New Zealanders are known around the world for our resilience, our ‘can do’ attitude and our skills in outdoor environments. The Y believes this hype, but also knows that young people need opportunities to develop these capabilities – we are not born with them. The outdoor camping tradition where children must learn to cope with new people, new environments, new challenges without the comfort of familiar adults and surroundings has long been considered a safe and memorable place to build self confidence, self esteem and self determination.
We also know that parents and caregivers need to trust that their children will be kept physically, emotionally and spiritually safe – and this trust is hard earned. Our focus on all our residential camps is pastoral care first and foremost, because if children and young people do not feel safe they cannot develop the other stuff. Our camps are designed to be a place where children and young people can make friends, have fun, be adventurous and most importantly, go home with positive memories, happy stories and new skills. We look forward to meeting your son or daughter at a Y camp!
Wainui Park, on the Banks Peninsula, has been the venue for Y camps for over 90 years, and is the perfect location for children to learn, grow and develop.
Children ages 7-10 years stay at Wainui Heights, where they are accommodated in bunk rooms (up to 6 per room) with ensuite bathrooms. Children aged 11 years and older are accommodated at Powell Village, where they enjoy a more rustic stay in our cabins.
Wainui Park has a wide range of activities both on and offsite, including kayaking, high ropes, coasteering, archery and much, much more.
We’re sure your child will come home inspired and with some great stories to share!
Our Arthur’s Pass Outdoor Education Centre (APOEC) is set in the heart of the small rural township of Arthur’s Pass. The towering mountains and alpine landscape are sure to inspire anyone that visits!
The Centre is much smaller than Wainui Park however this gives a more intimate feel to our Camps. Participants stay in dorm rooms (up to 11 per room) when onsite, check the programme to see if overnight camping is included, as this is often a feature of an APOEC Camp.
What’s truly special about APOEC is that we use the landscape around us for activities. We give young people the chance to connect with nature whilst learning about themselves through challenging activities under our expert instructors’ guidance.
Sandhoppers |
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Sandhoppers is a 3-day introductory residential camp based at Wainui Park in the school summer holidays. Participants will have lots of opportunities to enjoy many fun activities while making new friends and enjoying camp for the first time. |
7-8 year olds | 23 – 25 Jan 2023 at Wainui Park |
$290 |
Grasshoppers |
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Grasshoppers, based from APOEC is a 3-day residential camp. If you loved your time at Wainui Park with Sandhoppers, why not jump into our Grasshopper Camp! Our range of activities explore the nature and environment around Arthurs Pass whilst making new friends along the way. Our Winter Camp includes travelling to Arthur’s Pass on the TranzAlpine and having lots of fun in the snow! |
7-8 year olds | 16-18 Jan 2023 at APOEC |
$290 |
Y Camp |
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FantailsAs this may be the first opportunity for campers to be away from home for four nights, this 5-day camp at Wainui Park is designed around building independence and resilience while enjoying a mixture of our onsite and local activities. |
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23-27 Jan 2023 |
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PenguinsThe focus of this 5-day camp is on building social interactions and skill development while having fun in a mixture of onsite and local activities at Wainui Park. Participants are given the opportunity to participate in many activities designed to teach them more about their own capabilities and that of their peers, all whilst having fun! |
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23-27 Jan 2023 |
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DolphinsThe emphasis of this 5-day camp is to get outdoors, keep busy and have new, adventurous experiences alongside their peers. Campers will be given the opportunity to participate in a mixture of land, rope and water activities. |
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23-27 Jan 2023 |
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OrcasAs the oldest age group this is a leadership camp. Once the participants have formed a team, they will get a chance to experience Land, Water and Ropes activities and will then be trained to lead an activity for one of our younger age groups. This is a great opportunity for those aspiring to become a Y Camp Leader in the future. |
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Alpine Adventure |
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Learn outdoor skills, environmental education, and experience a first introduction to having an expedition during this camp based at APOEC. Activities may include hiking, river crossing techniques, shelter building orienteering etc on this 5-day camp. | 11-14 year olds | 19-23 Dec 2022 at APOEC |
$400 |
Alpine Expedition |
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This journey-based programme takes place in the stunning environment surrounding Arthur’s Pass. The programme is designed to give young people the opportunity to learn about themselves whilst completing an expedition on foot with their peers, in a remote environment. Our staff will work alongside the young people to develop their self-awareness, expand their ability to work with others, and encourage them to take on leadership roles – all as the expedition progresses. This programme is designed to challenge participants with the intention to bring out these learning outcomes whilst having a lot of fun. | 14-16 year olds | 23-27 Jan 2023 at APOEC |
$425 |
Winter Explore |
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An amazing introduction to winter in the mountains on this 5-day camp! Have a fun ski day at Porter’s, learn about the area, seek out the snow and participate in adventurous outdoor activities all based from APOEC! | 11-14 year olds | July 2023 at APOEC |
$600 |
Ski Camp |
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Every winter we run residential ski camps for 9-15 year olds, based at Methven. These camps are a great way to gain skills and confidence in skiing and snowboarding and make new friends! We have highly qualified and talented instructors who lead ski camp and work alongside the equally skilled staff on the Mt Hutt ski field. This week caters to all skills and abilities, and includes transportation, accommodation, food, gear rental, lift passes, & lessons on each ski day. | 9-15 year olds | July 2023 at Methven |
$1,175 (tbc) |
Return transport is provided from Christchurch to the camp destinations.
Leaders work alongside our qualified instructors and are responsible for supervising the campers. They will work with one age group for the week and have the opportunity to participate in the activities.
Prerequisites for Y Camp leaders are:
To find our more about volunteering at camp please contact Gemma ycamp@ymcachch.org.nz
