The venturers spent a wonderful evening ice skating at a picturesque rink. Those who weren’t struggling to stay upright, were showing off their moves, putting a nice end to winter.

We arrived at Saywells Camp (29km South of Featherston) after sunset.  Pitching the tents (using torchlight) we then had dinner in the dark as the solar – LED light system in the cookhouse wasn’t working.  A large fire provided evening warmth while we watched a near full Moon rise – it became so light we could have put the tents up without torches!?

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The next day Terry took us on a long journey up through the farm on his trailer.  This meant quite a few stream crossings and a few bouncy moments.  We went for a walk up into some stunning bush at the ‘end’ of the farm, and Terry pointed out the ‘sign’ left by deer.  We also came across piles of used automatic machine gun rounds which were later explained by a local farmer – the Territorials had recently been training in the area.  It’s a pity they didn’t tidy up after themselves!?

We tried the latest Whittakers Chocolate rehash of an old Kiwi favourite, the K-Bar; it received a thumbs down from our sweet connoisseur, Terry!

Nicholas (a Kea – not a small scout!) found a Common Skink in the wood pile.  We had two German exchange students with us (one is a Venturer) and they really enjoyed a trip to the cow shed where two day old calves were being fed.  The calves quickly learnt there was no point in sucking their fingers!

Sunday dawned fine and after Sophie and Ina had cooked pancakes, we headed off to the south coast where we drove about as far as we could down Ocean Beach Road (through giant mud puddles and fording several large streams) to get to Corner Creek, a small community of hardy fisherpeople who launch boats from the beach with the help of bulldozers.  An leisurely hours walk along the beach (collecting sea shells) left us in a rush to make it back to Wellington on time

Thanks to Sebastian for organising the camp.  The numbers attending were down on expectations, and I heard that some thought it would be too cold – actually it was actually quite mild and very calm.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Cheers
John

We arrived full of anticipation on Friday night (in the dark) to find Terry had pitched most of the tents (yay!).  A fire was quickly established as it became clear that we were in for a frost!  After dinner we sat around the fire until sleepiness kicked in and the chilly night drove us to the relative warmth of their sleeping bags.

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Two cubs were initiated into the joys of camping with one of the colder nights one could ever experience in a tent.  Everyone coped well with the exception of one Scout who will now be fixing his sleeping bag’s broken zip so he doesn’t roll out into the cold.

A waining crescent Moon greeted us in the morning as we unzipped our frost covered tents.  Initial awe at the extent of the frost soon gave way to cold toes for many.  Venturers soon distracted people from any discomfort with a superbly cooked breakfast followed by a series of games and activities.  Bivy’s were built lashing poles together and tested for weathertightness with a bucket of water.

We all waited for the Sun to rise, bringing warmth, but light cloud meant it remained cool into early afternoon.  A Northerly change lead to a more mild (and frostless!) evening on Saturday.

We joined First Wainuiomata cubs a the Kauri fire pit after being treated to another great cooking effort by the Venturers.  We exchanged songs and performed short skits for each other, before returning to our own fire to cook damper (thanks Sophie!).  This was cooked with much enthusiasm on sticks over the fire (in the dark).

Sunday’s highlight for many was exploring the adventure playground.  Many personal and group challenges were undertaken before returning to camp for lunch followed by a visit to the outdoor chapel to reflect on our experiences.

Thanks & Cheers
John