The history of the Tapu Camp land extends back to the 1930s.

The land (then a paddock) was purchased by the community to host a New Year’s Day sports event with horse riding and a variety of games. The community raised half the money for the land and the Government paid for the other half. This event was so popular, it became an annual occasion.

After a while, the sports day ran its course which left the land vacant for a number of years.

In the 1960s, the Tapu community started to build the camp. Initially, the camp was built to fund the Tapu hall (which had been built in the late 1940s). Once the hall was paid for, the camp funds were distributed back into the community. The community worked voluntarily for the first 3-4 years to get the camp going to a point where it could be leased out.

The 1980s saw the camp lease purchased by a family who ran it for a number of years until the current owner, Bruce, purchased it in 2010.​