-8), choose from Shakespear's Jump Outdoors Residential Camp (Sept 28-Oct 3) with activities such as climbing and sailing, as well as classic camp games such as spotlight and capture the flag. Kids ages 8-11 can join the Camp Adair Ultimate Adventure Residential Camp for (Sept 28-Oct 3 or Oct 5-10) with activities such as river challenges, arts and crafts, climbing, high ropes, archery and mud slides, with evening activities including visits to glow worms and camp fires. The Shakespear Discover Outdoors Residential Camp for ages 9-11 (Sept 28-Oct 3) also has plenty of outdoor activities, such as kayaking, climbing and orienteering. All junior camps cost $285 per person.
Seniors (ages 12-14) can choose from Camp Adair's Ultimate Adventure Residential Camp (Sept 28-Oct 3) to try out everything from river challenges to high ropes, or the Shakespear Outdoor Adventure Residential Camp (Oct 5-10) which offers mountain biking, kayaking and sailing (both camps $285pp).
Campers in Camp Adair's Young Adventurers Expedition for ages 10-14 (Sept 28-Oct 3, $380pp) will hike the Pinnacles in the Coromandel, cave on the west coast and visit hot pools, while basing themselves in the Hunua Ranges.
For snow-mad kids, there's also a Ski n Board Tukino Tour for ages 10-14 (Sept 28-Oct 3) which lets city kids discover the eastern slopes of Mt Ruapehu with new camp friends.
Carolyn Ding on the NZ Chinese Association Youth leadership camp at Camp Adair. Photo / Winston Gee
If you have a child begging you for a horse of their own, send them away to the Pakiri Beach Horse Riding Camp, where they'll get to groom and saddle their horse, experience beach and farm riding, take part in a mini gymkhana and learn all about what it takes to care for a pony. They'll also have riding lessons, learn to settle the ponies for the night and ride to the Tomarata lakes and through the forest for a picnic lunch.
If you want to experiment with sending your children off to camp, a great option is the Kids Only Safari Night at Auckland Zoo. Children are dropped off at the Elephant House in the afternoon and have a great time playing around the old enclosure and getting to know each other before heading out on a guided night tour. They get to feed a cabbage to a rhinoceros and see the animals when they're wide awake.
There's a barbecue dinner, popcorn and a movie as well as the thrill of sleeping away from home - boys in one room and girls in the other - fully supervised.
Next morning, there's another behind-the-scenes walk and breakfast. It's a great option for a group of friends to do together in the holidays to test their freedom in a safe environment.
Auckland Zoo's experience team leader Zoe Firth, says, "Exploring the zoo at night is a whole new adventure, one you will never forget. You really do get to see the zoo in a whole new light."
The next Kids Only Safari Night at the Auckland Zoo is on Thursday, October 2 (3.30pm-8am, minimum age is 8 and the cost is $65, including barbecue dinner, guided night walk and breakfast). The zoo also runs a public safari night for children and adults (without the sleepover) and will be running kids photography workshops every day of the spring school holidays.
Children get a new perspective on animals during the night-time Zoo safari.
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