A century of adventure, service and community

For more than a hundred years, Scouting has been part of Karori’s story. While early Scout activity dates back to 1911–1912, the 1st Karori Scout Group as we know it was formally re‑established in March 1926, when local families met at St Mary’s Church Hall to rebuild a thriving Scout community. Under the leadership of Mr A.P. Harper and early benefactor Mr C.S. Clarke, the Group quickly became a cornerstone of youth development in Wellington.

Early Days (1910s–1930s)

In the 1920s, Scouts met in the old bus depots on Gipps Street under Scoutmasters Mr Jenkins, Mr Elvines, and later Mr Duncan. The scarf changed from black and gold to the now‑iconic red and blue around 1930.  In 1927, Mr Clarke built a public hall that Scouts used for one penny per person per night — a building now serving as the RSA clubrooms. The Group still honours this connection by attending ANZAC Day services there. 

The Cub Pack was formed in 1928, followed by a Rover Crew a few years later. Although the Rover Crew eventually faded, it remains an important part of the Group’s early history. When Mr Clarke passed away in 1938, the Group mourned the loss of a constant supporter who had even served as Honorary Scoutmaster for four years.

Growth and New Horizons (1940s–1970s)

Cubs & Scouts Expand - By 1942, Cub numbers had grown enough to form a second pack — soon followed by a third and fourth. The 1950s brought similar growth in Scouts, with the formation of the Tainui troop in 1951 and Aotea in 1958. With multiple packs and troops running, space became scarce. This accelerated fundraising for a new hall, opened in 1952 — the old Teachers’ College marae.

Venturers Begin - In 1948, Scouts returning from the Jamboree in France founded 1st Karori Venturers, beginning a tradition of leadership development that continues today. Many Venturers have gone on to earn their Queen’s / King's Scout Award and Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Girls Join the Adventure - The 1970s marked a major milestone: girls joined Venturers, making 1st Karori one of the first in the country to do so. By the 1990s, girls were fully part of Keas, Cubs, and Scouts.

A New Home - In 1977, volunteers and the 1st Karori community built a new purpose-built hall at the top of Campbell Street, adjoining the Zealandia fence line on council reserve land. That is still the much-loved and cherished home of 1st Karori.

Keas, Cubs, Scouts — Decades of Growth

Keas - The first Kea unit opened in 1986, followed by a second in 1987. Although the second unit was short‑lived, Keas have remained a vibrant part of the Group.

Cubs - Cubs saw major growth through the 1940s–70s, with up to four packs running at once. Numbers dipped in the 1990s due to leader shortages, but in 2014 a second pack was reopened — and today both packs are thriving.

Scouts - Scouting has seen cycles of expansion and consolidation. At various times, the Group has run three Scout troops (Tainui, Aotea, and Arawa). Today, two strong troops continue the tradition, with occasional periods where a third troop is re‑established when numbers allow.

Venturers — One of NZ’s Largest Units

Venturers remain one of the Group’s strongest traditions. Their calendar is packed with:

• Biennial summer tramps to places like Stewart Island, Arthur’s Pass, Aspiring, Kahurangi, and Nelson Lakes

• Whanganui River canoe journeys every second year

• Frequent tramps, rafting, caving, and biking trips — sometimes every second weekend

• Annual ski trips to Mt Hutt and biannual trips to the Whakapapa Scout Lodge

Leadership continuity has been remarkable. After Zac Pearson retired in 2000 (having led since 1972), Richard Hawke and Carole Trotter continued to guide Venturers and Scouts with extraordinary dedication (retiring in 2023). Their commitment shaped generations of youth and ensured the survival of both the Group and the Venturer Unit. At its peak, the unit had over 60 Venturers.

Today, 1st Karori Venturers is one of New Zealand's largest Venturer units, led by a dedicated group of new-generation leaders who are former 1st Karori Venturers and youth.

Outdoor Tradition & Major Events

Camping and the outdoors have always been central to 1st Karori’s identity. Over the decades, the Group has run Summer camps at Nelson Lakes, D’Urville Island, Arapawa Island, and Waiohine Gorge; annual Easter camps at Ruakokopatuna since the 1970s; annual tubing trips to Ōtaki Forks; regular tramping, cycling, and river adventures and attending National events such as Caving School, Flying Schools, and Spirit of Adventure tall ship adventures.

The Group has long been represented at national and international Jamborees, often joining forces with other Wellington Scout Groups. In 2026, interest was so strong that 1st Karori sent an entire troop of 36 Scouts, 8 leaders and 3 Venturers as youth leaders to the New Zealand Jamboree.

Gang Show Legacy - 1st Karori has a proud history of involvement in Wellington’s Gang Shows, beginning with the first show in 1958. Over the years, members have performed with Britannia Sea Scouts, Karori West, Wellington West District, and more recently the Hutt Valley Gang Show at Little Theatre, Lower Hutt.

Today — One of NZ’s Largest Scout Groups

At its peak in 1988, the Group reached 257 youth and leaders. Today, 1st Karori Scouts remains one of New Zealand's largest Scout Groups, with 180–200 youth and adult members across Keas, Cubs, Scouts, Venturers, and a dedicated team of leaders.

The spirit of adventure, service, and community has never changed. From meeting in bus depots for a penny a night to running one of the country’s strongest, most active Scout Groups, 1st Karori continues to empower young people to grow, lead, and thrive.

History of the hall

The current hall is the third hall and was built and opened in 1977.

The First Hall

The first hall was built in 1927 by scout master Mr Clark behind his house. It was a public hall used by the scouts for a few pennys per head per night. This hall was later offered to the scouts to buy, but as they were already using, they did not want to buy it. The RSA (Returned and Services Association, Soldiers from WWI) bought the the hall in the 1933 and it has remained the RSA hall ever since.

At the time that the second hall was opened, the group was split between the RSA hall, the old army barracks, St Marys church hall and St Ninians church hall.

The Second Hall

In August 1949, The council handed the site of a second hall over to 1st Karori Scouts. In late 1950, after the site was cleared, work started on the hall itself. These works were held up in the 1951 industrial crisis on the waterfront. The hall's structure was completed in late 1951 by the builder and in 1952 venturers , leaders and committee memebers finished the interioir lining, painting and wiring. the hallwas officially opened on 18 October 1952. The hall was extended in 1962 to store gear (you can never have too much gear). The hall was then taken over by the Wellington Teachers College and was initially used as storage before being the converted into the Marae. During this time, Mr Bruce Johnston (BJ), a Scout Leader by night, was the facilities Director at Teachers College. BJ then went on to become District Commisioner.

1st Karori Scouts needed a new hall in 1970, when they were advised that the location of the old hall was going to be needed for the Teachers College.

The Third Hall (Williams Hall)

The committee, along with Wellington City Corporation, examined many sites in 1971, including the corner of Campbell and Lewer St and Ian Galloway Park, all of which were rejected. In 1974, the City Corporation designated a section of the waterworks reserve as a recreational reserve and, in doing so, leased the land out to scouts to build their hall. The Architect, Bill Allington, drafted up a number of designs that were put before the committee. The current layout is, in fact, a mirror image of the so-called final design. Important considerations during the design phase included having breakout rooms for the cub sixes and scout patrols, plenty of storage space, a separate venturer room and a printing room (as they had their own printer for notices). Construction of the final hall began in August 1976, with a planned completion date of December of the same year. Progress was slow in the first three months of the build due to disputes and issues with the block-laying firm (the initial firm was replaced). 

To save money, one of the leaders, BJ (Bruce Johnston), completed all the wiring, which involved making sure the wire ran through the walls and fitting the lights (from a ladder, of course, what's scaffolding for?!). 

When the hall was built, the dams that now form Zealandia were still in operation, and as a result, there was a fence that encircled the hall and rose up the hill, as well as large pine trees around it. The hall was opened in April 1977 as part of the Jubilee Celebrations; however, there was still much work to be done. This work involved installing another chimney, installing guards around the lights, adding a mantelpiece above the fire, and adding a fire guard. Carpet was also put in the leaders' room, the patrol rooms, the Venturer room and the kitchen was tiled. 

The pine trees were an asset in that the area under them was great to use, but were also a problem in that the needles got everywhere, including into the guttering, causing it to rust, and between the roofing sheets, causing rust. The roofing problem was also partly due to inadequate overlap of the sheets, and it was fixed in 2000 when the entire roof was replaced. Also, since opening, the floor has been re-varnished many times.

The hall is called Williams Hall after group leader A.F "Skip Williams" and was paid off in 1978 after a massive fundraising effort.

Since building the hall, it has received much TLC over the years from the members,  including adding a dedicated woodshed, outdoor storage for our manuka poles used for pioneering, a new fit-out of commercial shelving in the store rooms, and, of course, fibre and the internet.