National Park Outdoor Facility

St Peter’s, Cambridge has had a long history of outdoor education beginning in 1968 with annual trips into the Ureweras for service and including the remarkable feat of clearing 26 miles of Rua Kenana’s track in 1985.

Our outdoor education campsite at National Park provides our students with back-to-basics bush camping experiences that foster personal, social and physical growth. To this end, the facilities are intentionally simple — plywood sleeping shelters, a large covered cooking and storage area, basic showers and toilets, rain water storage, and no electricity. This simplicity creates opportunities for our students to learn valuable bushcraft skills including building bivvies, making fires, and preparing food and drinks over fire. We find that camps give our students greater appreciation and understanding of the bush environment. They are challenged to become more independent and resilient, and to work together to solve problems and achieve shared goals.

Our campsite is located in 40 hectares of native bush very close to National Park village. It has inspiring views of Mt Ruapehu and the surrounding volcanic area.

Developing and maintaining the site is an ongoing project for our Year 10 students, who maintain tracks, clear sites and help with the construction of shelters. These responsibilities help our students to develop practical skills and find satisfaction in manual work. Our students also learn to take ownership of their surroundings and work for the benefit of future St Peter’s students.

Our campsite is also the base for many outdoor education opportunities, including orienteering, tramping, caving, mountain biking, skiing, and more.