CAMPING THE KIWI WAY

In January, 70 adults and 25 young people took part in an All Points camp at the Whanganui Intermediate School.

They were camped in a mix of caravans, tents, motor homes and small vans and many camped as family groups or groups of friends. There was a great sense of community during the weekend. The Intermediate School is in walking distance of the many events held during the Whanganui Vintage Weekend.

The vintage weekend is an annual event held over Wellington Anniversary Weekend. The first vintage weekend was held in 2012 and the following year the Whanganui Vintage Weekend Trust was formed to grow the event for the benefit of the Whanganui community.

Over the course of the weekend a great variety of events are held. Many of these events are free or very low cost. My granddaughters particularly liked the traction engine rides and dancing to the music at the various stages around the central business district. We also visited the steamboat and tram museums on Taupo Quay.

On Saturday the main street was packed with a display of vintage and classic cars and other vehicles of those eras. Lots of the activity takes place by the Whanganui River including a riverside market on the Saturday and a Riverside Shindig with live music and food stalls on Sunday. Some locals and visitors get dressed up in vintage outfits and we saw a few steampunkers strutting around as well. On Saturday night the town reverberated to the bands playing on the stages in the main street.

We drove out to the Whanganui Aeroclub on Sunday morning to see the planes on display. My three-year-old granddaughter had lots of fun climbing into the cockpit of a top-dressing plane and a couple of others that were open to view. There were also planes taking off and landing on the nearby runway, including a vampire jet and a DC3. After the visit to the Aeroclub we dropped in at the SteamRail Whanganui workshop for a jigger ride.

This is the fourth time All Points has used the Intermediate School to camp during at the Whanganui Vintage weekend. By using the school grounds we can keep the camping fees low. The money we raise is donated to the school.

The Whanganui Intermediate school grounds are a big grassy site on two levels with a playground and a swimming pool. This year the weather was tropical — hot, sunny, humid, and even a torrential downpour on Saturday afternoon. The school pool was a great place to cool off. On the Sunday evening we had a communal dinner when many of us came together with our food, drinks, tables and chairs.

Low-cost camping and community fundraiser. Holding camps to coincide with local community events is a great way to provide low-cost accommodation for out-of-town people who want to visit these events. Schools, scout halls and other community or group facilities are a practical option for these types of weekend. They have the sorts of facilities that campers require and it’s a great fundraiser for them.

Come and camp with us next year for the Whanganui Vintage weekend and look out for other All Points camps organised to support local community events. n

All Points Camping Club of NZ

JOIN US: allpointscampingnz.org

For only $35 (1st year)