About Us
The Salvation Army Blue Mountain Adventure Centre (BMAC) is an outdoor adventure centre in the heart of New Zealand. Our mission is to help people discover and live out their God-given potential through the challenge of adventure.
Our Story
The centre was established in 1990 and has become a well-known and trusted outdoor education centre that is used by organisations, schools and various groups from around the country. With a strong focus on safety and an enthusiastic team of staff, BMAC is the perfect choice for a safe, fun and memorable adventure.
Surrounded by the stunning adventure playground of Tongariro National Park, BMAC can be a place for reflection, learning, and of course, fun! This natural landscape provides the space for a wide range of outdoor activities, and the excellent on-site facilities allow for a comfortable stay.
With many years of combined experience in outdoor leadership and instruction, our team are one of the many reasons people come back year after year. Our staff are trained in outdoor safety management and our centre maintains excellence in safety procedures.
We are totally committed to providing a high-quality experience that will allow your group to grow physically, mentally and spiritually.
Come along for the adventure!
Safety Management
The safety of your group is our top priority and we have an excellent safety record spanning over 30 years.
BMAC complies with National Safety Standards and is audited by AdventureMark for all outdoor activities. This means that we meet or exceed benchmark safety standards and demonstrate a commitment to safety and quality.
In addition, we:
- are audited by The Salvation Army Health & Safety Department
- have our ropes course inspected annually by Dynamic Access and Adventure
In all cases, we continue to receive excellent feedback on our systems.
The nature of our activities and the unique character of the outdoors, means that risk cannot be completely eliminated.
To manage the risks inherent in what we do, BMAC has an extensive safety management system which includes:
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comprehensive policies on all aspects of our operation including staff, equipment, activities and safety procedures
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AMP’s (Activity Management Plan)
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emergency procedures
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instructor competencies
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safety checks & logs of safety equipment
Although there is always a level of risk in any outdoor activity, our goal is to provide the safest experience possible, in a supportive and fun environment.
Staff and Instructors
Kyle Aitken
Centre Manager
Kyle has come back to BMAC. He started here 2006 and worked as an instructor for 6 years. He left with his wife Hania to travel and see more of the world spending time in Aus, UK and the Czech Republic before hearing the call to come back to BMAC. He and Hania left with two kids and arrived back with four. Kyle is keen to see BMAC help ignite a fire in those that come, they can take away and pass on. He has been known to pull some epic pranks, loves his rafting and pushing groups to the max, but is equally at home in the office pushing paper around.
Quals: NZOIA Rock 1, Bush 1, Canoe, Sea Kayak 1, Raft Guide Grade III, Pre Hospital Emergency Care.
Richie Jacomb
Operations Manager
Richie and his lovely family moved to the thriving metropolis of Raurimu in January 2023, bringing years of outdoor experience and enthusiasm. Watch this space for more info... 🙂
Stephen Ward
Senior Instructor
Stephen is our very own walking talking Soldier from The Salvation Army. He also brings his funny accent from the UK along with 10 years work experience in the outdoors over there. Not only does he love the outdoors, he also teaches partnered dancing, loves gaming on pc or console and motorbiking round twisty roads! He brings with him a relentless enthusiasm and optimism that the outdoors can have a positive impact on people’s lives if used well… and a cookie monster onesie that he refuses to apologise for.
Quals: NZOIA Bush I, NZOIA Rock I, Raft Guide Grade III, National Certificate in Outdoor Recreation Leadership in Tramping and Mountain Biking, BCU Five Star Kayak and Kayak Coaching Award, Level II Canoe Coach Award, Pre-Hospital Emergency Care.
Claire Wyatt
Adventure Therapist
Claire has trained and worked in several countries and brings more than 20 years experience in the outdoors to BMAC. As well as her outdoor experiences, Claire is a trained counsellor and adventure therapist, combining these skill sets to bring about the best outcomes for those she works with. While Claire loves the Outdoors and will happily engage in any and all activities, she also loves running in the mountains and can sometimes be heard singing her heart out too!
Quals: Too many to list! Some are NZOIA Alpine I, Rock I, Kayak Flat Water, Grade II, Raft Guide, Diploma of Teaching, Pre Hospital Emergency Care.
Philip White
Instructor
Phil joined us beginning of 2020 straight from Timaru and his Diploma of Outdoor Education and risk management. He is not only very capable out in the field, he is a thinking man as well, completing a BSc in Marine Biology Ecology and Biodiversity at Victoria University. He continues a strong family background in tramping and also brings BMAC’s Soldier count to 3 as he signed up in years gone by and continues with that covenant today. Phil embraces all the area has to offer and enjoys crushing it out on mountain bikes, kayaking on the rivers or scaling the craggy heights. He also has mad guitar skills and can hold a tune (that’s nice to listen to). Possibly Phil's greatest feat of endurance is taming the wild beast he calls a beard. It really is a thing of beauty.
Quals: NZOIA Rock, Abseil, Kayak and Bush Leader, Grade III Raft Guide, Diploma in Outdoor Instruction and Management, Pre-Hospital Emergency Care.
Luke Carpenter
Instructor
Young Luke worked at World Vision as a Youth Ambassador before coming straight down to Raurimu to chase the dream. Luke has Outdoor first aid quals and a lifetime of outdoor experience. One of his favourite things is being able to spend pretty much everyday outside in this beautiful creation. He loves kayaking and tramping along with most other outdoor pursuits. Luke is also super into board and strategy games, playing the kazoo and getting in touch with his emotions.
Quals: Outdoor First Aid.
Olivia Limmer
Apprentice
Olivia grew up in Hamilton and came to BMAC camps as a kid, through church. She has always been pretty active and enjoyed doing a lot of different sports growing up, including competitive swimming, representative hockey, dancing, soccer etc. and is ready to take her love for the physical to the next level by seeing what challenges the outdoors can throw at her. She loves hanging out with young people and seeing the passion and spark they have for life. Livi is super excited to see people try things at BMAC they never thought they'd be able to do whether that’s physically, mentally or spiritually, and counts herself lucky to be a part of it!
Some fun facts: can solve a rubiks cube, fluent in NZSL, and is a senior soldier.
Cody Tong
Apprentice
Levi Overbye
Apprentice
Lynnelle Jellyman
Office Manager
Lynnelle comes to BMAC having grown up in the Salvation Army and with 20+ years study and experience in Youth Work and Human Resource Management. Alongside this she worked for 4 years in overseas mission, which gave her a real passion for people and travel. Life now sees Lynnelle adjusting to off-grid living with a cat and some cows, studying animal care and enjoying her proofreading side-hustle. She loves her whanau and friends, being in nature, dancing, having a laugh and good food. Her dream is to run a retreat centre at the foot of mighty Koro Ruapehu.
Address
17 Pito Street, Raurimu
RD 1, Owhango, 3989
Central North Island
New Zealand
Call Us
07 892 2630