Programmes - Outdoor Pursuits

Southern Alps

Nestled on the edge of the Southern Alps, alongside a beautiful alpine lake, Mount Aspiring College is ideally placed to run some of the finest outdoor instruction and adventure programmes in New Zealand. The word is out with students coming to Wanaka to gain a unique outdoor experience and also to fulfil their academic goals at the same time.

For many years the college has offered outdoor pursuits courses and since 1991 there has been an active marketing drive to bring students to Wanaka. This has been highly successful and roll growth has been dramatic since this time. In 1992 Mount Aspiring College established an innovative hostel programme for senior students, based around learning life skills in a supervised flatting situation and outdoor adventure. Each year competition for the thirty places available is intense.

OP Photographs

We have a number of photo galleries of our adventurers on their Outdoor Pursuits. Click here to see what they have been up to lately, or go to either the Photographs or the Work Gallery.

Level Two

The most popular outdoor course at Mount Aspiring College is the Level Two Outdoor Pursuits course and currently there are over seventy students in groups involved in this course. This programme is designed to give students a solid taste of some of the outdoor activities available in and around Wanaka, including; rock climbing, kayaking, tramping, snow boarding and skiing. This course is open to any Year 12 or 13 students, and students say that it provides a great complement to their academic studies. Lots of valuable learning occurs while paddling the rivers, climbing the rocks, tramping the bush and sliding around on the alpine snow. It's all fantastic fun as well!

For more information click here to see the curriculum handbook

Level Three

The Level Three Outdoor Pursuits course leads on from the Level 2 course and extends students into more advanced rock climbing and kayaking, intermediate mountain biking and beginner mountaineering. Generally this is for students who have really taken to the outdoors, have completed the Level 2 course or have equivalent experience and are considering a career in the outdoor adventure industry. The students are focused upon developing their personal skills to a higher level.

Details about the Level 3 course can be found here

National Qualifications

All the outdoor programmes at Mount Aspiring College are based on National Qualifications Frameworks unit standards and this ensures that students receive recognised and valued credits towards National Certificates. The Outdoor Pursuits instructors at the college are all motivated professionals with national qualifications and committed to providing the best possible learning opportunities for their students.

Safety

Safety is paramount and programmes do not operate unless they can be safely managed. An important part of the programmes is risk management and students are trained in how to assess and handle the risks which occur in outdoor situations. This enables them to then go away and have their own adventures in a safe manner.

Animations

Click below to download short Flash animations produced by Computing and Outdoor Pursuits students

Claym (6.7mb)

OP Animation (1.7mb)