The World Scout Jamboree, in southern Buan, came to an abrupt halt as Typhoon Khanun forced event organisers to evacuate thousands of scouts from their campsites.
This was in addition to a heatwave that pushed temperatures up to 34°C.
"It was all handled really well and we still had heaps of fun and the jamboree was still amazing," Hannah Fleming said.
"It just had to be shorter but the heat was OK."
The 92-person New Zealand contingent ultimately evacuated because of the typhoon, about 24 hours before the rest of jamboree.
The scouts spent their time in Yongin, immersing themselves in the local culture and forging new friendships.
For Jack Rickerby, the most exciting aspect of the trip was test-driving a bidet.
"I just pressed buttons until it worked because I couldn’t read Korean," Jack said.
"It came as a bit of a surprise."
He said the jamboree was far from a conventional scouts event, and not just because of the weather.
"The people I’d usually seen from scouts, I’d seen in a big field full of mud, grass and bugs.
Conor Hobbs said every cloud had a silver lining, and the weather reinforced the importance of their skills.
"As scouts we’re told to always be prepared, so in our gear list we had every situation covered," Conor said.
"It shows why we are so prepared.
"Sometimes you think why would you need all this stuff, and this finally happened— that’s why."
Scouts Aotearoa chief executive Chris Wilson said the weather disrupted about three days worth of plans, but they retained a full week of the original jamboree schedule, including the closing ceremony, which was shifted to Seoul.
"While the heat was a challenge, and the typhoon was out of our control and unexpected, the kids themselves were in good spirits."
