Aongatete Outdoor Education Centre (AOEC) is an environment education centre at Aongatete in the Western Bay of Plenty, on leased conservation land in the Kaimai Mamaku Forest Park. Surrounded by native bush with the Aongatete River on hand, it offers guided, hands-on outdoor learning built around connection with nature, self-discovery and teamwork. As a Bay of Plenty school camp it sleeps up to 92 in bunkrooms, with self-catering or catering options, and its programmes can also enrich a school’s wider EOTC plans.
Why schools choose AOEC
- Bush on every side: the lodge sits within native forest in the Kaimai Mamaku Forest Park, with tracks from 20 minutes to a full day.
- Environment education first: educational groups that fit the centre’s mission get booking priority.
- Learning by doing: bushcraft, shelter building, navigation, reflection and practical group challenges, supported by experienced facilitators.
- Instructors on request: archery, river challenge, survivor experiences, bouldering and the Forest Discovery programme.
- Room for a big group: 92 bunks across three buildings, with a lounge and dining area seating 100.
- Flexible food: fully catered, part catered, heat-and-eat meals, a shopping list or full self-catering.
- Accessible: wheelchair access to buildings, with an accessible toilet and shower.
School camp accommodation
AOEC sleeps 92 in dormitory-style bunkrooms, with a site maximum of 100 people.
Main Building
20 bunks in three rooms (two rooms of eight and one of four), with its own shower, sinks and two toilets. These rooms suit teachers and parent helpers.
Lions Den Dorm
32 bunks in eight cubicles of four.
Nettleingham Dorm
40 bunks in ten cubicles of four.
Ablution block
Separate male and female facilities, each with four toilets and four showers, including a wheelchair-accessible toilet and shower.
AOEC provides packing lists for students and group leaders. Groups bring their own first aid kit.
Facilities for school groups
- Lounge and dining area with tables and seating for 100 and a fireplace.
- Kitchen for self-catering groups.
- Activities Centre with an indoor climbing wall.
- Challenge course (authorisation needed).
- Archery with trained instructors.
- Laundry with coin-operated industrial washing machine and dryer.
- Bush tracks and river access from the lodge.
- Automated security gate at the lodge entrance.
Catering
Groups choose how they eat: fully catered, part catered, “Heat + Eat” meals, a shopping list, or self-catering in the lodge kitchen. AOEC can help with meal planning, and consumables are included in the accommodation rate.
Outdoor education programmes
AOEC runs group-based adventures suited to school-aged students in bush, river and farmland settings, with the focus on learning through doing. Programmes aim to support personal growth, environmental awareness and student wellbeing, and the centre’s objectives include a love of the outdoors, safe use of native forest, learning about local history, geology, plants and animals, and building confidence through initiative, leadership and teamwork. Schools can stay at the lodge or use AOEC for the activity side of a day trip or wider camp programme. Activities and instructors are pre-booked with the manager at least three months ahead.
Forest Discovery Programme
A full-day instructor-led programme that includes a night walk, with modules on trees, birds, forest layers, pest control, the nature trail, nature crafts, rongoā Māori with a rongoā instructor, waste management and the forest at night. Places are subsidised from 2025 to 2027 while funding lasts.
Curriculum connections
A programme at AOEC fits well with education outside the classroom (EOTC) and can support learning in:
- Science: forest ecology, birds, pest control and river studies.
- Health and Physical Education: tramping, outdoor safety, archery, climbing and team challenges.
- Social Sciences: local history and kaitiakitanga of the Kaimai Mamaku forest.
- Te reo Māori and tikanga: rongoā Māori and the centre’s guardianship values.
- Key competencies: managing self, relating to others and participating and contributing through shared camp life and group challenges.
Activities on site and nearby
Bush walks and tramps
- Nature Trail: an easy 20-minute walk.
- Short Loop: about 2.2 km and an hour.
- Long Loop: about 6.5 km and three hours, with river crossings.
- Swimming hole and river crossing track: about 30 minutes each way.
- Upland Road Track: about 5 km and two and a half to three hours.
- Wairere Falls: a back-country tramp of about eight hours one way for experienced groups.
Outdoor safety and bushcraft
- Survivor Experience: a full-day or three-hour instructor-led session.
- Shelter building for all ages.
- Fire lighting with an instructor, under strict conditions.
- Outdoor cooking, with equipment for hire.
- Navigation, including bush compass navigation.
Aongatete River
- River Challenge with an instructor.
- River studies, dam building, rock sculptures, boat races and swimming.
Challenge and team building
- Challenge course, archery, indoor climbing wall and bouldering.
- Outdoor team challenges (nine activities of 15 to 20 minutes) and indoor team challenges.
- Pancake challenge (bring the ingredients).
Evenings
- Night walks, a candle trail and a Burma trail.
- Camp concert with scenario cards, and a campfire under strict conditions.
- Reflection and camp journal time.
About AOEC
AOEC is an environment education centre on leased Department of Conservation land, with a vision centred on environmental education, outdoor safety and sustainability. Its values include guardianship (kaitiaki), sustainability, environmental care, outdoor safety and teamwork. A volunteer board governs the centre, and a small team of instructors delivers programmes.
School camp rates
Students, adults and children are charged a daily or nightly rate including GST and consumables, with a minimum nightly charge for groups under 25. A deposit secures the booking and is refunded with the final invoice. A departure clean fee applies, there’s a surcharge for instructors on public holidays, and instructors and catering are arranged on top. Environmental education programmes are subsidised for a limited time. Contact AOEC for current rates.
Example three-day camp
An example of how a school camp at AOEC could look (every camp is planned by the school):
- Day 1: Arrive, health and safety brief, Nature Trail walk, outdoor team challenges, evening candle trail.
- Day 2: Forest Discovery Programme with modules on birds and forest layers, ending with a night walk.
- Day 3: River Challenge or archery, shelter building, departure clean and depart by midday.
Getting there
AOEC is at Aongatete, inland from State Highway 2 between Katikati and Tauranga, at the foot of the Kaimai Range. The lodge has an automated entry gate. Arrival is from 1pm Tuesday to Thursday and departure by 12pm, with other times by arrangement.
Nearby attractions for school groups
- Kaimai Mamaku Forest Park: native forest tracks straight from the lodge.
- Wairere Falls: one of the North Island’s highest waterfalls, on the far side of the range.
- Katikati: the mural town, with its outdoor street art.
- McLaren Falls Park: lakes, waterfalls and glow-worms near Tauranga.
- Te Puna Quarry Park: gardens and sculpture in a former quarry.
- Mauao (Mount Maunganui): the summit and base tracks at Tauranga Harbour.
Other groups and events
- Youth groups and adult education groups.
- Social bookings when space allows.
- Enviro Kids Bush School and holiday programmes.
Good to know
- Groups complete a health and safety brief on arrival and sign the occupancy and safety log.
- No pets, fireworks, firearms or open fires, and no smoking indoors.
- Pre-camp visits aren’t possible while the lodge is occupied.
- The challenge course needs authorisation, and adult supervision and spotting for informal sessions.
- Planning resources include a camp planning guide, lodge user guide, hazard register and emergency action plan.
- No religious programme requirements are stated.
Frequently asked questions
How many students can AOEC accommodate?
92 in bunkrooms across three buildings, with a site maximum of 100 people.
Is AOEC catered?
Groups can be fully or part catered, have heat-and-eat meals or self-cater in the lodge kitchen.
Does AOEC provide instructors?
Yes, on request. Activities and instructors need to be booked with the manager at least three months ahead.
What is the Forest Discovery Programme?
A full-day, instructor-led environmental programme including a night walk, subsidised from 2025 to 2027 while funding lasts.
Is the lodge wheelchair accessible?
Yes. There’s wheelchair access to buildings, with an accessible toilet and shower in the ablution block.
How far ahead should we book?
Activities and instructors must be pre-booked at least three months ahead, and a deposit secures the booking.
Where is AOEC?
At Aongatete in the Western Bay of Plenty, within the Kaimai Mamaku Forest Park between Katikati and Tauranga.
Author: Aongatete Outdoor Education Centre
Aongatete Outdoor Education Centre (AOEC) is a leading environment education centre situated on leased Department of Conservation (DOC) land, in the Kaimai Forest Park surrounded by Native Bush. We focus on environmental education, outdoor safety and sustainability and provide environmental education opportunities and activities that foster the development of positive life skills and provide memorable learning opportunities in the NZ bush. Our Objectives To promote and foster, especially among youth, a love and passion of the outdoors, as the children of today are tomorrow’s guardians of what is left of NZ’s precious native bush (in the Kaimai Mamaku Forest Park and Ranges). To promote and encourage the safe and responsible use of New Zealand’s native forest and the facilities provided. To foster learning, appreciation and conservation of the local history, geology, flora and fauna. To enable children to use all our facilities and to improve their self confidence by encouraging initiative, leadership and team work. To provide opportunities to learn new skills, overcome physical challenges and develop new interests. As a Charitable Organisation, all profits and donations go towards the improvement of facilities, activities and programmes.
