It's fun, it's free, there's food and it's at the beach.
What more could a child want?
A children's holiday programme run by the Warrington Surf Lifesaving Club has been bulging at the seams this summer as children learn about the ocean at Warrington Beach.
Up to 200 schoolchildren have taken part in Breakaway Surf Survival Programme activities including surf survival, rock jumping and coastineering, as well as having lunch provided, all free.
Warrington Surf Lifesaving Club captain Pru Casey said about 25 children a week participated in the programme, run mostly by high school volunteers.
"[The children] really love it,'' Ms Casey said.
"We've got children that have come back every year for three years.
"They are pretty blown away about the fact that they get to swim with dolphins, rock jump and see sea lions on the beach.''
The programme was funded by the Ministry of Social Development and Ms Casey believed it was the only one of its kind in the Dunedin area.
Children were picked up and dropped off from Dunedin city each day using vehicles from both King's High School and Otago Boys' High School.
The programme could not happen without the volunteers and the support of the community, she said.
"There's a huge amount which goes on behind the scenes ... Volunteer life guards come along and give up their time to work on the programme. They work pretty hard [and] it's really lovely. They are absolutely amazing young people.''
Ms Casey said it took two to three months of organising before the summer and it was the third year the programme had been run.
It was scheduled to finish at the end of the month.
