Activities
Activities
ADVENTURE Activities
If you’re looking for high-energy adventure activities, your group will love Epworth’s thrilling water slide and large swimming pool. Send them soaring through the air on the flying fox, or navigating the river on one of our many kayaks. Set up a friendly game of cricket or touch on our huge playing field or just unwind with a game of outdoor chess on our giant chess board.
Epworth’s contained, isolated environment affords organisers the confidence their charges are safe and focussed on the tasks at hand. There is plenty of space and activities for groups to socialise and unwind at the end of a full day’s activities.
Other local attractions include glow worm caves, jet boat tours, Karapiro Hydro Museum, cafes, art galleries, Sanctuary Mountain – Maungatautari and lots more…
River
Groups who have access to boats can bring them and launch them from our waterfront straight onto the Mighty Waikato River / upper catchment of Lake Karapiro. Epworth is situated in a 5 knot reserve zone making it ideal for group's to participate in water activities knowing they are safe and well away from the skiing and other recreational zones further down the river. If you do want to spend time water skiing there are nearby bays minutes away or cruise up at night to the nearby Pokaiwhenua stream to experience our local glow-worms.
Flying Fox
Feel the adrenaline when you soar through the air on our 200m x 10m high flying fox. Situated on our top terrace and finishing down on our middle terrace you will be harnessed in at the top and safe to fall from our wooden platform where you will be able to access the dismount area. This activity is run by Big Foot Adventures and First Step Outdoors who provide you with fun, experienced and trained instructors.
This activity is not available to pre-schoolers and there is a weight restriction. Pre-booking are essential.
First Step Outdoors here
Pool
Cool down in our salt chlorinated pool suitable for all ages with a shallow end of 1m and a deep end of 1.3m. The pool measures 15m x 9m so is suitable for large groups with a maximum of 40 people. Please note that adult supervision is required at all times for children less than 16 years of age. There is no charge for use of the pool while staying on site.
Kayaking
Being right on the Karapiro Lake edge means that we have ample and easy access for any water sport activities. Kayaking is a fun activity that can be adapted to suit the needs and abilities of your group whilst also allowing you to see areas of the Lake that you may otherwise miss out on. This is a high risk activity so will require an instructor to run this for your group or you can provide your own experienced or qualified instructor and just hire our kayaks. There are 15 single kayaks and 2 double kayaks available with BA’s provided. From an hours’ worth of beach side games to a three hour adventure – we can cater to your needs. Pre-booking is essential.Additionally you can book Kayak Instructors or Glow Worm tours here
Water Slide
Our water-slide is made from 1 metre wide fiberglass and is approximately 50 metres long. It starts on a bank and drops 10m onto the level ground of our playing field. This water-slide stops with a long contained run out system along flat ground. This slide is fun and fast. This activity requires adult supervision and instruction from staff.
Campfire / Camp Cooking
We have a large campfire pit great for engaging groups in end of day discussions and relaxation. You can also use the pit during the day to run camp cooking activities, milo making, damper etc minimal mess and kids love it!
RAFTING
Being right on the Karapiro Lake edge means that we have ample and easy access for any water sport activities. Raft building combines problem solving, team building and Leadership Development. This is an activity that can be run in a small group in a rotation type situation, you decide if you want to make one raft or 2! All gear is supplied with groups running this themselves along the retaining wall of the riverbank right to the jetty. This is a safe option suitable for smaller aged children as it is not deep and can be easily supervised. We recommend if you want to venture further out into the river you must supply your own safety vessel .
Archery
We have enough archery gear to cater for 4 participants at a time. Suitable for up to 12 participants rotating after each session. Trained instructors can be hired through BIG Foot Adventures or First Steps Outdoors groups can provide their own but must provide proof of qualification or list experience. It is up to management to determine if this option is safe for your group.
First Step Outdoors Click Here
Sand volleyball court
Enjoy our large sand volleyball area with balls provided. A referee stand provides groups with all the touches of a professional game while still having fun.