Happy campers relish changes at Camp Raukawa

A new philosophy has re-energised the YMCA holiday destination, Camp Raukawa.

The camp, about 60km north of Whanganui on SH4, has been catering for mainly school-age children for decades but more recently it has been given an injection of fresh ideas, many of them picked up from staff who have worked in summer camp programmes in the United States.

Andy Savage is YMCA regional activities manager and, he said, while Camp Raukawa had been "ticking along nicely" it was in need of some fresh and innovative ideas.

"The camp has always been focused on high-adventure activities but that isn't the thing that suits everybody," Mr Savage said.

"Now we've added activities like a farm garden, vegetable-growing, mountain biking, crafts and cooking. It's about variety because camps like this aren't just about high-end physical activities."

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Mr Savage, who has worked for 12 years in summer camps in North Carolina, said the change meant introducing new philosophies to how Camp Raukawa delivered its programmes: "It's about giving the camp a shot in the arm."

While Camp Raukawa held camps over the summer school holiday period, it was becoming increasingly popular during the rest of the school year too and not just catering for pre-secondary school ages.

"We've had schools from Taranaki, Rangitikei and Manawatu stay with us as well as students at Massey University Auckland."

This summer they have held specific week-long respite camps for foster children as well as the regular holiday camps that run Monday to Friday.