Camp Elsdon is a charitable incorporated society administering what was previously known as Elsdon Methodist Youth Camp which began in 1954. We are a simple and convenient low cost camp with a keen “youth” camp tag and offer an “Indoor Tenting” experience for our indoor accommodation.
The camp is open all year long and provides group, team, youth and casual accommodation and is used by schools, church, sports, dance and community groups, and by individual families and overseas tourists.
Camp Elsdon occupies 5.5 hectares of DOC land located on the foothills of western Porirua and is surrounded by the native bush of the Porirua and Rangituhi/Colonial Knob Scenic Reserves. It is also a good base and allows for easy access to city, urban, rural, industrial, bush and coastal environments and is close to essential services.
LOCAL ATTRACTIONS: Camp Elsdon is a 5 minute drive or easy 15 to 25 minute walk to the local Porirua City centre and other local attractions such as Te Rauparaha Arena and Aquatic centre (with hydro slide/wave machine), Pataka Museum, Go Karts, mini golf at Pirates Cove, and 5 minutes drive from North City Ten Pin (bowling) and 10 minutes drive away from the NZ Police Museum and multi level confidence course at Adrenalin Forest.
Porirua City centre offers a full range of supermarkets and shopping malls at North City Plaza and The Mega Centre. Local restaurants offer a range of cuisine as well as all main stream fast food outlets. Movies are available at Reading Cinema in North City Plaza or at the lovely Lighthouse Cinema beside Pauatahanui Inlet. which is 10 minutes drive away via Transmission Gully/SH1 or 20 minutes drive via the more scenic SH59 and SH58 route to Pauatahanui.
There is now a Saturday morning produce and craft market at Waitangirua which offers tantalizing, freshly cooked Pacific, Asian and Māori foods as well as fresh fish, vegetables, flowers and other goodies. See https://poriruacity.govt.nz/discover-porirua/things-do/markets/.
DISTANCE TO WELLINGTON: Wellington is easily accessible from Porirua City, which is 20 kilometres north of Wellington City on State Highway 1 which is the direct motorway link to Interislander and Blue Bridge ferry terminals for ferries travelling across Cook Strait to Picton in New Zealand’s South Island. The drive to Wellington usually takes 20 minutes on the weekends and varies during the week. Porirua City also has a direct railway link into Wellington City.
FIND/CONTACT US: Camp Elsdon is located on the western side of Porirua, tucked up into the edge of the Rangituhi/Colonial Knob Reserve (behind the Elsdon Industrial area).
If traveling from the North via SH1 take the Kenepuru/Tawa off-ramp, then left at the big roundabout on Kenepuru Drive, straight through the small roundabout at the hospital entrance, and turn right onto Raiha Street (Hospital sign), continue along Raiha Street until you see the camp on the left.
If traveling from the North on the more scenic route of SH59 take the second off-ramp after the Traffic Lights at the Whitford Brown Ave intersection, turn right at the off-ramp roundabout/interchange onto Titahi Bay Road and follow the blue camp ground signs. Access is via Prosser Street from Titahi Bay Road (see Contact Us page for a map).
From the South on SH1 follow the SH59 route and then take the Porirua, Titahi Bay off ramp (onto the main roundabout/interchange) turn left and follow the blue camp ground signs.
Click on the link below to view a map of central Porirua mountain bike trails that run past Camp Elsdon.
Central Porirua Mountain Biking Map [623 kB]