Once-popular school camp site Mangatepopo desperate for volunteers

The Mangatepopo Camp Trust Board is desperately looking for new members, with January earmarked as the camp's D-Day. Photo / Supplied

A once-popular Ruapehu camp is on the brink of closing its doors as it scrambles to find people to keep the facility up and running.

Mangatepopo Camp, situated on State Highway 47 between Whakapapa Village and Tongariro, has seen tens of thousands of school students pass through its doors since the 1980s.

Board member Nathaniel O'Neill said the camp has fallen on tough times over the past few years and the number of schools using the camp is dwindling.

"The only thing we can really put it down to is schools aren't doing camps like they used to. Mostly that is to do with the politics and health and safety.

"At the end of the day, teachers want a turnkey solution where everything is covered, the catering, the activities, everything. What we supply is a camp. That is it."

He said camps generally relied on parent help and their own school systems to run camps.

"There is just a little bit of a change as to how schools are looking at these things. It used to be a get-out-of-the-city camp, and now not so much. As far as I am aware, a lot of schools aren't doing camps anymore."

The Mangatepopo Camp Trust Board said it is looking for a 24/7 on-site custodian, as its long-time one has some health issues and needs to step away.

"That's what we are really looking for. There is a house, telephone, power and we need someone to live there. It might be a retired couple or someone that has had their time with YMCA and they want to relax a little bit."

They are also looking for a chairman, treasurer and secretary for the trust board.

"Basically we've looked at the budget and we have a matter of months. It is a case of we need to do something ASAP."

O'Neill said the board is looking into ways it could revitalise and diversify the facility, signalling the ski market, family reunions and corporate events as other potential avenues and markets to attract more people in.

"Then that can keep the costs low for the schools otherwise there is a bit of a double-edged sword where you put the prices up to keep things running and schools may run a mile on that too."

The board held a meeting over the weekend to discuss the future of the camp.

Weighing up a variety of options, it was a unanimous decision it would push on and try to inject new life and rebrand the camp.

"There are an awful lot people who have fond memories and it is just about reaching out to those people saying, 'now is the time to progress those memories for the next generation'.

"We can't let this go."

O'Neill said the trust hoped to have a gathering in Whanganui sometime in the next month to talk to locals about the future.

"January is basically our D-Day. If we can't get the ball rolling by January, we are in trouble."

The trust has set up a Givealittle page to help bring some funds in for upgrades.

To keep up to date with what is happening at Mangatepopo, check out its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/mangatepopocamp.