Dear future campers, Camp Bentzon has a really high chance of being your favorite experience. Camp Bentzon is a camp that is on Kawau island, it also includes a lot of activities on both land and water. The activities may require a lot of movement which may or may not make you tired or very worn out depending on the types of things you are good at and things you aren’t used to and/or good at! Everyday you will need to run up Killer hill, On the first day it would feel like a very long and tiring trip on killer hill, however every day after that at camp they make you run a shorter amount of the hill. Kawau island is going to be a very big change to your normal life in Auckland!
Now I will share 5 top tips about camp that will make your experience better. My first tip is about Killer Hill, The first thing you will need to know about killer hill is that it is a very long way to walk, so make sure to bring the right clothes and shoes! At first you will probably feel like you may fall but I assure you that if you concentrate and make sure not to think about it too much you will safely get to a flatter part of the hill. You will go up and down the hill several times until you get to the bottom then you will eat morning tea there and you will also be able to play in the park, Then you will need to walk back up the mountain until you get back to camp ground, It’s a really long trip.
The next tip is about bedtime, On the first night you may feel super excited and you might even be to excited to go to sleep at the right time. But you really do need to go to sleep at the right time because you will need a lot of energy for everyday as each day includes water or dry activities and on the last day you will need to do activities as well as pack up and let me tell you now that there is a lot of work and effort you will need to put into cleaning and/or packing up. So make sure to get enough sleep so you can have enough energy for the day.
Now let's move on to tips that are a bit sneaky in ways you may or may not understand. So this tip is about being able to get more food than they allow one person to get. The first this you will need to do is you might be able to get seconds but i'm sure you won't be able to get 3rd. If you are still hungry after you eat your 2nd meal you may want a 3rd meal. If there is more you could change your hat and ask for another one without looking at the server because they might recognize you, so make sure to try your best to cover your face but at the same time be polite. If you aren’t sure about that idea maybe you could get a friend who hasn’t had seconds and who doesn't want seconds, you could ask them to get seconds and if they could give it to you? Keep in mind the first suggestion may only work when you get your lunch from the window, it's kinda like a drive through but for humans Just make sure to be polite!
The next tip is about possible being able to stay in the water for a bit longer then the amount of time they gave you. To be able to achieve this you may or may not need to be on the wharf. While everyone else was in the ocean I was on the wharf I got to stay on the wharf 10 minutes longer then we were allowed a the time. I don’t know if that occurs to yous all next year but it's worth a try.
Now for the last tip, it's about holding on to your hat when coming on and/or off the ferry or when standing on the wharf. I am telling you about this because my friend Mia’s hat flew off her head. I believe her and her friends were playing around and as she carried on playing she lost grip of her hat and the wind got very strong then her hat flew off her head. At the time it was very funny but as time passed by, she realized that she had just lost her hat and it was no longer funny to her. Another person's hat flew off while they laughed because of their friends joke. So I recommend listening to teachers and hold onto your hats on both the wharf and on the ferry as the wind picks up when your on the ferry, but keep in mind that you only need to hold onto your hat when in your on the roof of the ferry.
Overall I think camp is one of my favorite experiences every. Camp had all sorts of things that entertained me in lots of different ways. I loved Camp Bentzon and I think you will to. All of the activities are different and some may be very challenging for you and some may be very easy but just keep in mind that everyone has different weaknesses that may or may not be the same as your so make sure to be respectful towards them. Hope you enjoyed my top 5 tips on Camp Bentzon. I hope you have a great time when you get the chance to go to Camp Bentzon if you just get to go to Kawau island.
