BB New Zealand Communication
Kia ora
Autumn Greetings
Planning a trip to Stewart Island in April was always going to be pushing the chances with the weather. To return from the 140th celebration expedition with the wet weather gear not even taken out of the pack over 5 days is remarkable!
There was water and mud though!
After a wonderful trip to our most southern island and the first visit in my lifetime, I am left wondering why it took so long to get there.
There were 13 of us who descended on the Island to tramp the Northern and Southern circuits. I vividly recall my first thoughts as I began the tramp to the North. That was expeditions are a balance between endurance and enjoyment, and it is a question of what end of the scale you end up on which keeps you coming back for more.
The weird thing is when you have a tough tramp to endure, as our friends who took on the Southern circuit had to with water bog holes up to their upper thighs. They still came out grinning from ear to ear on the last day. It must have something to do with the shared experience of hardship and overcoming the difficult environment. We have some photos from the trip and I would say that I will definitely be back to Stewart Island with my family, however I think I will make use of a boat next time!
In this issue of the Bugle we have FOUR major calls to action.
1. One Good Kiwi - We are tracking 4th place with 2 weeks to go until the end of April and we have 10.7% share at this stage of $100,000 so please ask friends and family to go onto the site and give BB their tokens.
2. National Founders Camp - Expressions of interest. Please register how many you would like to see attend the Founders Camp in October. Just put it out there and we will see how much subsidy we can raise for your unit.
3. ANZAC Day is next Tuesday - Please send photos of your unit attending in their uniforms and we will mark the commemoration in the next Bugle.
4. NLDC - Please register now! The earlier our young men register, the better organised we can be and the better travel costs are acheived.
Thank you for your commitment to the boys and BB as we seek to support their Faith, Foundation and Future and remain "Sure & Stedfast" Hebrews 6:19
In His Service
Mike Brewer - National Director
0274 967 537
Last chance to vote to help BB reach number 1
One Good Kiwi is a funding initiative from One New Zealand (formerly Vodafone NZ) where they give away $100,000 per month every month of the year.
In 2023 BB New Zealand have signed up to be a recipient organization and we need your help!!
The more tokens donated the larger the share of the funds going to our BB movement. 50% of funds raised will be used to help subsidize the National Founders Camp to reduce the cost for all attendees.
To help us raise funds for BB can you please circulate this option to your Unit, Friends, Family and even the neighbour's dog!!
Click on One Good Kiwi below to go straight to the give page to find out more.
Please click on the link and you can give your tokens straight from the webpage, easy!
CLICK HERE
BB NATIONAL FOUNDERS CAMP 2023
1st - 7th October 2023
Registrations are now open for Founders Camp 2023 at Finlay Park on the shores of Lake Karapiro from the 1st-7th October the second week of the school holidays.
We are excited to celebrate 140 years as a movement and we have heaps of amazing activities planned.
Here are some of them
- Hydro Slide
- The Rocket
- Adventure Trail
- Animal Survival
- Cage Soccer
- Confidence Course
- Flying Fox
- Go Karts
- Indoor Climbing & High Ropes
- Mini Golf
- Sling Shot Paint Ball
- Airsoft competition (TBC)
- National ASSEMBLY (Photographed)
- Great speakers
- Heaps of fun and adventure
But wait! There’s more, A Waitomo Caves visit is included (travel, lunch and entry fees)!!!
Please register and encourage your unit to start planning, fund raising and booking travel to get to Finlay Park in October. We are expecting over 200 attendees, so we will need to do some planning too, so the earlier we know numbers, the better.
Please note, those travelling by air can book travel to Auckland and we will arrange transport to Finlay Park. There will be subsidy available for travel to Auckland once we have established expressions of interest from leaders across the BB movement.
PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL BE SUBSIDY FOR ATTENDEES AND WE HAVE AMENDED THE REGISTRATION TO EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST UNTIL WE CAN CONFIRM NUMBERS. PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK TO EXPRESS INTEREST.
ANZAC DAY 2023
We want your ANZAC Day photos for the next Bugle!
ANZAC Day is next Tuesday. Please send photos of your unit attending attached to the email in the link button below and we will feature a selection in the next edition.
And of course participation helps toward your young men's ANZAC Badge.
Now is the time to register for the early bird discount and organize early travel to Nelson Lakes.
The early bird discount will save you over $150 and this is an already heavily subsidized course. Your early bird discount means the whole course is only $300, additionally if you are traveling from somewhere in the country that requires air tickets you may also qualify for $200 toward this cost.
Click the tab now to register!!
Stewart Island 2023
140th Celebration Expedition
Having never visiting Stewart Island I was personally excited to finally get there in person, especially after having a good friend tell me how much he loved cruising around the island.
While our number of 13 was a little modest, there were 5 Echo and Delta Senior young men who took on the grueling Southern Circuit and this assisting some of them to achieve their Duke of Edinburgh and associated BB awards.
As the saying goes a picture can say a thousand words so I will let the photos speak for themselves.
And special thanks to Lois Hartley and David Gray for their Southern Hospitality and shuttling our group around between Invercargill and Bluff!!
As always a massive thank you to Maerewhenua Trust for the support of this expedition and without which it would not have been possible.
Whanganui River Expedition
9th - 12th December 2023
This will be a unique expedition to discover one of New Zealand's historic and mysterious rivers, over a 4 day period, staying in huts and tents along the riverbank. We now have a firm itinerary and information from the canoe hire company contained below.
Register and pay on the link below which will help us determine the number of guides required. We need a minimum of 10 people to make it happen.
Trip Length, rough itinerary & Dates
4 Day Trip departing on Saturday 9th December. I can absolutely confirm that departure date with you and the 4 Day option is fantastic for a group of this dynamic as it offers flexibility with timings throughout the day and offers more time for off river exploration
in canyons & campsites.
Our 4 Day Trips start at Whakahoro and finish at Pipiriki
Our recommended campsites are -
-Night 1 - Ohauora
-Night 2 - Mangapurua
-Night 3 - Tieke, Ramanui or Ngaporo
Tieke & ramanui are both at the same point on the river, just directly opposite one another. Ngaporo is further downstream so if you chose this site you would have a slightly earlier finish on the final day which could work well for a large group if everybody is heading home after the trip.
Technically our trips do start and finish here in Ohakune at our base where you can leave your vehicles and we can shuttle you to and from the river. Ideally we meet everybody the day before departure to collect barrels & drybags for packing their gear so they can arrive bright and early the next morning, all packed and ready to go. We have an onsite motel however that may be too small for your numbers. There is a hostel a 10 second drive away which may suit your group more for pre trip accommodation. It is called LKNZ and has lovely clean facilities, and reasonable pricing. There is also a Top10 and DOC site in Ohakune.
Group size, ratios and Guide accompanying
With a group of the size and dynamic you are talking of which is 25-40 people, with 3 or 4 children per adult. That ratio of children to adults is similar to school camps and Duke of Edinburgh trips that we also do. Now these trips don't always want a fully guided trip with catering and gear provided which is understandable. However for safety, they do take guides with them.
Our guide to guest ratio is 1:10. So one guide for every ten customers.
Our guides are fully qualified & experienced. They will be there to help the group work on their canoeing skills, to navigate the rapids and the river and for swift rescues should there (probably) be capsized. They also know all of the hidden canyon & waterfalls spots you may otherwise paddle straight past.
Pricing
- The price per person includes 4 Day Canoe hire, includes hire of canoe, paddles, lifejackets & safety ropes, watertight barrels & drybags for gear, shuttle to and from the river with car and gear storage whilst you are on the river, a paddle & safety briefing at the rivers edge before you set off and a waterproof river map to take with you.
- The price also includes hiring a guide over the period we are on the river and will provide safety, local knowledge and enhance the trip for everyone. The following cost is based on 20 people with a minimum of multiples of 10 to spread the cost of the guide/s across the whole group. Total price per person is $350pp
- Please note the above price does not include food and transport to Ohakune or accommodation on the Friday night.
NZOIA Bush Leadership Course
Update: We have a group penciled in and can waitlist more guys to get enough for a second instructor. Get in now as we will close this course off soon.
If you are 18 - 25 and want to extend your bush skills and gain an NZOIA qualification, then now is the time to join our Echo Bush Leadership Course 2023.
The following perquisites would help, but if you are interested get in touch regardless;
- Be 18 years old or over
- Hold a current First Aid Certificate
- Have the following experience as evidence in a logbook:
- Personal experience – at least 10 days experience (a bush walking day is considered to be at least 4 hours) bushwalking
- Instructional experience - at least 5 days additional experience as a co-leader or assistant leader in a bush environment
The course will be held in the Arthurs Pass area 24th - 28th June.
Early registration is encouraged. There is a generous subsidy for the course, thanks to Maerewhenua Trust. What would normally cost well over $1,000 will cost around $300.
Funny to finish!
