Welcome back to "Duckman Rambles on About His Childhood". 😁
If you've been following my blog for the last week or so, you'll be well aware of my 4-part series on camping experiences I had through primary school. We're now up to Part 3. In this one, I'm taking you to what I believe is the most well-known location out of the 4 I'm covering. This is mainly because the campsite in question is located only a few minutes drive away from a very popular tourist attraction.
Just like the previous 2 parts, a short disclaimer. All opinions, etc, are based on the last times I went. They may not reflect what the camp is like in 2026. So, let's get into it.
Before I get started, I'm going to point out the fact that I said "times" instead of "time" in the above disclaimer. This is because the campsite I'm about to cover is the only one I've ever stayed at on more than one occasion. I'll briefly cover the second visit towards the end, but until then, let's go back to 1992.
Same routine to start off - prepare for the trip, rehearse for any performances for the Camp Concert, make your way to the school to get the bus on time, hit the road.
Destination: Hanmer Springs Forest Camp.
To get there from Christchurch, head north...for quite a while. I should mention, of all 4 camping trips I'm covering, this one has the longest travelling distance. Keep going north through Kaiapoi, Woodend & Waikuku. When you get to Amberley, stop at the Blue Dairy for a few snacks. They've got great food there (Note: If you're on a bus for a school trip, you may not get the privilege, sadly). After you've made your purchase, continue north until after you get to the Waipara River, take the next left turn, continue your journey along Waipara Flat Road. This will take you through another tourist attraction called Frog Rock (stop and take photos if you're able to), before passing through Waikari. Keep following the road that leads to Hurunui - a name you'll be seeing often at the end of your journey.
Further down the road, you will reach a town called Culverden. This here is a mandatory stop. Not just because you may need a toilet stop by this point, but also because their cafe and nearby bakery can NOT be missed out on. You have to go there, because I said so. Further up the road, you will come to an intersection. Keep going along the left. The Waiau Uwha River will be along your righthand side. Keep following this road until you reach another major turnoff on your right at Tekoa Range, following the river. From here, you will come to one of the region's most famous landmarks - the Waiau Ferry Bridge, where all the local bungee jumping takes place, as well as the jet boating along the river below. Cross this bridge and keep going.
Follow the main road for what is a part of the final part of your journey. As you reach the town centre of Hanmer Springs, you will see Jollies Pass Road on your right. Turn in that direction. Follow the road for about 4 minutes (2.8km) to the campsite on your left.
Click to enlarge.
So, what can I say about the Forest Camp? Upon first inspection, I saw a large field in the background, the main building on the right (for cooking/eating and other activities), a hall on the left side as you enter the property, and a lot of small cabins directly ahead. There were/are probably more cabins that were bigger, but us kids didn't get that kind of luxury. The teachers and other adult helpers probably did though.
This year was different when it comes to teachers. I briefly talked about (in Part 2) the different levels at school in the early 90's. My previous teacher, Mr. Cooper, was mostly involved with teaching kids aged around 9 to 11-ish. Now that I'd moved up to what was known as Form 1 (currently Year 7), I had new teachers. More than one, in fact. For some reason, my class had one teaching in the morning and another in the afternoon (from memory - maybe it was certain days? I can't remember that bit). One of them was Mrs. Smith, the other Mrs. O'Connell. As always, we had a second class joining us, bringing the teacher count to 3. This would be Mrs. Galbraith.
The size of the small cabins (mentioned above) was only big enough to accommodate for 2 people. You'd think this would be a problem for a large group, but the reality was that there were lots of them. More than enough for 2 classrooms' worth of kids. They weren't very flattering, I'll admit, but the main thing I noticed here was the shocking reality - because they weren't cabins holding a dozen occupants, this meant that overnight shenanigans were reduced quite a bit. An understatement, of course. It was very hard for the trouble-makers to make their trouble, I'm sure.
As for the large field, it wasn't just an empty patch of greenery with a forest as the backdrop. We were greeted by one of the greatest inventions by my generation's standards - a flying fox! But it wasn't just any flying fox. Not one of those low-gliding ones that you almost skimmed the ground with as you zoomed past. I'm talking an actual fort-like tower with a slope that led to a lower post at the other end of the wire. One adventurous kid's dream, another pants-wetter's nightmare. I bring this up now because it plays a major part in something iconic later. Stay tuned.
Before I get to what I'd consider the fun stuff, I feel I should cover the low points of this camping experience first. Up until this point, the mandatory hiking trip wasn't always that bad. With Journey's End, it didn't feel like we went too far (on the one I actually attended), and the Leigh Camp hike was actually enjoyable. However, because Mrs. O'Connell was an avid hiker herself, we found ourselves going on walks that I'm sure I wasn't the only one suffering as a result of. They weren't all bad, however. Walking up Conical Hill was quite pleasant. The view from the top is lovely. It was coming back down that was the most fun, though. As a kid, you felt you HAD to increase your speed. Safety? What's that?
The worst hike of all, however, was the Chatterton River Track. This would be the bane of all hikes I've been on in my lifetime, I think. I complained in Part 3 about having to run around a large field before breakfast. This was just as bad, if not worse. I actually got blisters on my feet because of this one. I should probably mention that this walking track is supposed to take a total of 2.5 hours. 😑 We were 11-12 year olds. Why were we being forced to do this - in the rain, I should add - with our little legs and feet? It was torture.
Now that I've endured a round of PTSD and survived, let's get onto the fun parts.
Of course, with all trips to Hanmer Springs, we all did the usual touristy thing - visit the thermal pools. You can't go to this town and not swim (unless you have a health issue that prevents it, of course). It's the town's main attraction, after all. At this camp, I think we went every day, except for the Friday when we left.
Back at the campsite, a lot of the fun activities took place in the hall, but some also happened in the main building (besides eating). Yes, the Camp Concert was one such event, but I'll get to that shortly. First, I will mention what would be a new introduction to Woolston camp traditions - a Mock Court. What is a mock court, you ask? Picture this. You're in a courtoom, someone is on trial for something they'd committed, and they get sentenced for it. Take that principle and make the "crimes" mundane and silly, but base it on something the "defendant" actually did recently. For example: You made a group of school children take a ridiculously long hike in the rain, causing blisters...so, your punishment is to go down the campsite's flying fox. That's a mock court.
The example I just gave is no exaggeration. That actually happened. We, the children, brought justice upon Mrs. O'Connell for the Chatterton River torture. As a result, we got to see a woman you'd never expect to go down a flying fox actually do it. The images are still in my mind to this day. It was a wonderful event. Sadly, I can't remember any of the other accusations and sentences that were given at this mock court. The whole Mrs. O'Connell trial overshadowed anything else we did up to that point. It was beautiful. 😊
We now come to the main event. The usual time slot on the Thursday night. One of the best camping traditions, in my opinion. The one, the only Camp Concert.
I remember more about this one than all of the camps, as there were a few stand-out performances worth mentioning, and I'll be covering at least 2 of them right now. The first one was a sketch that actually didn't finish the way it was planned. All as a result of a mixture of bloopers and a heckle that made everyone lose it completely. I don't remember what the sketch was about, but all I can say is that the delivery was probably not how they'd rehearsed. The main part I do remember of this sketch is that one of the girls in this performance was behind a nearby door, and every so often while listening for her cues, she was meant to yell out, "Toilet paper!" This happened a few times in the course of the sketch. However, it all came crashing down when one of the boys in the audience - not involved in the sketch at all - decided to deliver the best heckle of the evening. When the girl behind the door would yell "Toilet paper" one last time, he yelled back in response - "Well, use your hand!" The room was in fits. Moments later, because of all the laughter, including the ones performing the sketch, it was decided by the teacher that it was best to just end right there. After that, there was just no way you could finish. It was hilarious.
And now for the highlight performance of the Camp Concert. A little backstory to start. Before the camping trip took place, some of the kids already had ideas and started rehearsing at the school during breaks. One such group would later steal the stage, which is why they were the final act, from memory. There were 4 boys from my class. All of Pacific Island descent. Not a detail that changes anything, but I will say that not many white boys could do what they did. As a white boy myself, I know what I'm talking about.
Anyway...
These 4 boys decided to perform a lip sync act. This would be my introduction to the concept. Even though the Milli Vanilli controversy took place only a few years prior, this still felt new to me. I probably glossed over the fact they didn't sing. It might explain why I wasn't overly upset by it like most people.
Another anyway...
The lip sync act was to be performed to the music of Color Me Badd. Particularly their first album. The usual plan for an act would be one song, I'd imagine, but somehow they managed to pull the first 4 songs from the album instead. Maybe they rehearsed them all because they knew they'd get encores? Maybe. Either way, I caught the rehearsals in our classroom at lunchtime on a few occasions. Then came the performance itself. They were well-received, and yes, they did do the encores. All 4 songs - "I Wanna Sex You Up", "All 4 Love", "Heartbreaker" and "I Adore Mi Amor". Fantastic. To this day, those 4 songs always take me back to this very moment.
As always, a fun camping experience eventually comes to an end. By that Friday morning, we were on our way back home with yet another batch of exciting stories to tell.
Before I bring this blog entry to a close, I mentioned earlier that the Forest Camp was the only one of my school campsites that I'd stay in more than once. The second time I went was with a church getaway with young adults for a weekend (Friday night to Monday morning). This was in 2009 - 17 years later. When we arrived, I noticed a lot of familiar landmarks and buildings. This was great, because I'm a nostalgic person (can you tell?). However, there have since been new facilities added as well. For example, a new block of cabins (capable of accommodating around 4 or 6 people?) and toilets in a portion of what was the large field I mentioned earlier. But the most notable change of all, I regret to inform, is one landmark that is no longer there - the iconic flying fox. 😢 Instead, there's a small children's playground in its place. Bit of a downgrade, in my opinion. There should be a monument at least, stating what happened on that glorious day where we forced Mrs. O'Connell down it. It's a day worth remembering. Apart from that, the camp is still pretty good and worth a visit.
For more information on the Hanmer Springs Forest Camp, click here. In the next blog, I will be concluding the series with Part 4. That one will be (literally) more close to home than this one, but as much fun as the others. See you there! 😁
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