Founded in 1972 by Graeme Dingle with Edmund Hillary as patron, Hillary Outdoors has been delivering outdoor programmes to school age students for over 50 years and has around 10,000 students visits per year.
[3] Hillary Outdoors Aotea is situated on Great Barrier Island which is 100 km to the North East of Auckland central.
On May 11 2024, after 18 years in operation, the Aotea centre will close due to it no longer being financially sustainable for the trust to continue to deliver programmes from the Island.
Hillary Outdoors Tongariro is situated adjacent to the Tongariro National Park in the Central Plateau of the North Island right on State Highway 47 halfway between National Park and Tūrangi.
The centre itself is on Department of Conservation (DOC) land in the Tongariro National Park.