Brookfield Outdoor Education Centre in Wainuiomata offers camping, lodges, and outdoor activities.
Brookfield Outdoor Education Centre, situated at 562 Moores Valley Road in Wainuiomata is owned by Scouts New Zealand. It serves as a year-round venue for Scouts, Guides, schools, church groups, and various organisations.
The centre offers a range of facilities, including campsites, lodges, and activity areas, providing a safe environment for outdoor education, training, and recreation. Activities such as abseiling are available, with a renovated abseil tower operated by Captivate Adventures, the sole audited provider of abseil services at Brookfield.
Historically, the property was part of a 144-hectare farm purchased by John Crowther in 1864. The first recorded Scout camp at Brookfield was by St. Augustine’s Scouts, who walked over the Wainuiomata Hill carrying their gear on a trek cart.
John Crowther named it after a brook flowing through the valley. His daughter, Mary Ursula Crowther, maintained the farm, supplementing its income through an orchard. In the 1920s, brothers Harold and Roy Nelson befriended Mary while hunting, leading to a strong connection with the Scouts and fostering Mary’s decision to leave the property to the Scout Association upon her death in 1958.
After acquiring the land, the Scouts expanded the property to over 260 hectares and preserved many features from the original farm, such as its gardens and some orchard trees. A Campfire Circle now occupies the site of the original cottage. The Nelson brothers remained closely tied to Brookfield; in 1989, the cottage they once lived in was relocated to the site and named Nelson Lounge, housing memorabilia and furniture.
Today, Brookfield serves as a hub for outdoor education, welcoming Scouts, schools, and other groups, blending its historical legacy with its current role as a dynamic training and recreational venue.
