When does camp start and finish?

Gates open 5pm Thursday 6 April

Finishing up at 1.30pm Monday 10 April.

 

What does the cost include?

The Easter Camp fee includes activities, breakfast lunch and dinner meals, programming, bands, entertainment, seminars and parties. Campers are responsible for their own tents (with your youth community) and your transport to and from camp.

 

Will I need any spending money?

Although it’s not essential, you may want to bring a small amount of money to purchase merchandise or any tasty snacks from the camp cafes especially for those Easter Camp famous donuts and toastie pies!

 

Who runs Easter Camp?

Easter Camp is organised and run by the Lower North Island Baptist Association, and Baptist Youth Ministries which is the youth arm of the NZ Baptist Churches. However, we believe that Central Easter Camp is a ‘kingdom resource’ regardless of which church or denomination you are a part of. We love the diversity of all the different churches and youth groups that participate in and make up the Easter Camp whānau and we celebrate the unique flavour of each community.

 

Who is Easter Camp For?

Easter Camp is for college-aged youth. That means if you are between 13-18 years old at the start of camp and are in Year 9-13 at school in the current Easter Camp year then you’re good to go! Young people rock along with their youth groups from all over the Lower North Island. 

 

Where is Easter Camp?

Easter Camp is held at Manfeild Park, Feilding, about 15 minutes from Palmerston North. Enter the campsite from the South Street gate.

 

How can I be part of Easter Camp?

Simple. Get yourself connected to a local youth group (you can only come along as part of a youth group that is attending camp). Then make sure you register!! If you are not connected to a youth group email us, tell us where you are and we can connect you to the nearest youth group that is coming. Email the admin team.

 

Your youth leader will then sort you out with camp information, transport information and the lowdown on all you need to know. They’ll also be your main contact at camp. Each youth group camps together in their own tent town, which means you’ve got a place to call home within Easter Camp.

 

Can I go to Easter Camp Alone?

No, you must register and go with a youth group. If you are not part of a youth group, email us so we can link you up with one near you. We do not accept individual registrations.

 

How do I register a church youth group?

Easy, the key leader or youth pastor needs to contact the admin team to let us know that you would like to register your church youth group. You’ll need to fill in a group registration form here and then your group will appear in the online registration form.

 

Can I visit for just a day?

No! For the safety of our campers, we do not allow day visits. Please don't ask your friends to pop over to see you because they won’t be allowed in. However, if you are unable to come for the whole time due to a valid reason (e.g. work commitments, attending a wedding, etc), you can miss up to one day of camp. To do this, you must apply in writing and it must be signed by a parent. Give this to your youth leader and have them notify us of your details. Without this, you will not be allowed in or out of the campsite. We do not offer discounts for partial attendance of camp.

 

Can I leave Camp?

No. All campers must stay on site at all times unless they have requested a leave pass prior to camp. This needs to be arranged with your youth leader before getting to camp.

 

Can I come to Easter Camp early to set up tents?

You can only turn up with your youth group but your youth leader can arrange to have people come early to set up tents. The campsite will be open for key leaders on Wednesday before camp between 1:30pm - 9pm and again on Thursday from 9am – 2:30pm.  At 2:30pm on Thursday, key leaders and their teams will need to have cleared the site of all your cars. Due to contract obligations with Manfeild Park, no one can sleep onsite on the Wednesday night before camp.

 

What gear do I need to bring?

In short you’ll need the following items and to make it easy we've created a list here to print off to help you pack

Warm clothes for cold weather • polyprops • clothes for warm weather (shorts/t-shirts) • togs • jacket • sunhat • beanie • spare shoes • waterproof gear • warm sleeping bag • insulated sleeping mat, bed roll or lilo • pillow • a tent or a place in one (talk to your youth leader if this is a problem) • water bottle • torch • towel • warm blanket • soap • deodorant •  shampoo/conditioner • insect repellent • sunblock • hand sanitiser • essential medications (e.g. inhalers, allergy remedies, regular medications) 

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Optional gear includes musical instruments for workshops and general jams • snacks • earplugs • Plus some spending money for the cafes and EC merchandise!

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We discourage high value items like laptops, iPads and expensive cameras.

 

What Can’t I Bring?

Alcohol and all types of drugs (except medication of course). This includes all legal high drugs too. Either of these will result in you going home immediately: no exceptions, no refunds. If the law is broken, the onsite police will be informed.

If you bring your iPod or mobile phone, you do so at your own risk: from time to time they do go missing.

A stink attitude: no-one loves that!

 

Do you cater for special diets?

We cater for vegetarian and gluten-free diets only outside of the normal camp menu. If you have other dietary requirements, we can provide you with some (limited) chiller space and a separate area for meals to be heated. You will need to bring your own named meals which can be stored in the allocated chiller space. There will be microwaves available. Unfortunately, no discount applies for ‘part eating’ of camp food.

 

It's vital that our medical team know all your dietary requirements in case of a medical emergency so please let us know when you register for camp.  If you have questions about special diet catering, then please contact the EC Admin Team. 

 

I am a camper with special needs and need to bring a carer to camp with me. How can I arrange that?

It is fine for a person with special needs to bring a carer with them.

While parts of Easter Camp do not suit the needs of everyone, we make the effort to ensure that anyone can attend and feel part of the place!

Both the camper and the carer need to register and pay the full camp fees. Please state any special needs clearly on your registration form so we can assist you as best we can. Talk to your group's Key Leader too as they will be able to help you out with any queries and will ultimately be responsible for your young person while they’re at camp.

 

I have a pre-existing medical condition/allergy. What do I do?

Make sure you let us know when you register and state it on your registration form.

We pass all medical information to our team of medical professionals. This remains confidential within our medical team.

Make sure you bring all the medication you require to camp. If you have a particularly serious condition that requires some special attention, please contact us prior to camp to advise us and talk to your groups Key Leader.

 

How do I contact my young person during camp?

Cellphone coverage at camp is not too bad so you may be able to get hold of people directly.

If you have an emergency, and need us to get a message to a camper, please contact your youth group key leader in the first instance or email us at admin@ec.org.nz (we’re always checking emails at camp).

Please understand that with an event this size, and depending on what is happening in the programme at the time we get your message, it can take a while to track your young person down.

If there is a serious emergency reason you need to get hold of your child (e.g. family illness etc.) then the quickest way is to come out to camp.

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Can I make a donation to camp?

We are so grateful for contributions made to Central Easter Camp. 

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Unfortunately due to our Christian content it is harder for us to secure funding from the big trust funds and so we have very few avenues we can go down.  If you would like to make a donation toward the running of camp this year please email us at admin@ec.org.nz and I promise you that your money will be spent very wisely. 

 

 

HAS THIS ANSWERED YOUR QUESTIONS?

 

Yes… We are hugely pleased about that!
No… Ask your youth leader or send us an email