Sonia Lynds Recreation Team Leader Sport Bay of Plenty

Anxiously I headed for the hills on Saturday with my one year old - and the kitchen sink.

Friends had invited us to a lodge swet allin the Kaimai Ranges. I'd been to the lodge a few times before, but after such heavy rain I proceeded cautiously down the gravel road. To our surprise, the road was in fantastic condition and holding up well.

What an awesome place to be in the rain, fire going, food in abundance, great friends and loads of different activity options for all ages.

My one year old enjoyed all of the activity going on around her. She found her own new challenges crawling in and out of the main doors and mastering her backwards crawling up and down steps and ramps to get to the puddles before her mother could stop her.

Apart from her own new adventures, she was lapping up the older children and adult activity with basketball challenges and walks.

Her eyes nearly popped and she let out a wee scream the first time someone came down the flying fox.

Our allocated fireman spent a good part of the evening overseeing enthusiastic teenagers keeping the fires well stoked (and melting chocolate fish due to the lack of marshmallows packed).

I took Little Miss for a bush walk in the morning after a night of heavy rain. It was fascinating watching as she discovered new things for the first time. Wet creaking trees were rubbing over us, birds darting around getting the plump grubs and the fresh smell of the bush.

Her senses were working over time. Little ‘oohs' were exclaimed around every corner that we went.

Fifty people and not once did I hear anybody of any age (including adults in this age group) say that they were bored.

What? How could that be? There was no internet access, no phone reception, no TV and the only SKY was opening up with rain.

Everybody who came away with us was active in some way. No technology was missed; the screams and nervous giggling from the flying fox showed that people were challenging themselves.

One of the mothers showed extra commitment to activity as we left and ran her way out to the tar sealed road on the way home, asking her family to give her a half hour head start. What a great role model for her two young children (those roads are steep)!

The Bay of Plenty is full of little gems like this lodge. Places to go to enjoy nature and adventure sports.

Some have extra activity options that you can access if you would like some added fun such as kayaking and climbing. If you've been wondering what to do with your family lately, get some mates together and book one of these camps in, it can be really affordable with a group.