Raukawa Adventure Camp manager Robyn Mann is proud of her country camp, she constantly sings the praises of her staff, but most of all she talks of the children who spend time there.
They are children from well-off families, from poorer families, from single parents, in state care with CYFS (the Children and Young Persons Service) and youth from the courts in strife with the law.
Mrs Mann said every week-long camp, whether it was a school group, the YMCA holiday groups, CYFS kids and troubled youth, was a happy event.
"We have remarkable kids come here, and there may be a few problems, but I can honestly say it's never got out of hand and we've never had to give up on any child. In fact, it's quite the opposite - we enjoy energetic and exhilarating days."
As well as being the manager, she is cook, counsellor, co-ordinator and general all-round camp mother ... and loves it.
"I'm here for every child who comes to stay."
Camp Raukawa for every child is about using their imaginations when they stay at a camp in the middle of nowhere, she says.
"So there's huge scope for imagination ... well, no TV, no X-boxes, PlayStations, computers. It has to be all about having fun and doing new things."
When the young campers first roll in, they hit the ground running like wild animals, she says.
"Then they calm down, look around and ask what there is to do."
The mix of kids is well documented before they arrive.
Notes on their personalities, idiosyncrasies, diet, allergies and illnesses are all at hand.
A parent rang in while I was there just 15 minutes before the YMCA holiday camp bus was due to arrive.
"Parents ring me all the time, just to make sure I know about their children, if there are allergies or illnesses like asthma involved," Mrs Mann says.
After talking to the concerned mum, who had two children coming to camp, and reassuring her all would be well, "the parent breathed a sigh of relief and admitted she was looking forward to a week without the kids".
Even sorting the campers into cabins with a team leader is a careful planning exercise, she says.
"Well, it has to be. We need to have the mix right."
There were 27 children aged between 8 and 13 arriving that day ...20 boys and seven girls.
"Oh yes, an interesting mix ... whew, 20 boys ... Well, we'll have a great time, I'm sure."
With no electronic gadgets at the camp, activities are all about energy, muscle and team work, she says.
Helping in the kitchen is a job for everyone, and for some it is something they have never done at home.
"They soon learn."
Mrs Mann is a firm believer that every child should be out and about, and Raukawa is a veritable outdoor wilderness park.
With its native trees, the river running along one side, banks of rolling hills, a pond with pukeko leading their leggy chicks through the weeds, sheep meandering in the fields around trees, and wild goats wandering across on the hillsides ... it's rural and fabulous.
Indoors is a large recreation room with a rock climbing wall, a huge favourite with most kids.
And on fine days they are spoiled for choice, with kayaking and canoeing, skyline walking (on steep farm terrain), archery, a rifle range, high ropes, trailblazing and hiking, catapults (groups build a free-standing catapult to fire a golf ball as far as possible) and flying fox. There's raft building, swimming (summer only), waterslide, building a shelter and hiking to the nearby Raukawa Falls.
And there's the large round fire pit surrounded by seats for the hugely popular night-time campfires with songs, skits, music, and toasting marshmallows on willow sticks.
On the side are home-made wooden stilts, a great ball area with a basketball hoop, outside tables to sit around and enjoy morning and afternoon tea and plenty of cheeky remarks being tossed around among the kids.
"It's about socialising and mixing well with everyone and growing as a person," Mrs Mann says. "Every child is encouraged to be caring, to take responsibility and, above all, enjoy themselves."
The motto is to develop a "healthy mind, body and spirit".
And organising the menu is no problem, she says.
"We have pretty basic food like bolognese, nachos, roast chicken, vegetables, salads, pasta and lots of fruit."
For tutors the prerequisite is to think like a 10-year-old.
"Really, it's the answer. Ten-year-olds have imagination, energy, love having fun and always have a sense of the ridiculous ... you absolutely need a sense of the ridiculous."
The theme for this YMCA holiday was dance with crumping, break dancing, modern, the haka and ballet.
"The kids all learn to participate in a group and they soon find a friend. They learn to look after themselves here and learn about responsibility, how to be responsible."
As well as YMCA camps every school holidays, there is an annual respite camp in December for children in CYFS care from as far away as the Horowhenua, Palmerston North, Taihape and south Taranaki. And there is an annual 10-day court-assisted camp for youth offenders.
Red Cross outdoor instructor Ray Beavin is the man for taking young lads camping in the bush or camping down the river.
"Working with young people is special to me, always has been," he says.
For Mrs Mann and her full-time staff, the constant stream of children into Raukawa is a joy.
"You know, there is nothing I would rather do ... nothing."