Camp renovations completed

Long-overdue improvements made to Raukawa’s ablution block

Camp Raukawa’s ablution block has had an overdue and necessary makeover. Renovation of the bath house at the Parapara highway camp was completed last week. It is the first upgrade the camp has had since the 1980s.

Gone are the old stainless steel sinks and old-fashioned taps with no mixer. They have all been replaced with modern fittings.

Camp Raukawa programme and site director Lily Goleby is stoked with the upgrade.

“It was an older-fashioned bathroom, it had these almost steampunk sinks and tiny little mirrors over the top. It lacked ventilation and some essentials that a bathroom needs.

“Now it’s beautiful and properly ventilated, modern, functional and easy to clean. It’s great.”

The bath house is the second ablution block the camp has had since it opened in 1956.

The renovations began in September and were carried out by James Kelly and a team from Kelly Konstruct based on Wilkie St.

The work cost more than $300,000. Funding came from the Four Regions Trust, NZ Community Trust, Lotteries and the YMCA board of trustees.

“The biggest thing for us is that the showers used to have the oldfashioned taps where you turn the hot and cold on manually to work out a temperature,” Goleby said.

“Now they’ve got a mixer tap which is wonderful for smaller children. It’s important for us to make sure that children who are using our facilities are safe.”

A mirror, ventilation system, insulation and new doors for accessibility have been installed in the block.

The job was finished on Wednesday and Westmere School students were the first to see the upgraded facility when they visited on Thursday.

The school, on the corner of Francis and Rapanui Rds, stays at the camp every year.

“After coming to Camp Raukawa as a child and now as a teacher, it is wonderful to see this for the camp,” teacher Amanda Engert said.

“It’s not just an amazing venue, but now it has a brand-new ablution block and Westmere students get to be the first to use these flash new facilities.”

The completion of the renovations caps off a busy year.

Mountain biking, tie dying and Japanese braiding have been added to camp activities.

Camp Raukawa is now preparing for a busy summer season. Holiday camp bookings open on November 26.

Information about the camp is on the YMCA Central website or Facebook page.

Photos / Supplied Camp Raukawa staff Zeke Cochrane (left) and Niall Ringrose (right) make use of the newly renovated bath house.

This is what the sinks at Camp Raukawa looked like before the renovations were made. They had been there since the 1980s.