Our campsite is at the legendary Camp Columba in Pukerau, Southland. We hold a camp at Easter Weekend (Thursday evening - Monday afternoon), and Labour Weekend (Friday evening - Monday afternoon).

Pukerau camps have been running since 1944. They were started by a group of people from the local churches and were originally held in woolsheds and tents. The Christian Youth Events Committee was formed, and although the committee members have changed over the years, our heart for young people and passion for sharing God’s love has remained. To run the camps, the committee approaches a camp director, a camp adj, an amazing team of leaders, a games team, camp parents, a camp speaker, and some awesome cooks, who keep camp alive and make the weekend unforgettable!

Sleeping bag + pillow (and an extra blanket if you think you’ll be cold), old clothes and shoes for muddy/wet activities, togs, warm comfortable clothes and shoes for around camp, toilet gear (including a towel!), Bible, notebook + pen, biscuits or baking (to be given to Kitchen on arrival – not your bunk room!), any medication you might need.

Cigarettes/vapes, drugs, alcohol, weapons or explosives, cell phone use will be limited.

Games, Christian teaching, worship music, great camp food, morning challenges, classic wide-games, mud and fun!

Our cooks try to cover all major dietary requirements (Gluten-Free, Dairy Free, Vegetarian), but if you have any other dietary requirements, please let us know ahead of time and email us at [Enable JavaScript to view protected content] with your needs.

Cabins! This is why you’ll need sleeping bag, pillow, towel, and an extra blanket if you think you’ll be cold.

No, they don’t. We welcome all campers from all types of backgrounds. Camp will involve Christian teaching, so please ensure campers are aware of that and are prepared to respect the beliefs of other campers and leaders.

Our camps have different age limits: Easter Camp is for campers aged year 9 - 1st year University equivalent age (18/19 years old). Labour Weekend is for campers aged year 7 - 13.

We hold fundraisers to keep the cost down. Some years, we’ve been blessed by some hard working lamb crutchers, and we also sell Peastraw that is kindly donated which has brought the cost down to around $60 (this number can vary!). If you’re coming to camp, it is expected that you pay your rego fee before the first night of camp – bank account details are in our rego process.

We are okay with campers leaving camp, but please let us know before camp via email [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]. Please let us know when you’ll be picked up and when you’ll be dropped back off, and also who will be coming to pick up the camper. At camp, it is the campers responsibility to let their leader, and the Director or the Adj know that they’re leaving so that we know in case of emergency.

That’s okay – but we NEED to know ASAP. For catering needs, and in the case we have a waitlist for camp, the earlier you let us know, the earlier we can let another camper into camp. Email us at [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]. Our refund policy will apply.

Easter Camp: Rego is between 7-7:30pm on Thursday evening, and camp ends at 1pm on Easter Monday. Labour Weekend Camp: Rego is between 7-7:30pm on Friday evening, and camp ends at 1pm on Monday.

YES! Definitely. When we are lucky enough to have Med Students leading at camp (which is more often than not), we give them First Aid responsibilities. A number of our leaders are also First Aid trained, and there is a Camp Columba staff member on site during camp who also knows First Aid. We have a comprehensive First Aid kit on site, and we are able to take campers to Hospital if necessary.

We understand that plans change, but if you can no longer attend camp, please get in touch as soon as possible! It can really affect camps budget and other people on the waitlist. Plus, the earlier you get in touch, the more likely you are to get that 100% refund you’re after!

• We will refund 100% up to 2 weeks out from the date camp starts
• We will refund 50% between 1-2 weeks out from the date camp starts
• There will be no refunds for cancellations within 7 days of the date camp starts

Occasionally the games team will plan a game off-site. This doesn’t happen at many camps, but if it does, it’s usually at the Pukerau Rugby club fields. We walk down to the fields as a collective camp (less than 1km).

Yes. All of our leaders are police vetted prior to camp.

Please feel free to bring medication to camp. At the beginning of camp, we require you to hand all meds to us, and we will hold these during camp. Please know that this is the campers responsibility to come forward and receive meds. First Aid people will be made known at the beginning of camp, and these are the people who administer meds.