Piopio Scout Camp 
8/9 May 2010 as told by Jeff Clarke

This camp is like a mini Jamboree. This time for about 170 Scouts + Leaders and helpers. The scouts are mixed into 8 groups and over the 2 days rotate around 8 bases of activities. Small bore rifle, Motorbikes, Grass Skis, Caving, Abseiling, Mystery, Flying fox & Archery, 4x4.

This camp has been running for about 30 years (if I recall what was said). One helper has only missed a couple of years and has until now never seen it fine for the weekend. Traditional the days leading up to and including the weekend have been wet. I myself have attended in other capacities over the years and can contest to this. The entire weekend saw glorious fine weather.


Initially, whilst not spotless, the colour and make of each truck was vary evident, but once these boys found the mud the trucks rapidly became brown things on wheels.

While obviously a mud loving truck the kids were understandably drawn to the open top trucks. This quickly began to feel the same way of that poor kid who always gets picked last to join someone's team. However the internal cleanness nature did appeal to some of the leaders who had to go with the group, but preferred not to get covered in ground.

Ordinarily the camp site area starts with a muddy track through the middle of it and rapidly degenerates to a mud bath. Not so nice for campers, but great for the 4x4 crew. This was not the case this year with tracks being quite dry and firm. This meant instead of a sluggish convoy navigating the various hazards, a few varying circuits were travelled before ending up at "The Skid Pad".

A fair amount of time was spent flinging Vehicles, Mud and people around in the mud.

 
Despite their coverings, or perhaps because of it, the kids all had smiles on their faces. Even if this was only evident by the contrast of white teeth to mud.

 
Curiously enough it was the girls that most embraced the mud, to the point of in the end deciding to bypass the 4x4 and jump straight in.
This did leave me rather concerned. With the girls doing better at school in almost everything, getting down and dirty was the one thing we boys had left. Hmm.,, maybe not so.

Some of the guys were from the Taupo club, the Hamilton club and obviously the KC4WD club was represented.
We were all well looked after with lashings of food. Good company and stories abound.
In all a thoroughly enjoyable weekend.