Taranaki Christian teenagers create meaningful connections at Easter Camp

The Blue Mo's were the winning team of Easter Camp Taranaki 2024.

A dried chickpea fight, team-building exercises and plenty of worship were just some of the ways 180 Taranaki teens had fun at an Easter camp this year.

Andrew Hunger, who organises Easter Camp Taranaki with his wife Rebekah, said the annual camp, which takes place over the Easter weekend, running from Good Friday to Easter Monday, creates strong connections with God and helps builds lifelong friendships.

“Being a young Christian can be isolating so this camp allows them to come together. It’s about building people’s faith and relationship with God while also building connections with other like-minded youth.”

Image 1 of 12: Teenagers from across Taranaki had plenty of fun at Easter Camp Taranaki 2024.

He said the camp has run for over 80 years.

“My grandma went to this camp. It is a long-standing tradition in our region.”

The teens were split into different teams for a friendly competition and spent the weekend taking part in fun challenges, trying to earn the most points.

“Credit has to go to the Blue Mo’s who won the weekend.”

Hunger said the camp had so many highlights, with one of the top ones being the dried chickpea fight.

“We created little slingshots, put on some safety gear and fired dried chickpeas at each other. It was a whole lot of fun and a cool idea.”

Having guest speaker Laura Edwards vist and talk to the teens was also a top highlight from the weekend, he said.

“She is originally from Taranaki but is now a pastor in Dunedin. She was great and it was lovely to have her there. She shared some interesting and cool information. We also had local speakers join us which was pretty special.”

Hunger said the camp is volunteer-run and without them, it wouldn’t be possible.

“There’s a whole team of 20 adults who organise everything, come together on the weekend and ensure the teenagers have a fun and fantastic weekend.”

He said planning is already under way for Easter Camp Taranaki 2025.

“Interested kids or adults who want to be involved can visit our website. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year.”