Greetings everyone. I hope you're doing well wherever you may be.
For today's blog, I'm gonna do something a little different. It's a bit of a mix of a nostalgia trip and a Yelp review all in one.
This will be the first of a 4-part series of blog entries, which will most likely be posted over the next week or 2, depending on how busy things get. Why 4? Because there's a lot to share about this particular topic. A topic that a lot of people wouldn't associate me with these days. Not just because I haven't really gone out that much lately, but also because I haven't really done this sort of thing since I was a kid, which explains the nostalgic side of it.
In this entry and the 3 to follow, I will be talking about camping trips and the great outdoors. I can hear some of you laughing already, but keep in mind that I did say nostalgia. Meaning these camping trips took place many years ago, not recently. The camping trips in question are special to me though, as they represent a time in my childhood that I kind of miss. Not just the camping side of it, but the overall picture. The 4 camps I'll be talking about are all associated with my primary school.
So, here's how it'll play out. In this blog entry, I'll be covering the first school camp I ever went on. The following 3 will be the ones that came after, in chronological order.
The first part of the blog will talk about the campsite itself, acting as sort of a review. Bear in mind that these thoughts and memories are at least 33 years old at the time of me typing this. None of what I say about the campsites and/or organisations may reflect what things are like in 2026. Things have changed a lot since then. So, consider this your official disclaimer. The second part will be my memories and experiences at these camps that I feel worthy of mentioning here. So, let's get right into it!
PART ONE - JOURNEY'S END
There's a touch of irony here, knowing that the first school camp you ever went on was at a place called Journey's End. Usually, you'd save something like this for last. But who said you need to be consistent?
Journey's End is a campsite owned by the Methodist Church of New Zealand. It is located in the far north of the Canterbury region called Loburn. To find your way there from Christchurch, you start by heading north towards Kaiapoi, from which you head towards Rangiora (if you want the shortest route). After arriving in Rangiora, head north across the Ashley River, but keep heading that way. If you arrive in Ashley town, you've taken a wrong turn. Keep following Carrs Road (great name, by the way) until it becomes Loburn Terrace Road, but stay on that road. Eventually it will become Smarts Road, and this is where your...journey...will be almost at its...end... The campsite is at the far end of Smarts Road at #202, but not the very end.
Upon arrival, you will notice something very quickly - the lack of civilization. Sure, there are a few properties nearby, but for the most of it, the campsite is pretty much surrounded by wilderness. It appears to be the ideal spot for someone who loves peace and quiet and wants to escape the fast lifestyle of the city. I can't confirm this (unless I were to ask the right people), but I wouldn't be surprised if there's no mobile phone coverage. There's probably a spot somewhere nearby, but yeah. I can't say yes or no for this one. Remember, I went before mobile phones were popular in NZ. Only business people (a.k.a. yuppies) used those.
If you want an honest opinion from a person like me, I think it's a good spot if you want to be off the grid for a while, but if you're relient on having access to the rest of the world while on holiday, it might not be suitable for you. I'm not saying you can't take your laptop and work on documents, music, etc. Just don't go expecting to upload/download anything (assuming my previous theory is accurate). Which would mean the only streaming you'd get would be from the closest river.
When I went to Journey's End, which was back in 1990 - 36 years ago - I remember there being a few buildings. One was used for accommodation for the teacher(s) and adult volunteers (usually parents donating their time to help with cooking and cleaning). Another building was a hall that had a kitchen, laundry (I think - never went in that room), a common area where various activities took place, including meals, and an area at the back where bunk beds were provided. This was where all of us kids slept. Oh, and there was an outside toilet block as well. Things may have changed a lot since then, so there could be more buildings now, if they weren't already there. I didn't go to many areas of the complex.
I recall there being a place to swim. Not a pool, but a natural body of water. I didn't swim during my stay, but a lot of the other kids did. I'm unable to confirm how big the area was, because there doesn't seem to be one now, at least according to Google Maps anyway. Maybe it dried up? Who knows?
There were a few days during our stay where we all went on a hiking trip. I couldn't point on the map where we actually went, but I do remember coming across a deep hole along a part of a path we took, which I was worried about falling into. To avoid it, we had to navigate along the edge of it, all while having thorny bushes prodding us as we went past. I thought I was gonna get jabbed by one and having it make me flinch, causing me to drop into the hole. Thankfully, this didn't happen to anyone. Not sure why that hole was there. It looked like it was man-made, as the shape was kind of rectangular. I guess we'll never know the reason. It's probably been filled in by now.
I did say that this was my first school camp. One thing I hadn't mentioned yet was that this was also the first camping trip I went on without my family. So, as you'd imagine, I got very homesick. So much, in fact, there was one day where I didn't feel like going on one of the hiking trips and decided to stay at the campsite with the grown-ups (minus the teacher, of course). I got a bit bored during this time, but I found myself thinking about home a lot. At one point, I pictured my family arriving from a nearby path to come see me (or pick me up to take home). It was tough. But I eventually got over it towards the end of the camp.
Despite being heavily homesick, I did actually have a lot of fun most days. Like all school camps (at least in the early 90's), there were usually 2 main things that took place, which were almost traditional:
#1 - Bedtime Excitement. No, not like that. I mean the excitement of being away from home that makes you stay up late and talk with your mates, even though you should be sleeping. Grown-ups probably still haven't learned by now that if you leave a large group of kids alone late at night, there are few rules. They are going to be up late laughing and carrying on whether you like it or not. The only way to police this is if you were in the same building as they are. This was not the case here.
Every night from Monday to Wednesday, it was almost mayhem. I mean, it wasn't all THAT bad. It just felt like we were rebels by talking a lot and not staying in bed. Yes, there were times where some of us (mostly the boys) would actually leave their bunk bed area. While that may sound more naughty than it should, it wasn't. I was only 9 in 1990, while most of the others were either the same or 10. Our bodies weren't capable of being completely rebellious by this point, so rest assured!
One of my favourite memories of the late night escapades has to be the secret code that was used for whenever somebody saw our teacher on the horizon coming to check on us. My teacher's name was Mr. Cooper (R.I.P.). Around this time, an Australian TV series called "The Flying Doctors" was very popular here in NZ. As a reference to the show, somebody came up with the idea to say, "Cooper's crossing!" whenever he came into the building. Ahh, pop culture references. Gotta love 'em.
#2 - The Camp Concert. I'm not sure who started it or when, but there was a tradition on school camping trips (at least with Woolston Primary School anyway). Every Thursday evening, the night before we were scheduled to pack our bags and go home, groups of us kids (who were interested in taking part) performed various acts that they rehearsed throughout the week of our stay. We were given the heads-up prior to the camping trip, while at school, so this gave us time to come up with ideas. Come Thursday night, it was showtime.
Unfortunately, I didn't take part in this one and remained a regular audience member among a few others. It was a good laugh either way. Some of the skits my classmates came up with were pretty good. Can't remember many of them from this particular camp, sadly, but I do recall one that involved 2 kids holding a blanket as if to cover what's going on behind them, while someone was pretending to pee. In reality, they were just pouring water from one thing to another, but it still got belly laughs from the audience either way. We were kids. What else would you expect? It's a pee joke!
After all was said and done, along came the final night's sleep before the journey home. You'd think the Thursday night would be just as chaotic as the others, but it wasn't. My theory is that we all did so much for 4 days, we were too tired by this point. Of all the late nights, this was the most peaceful. Then came Friday morning and we were busy packing after breakfast. The bus would eventually arrive to pick us up, after which we were on our way.
And that is basically an overview of my experience of Journey's End. If you wish to look further into the site - which still exists - check it out on the Methodist Church's Journey's End page. For directions, refer to my instructions above or read the map screenshot I've provided below (click to enlarge). 😁
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