Kawhatau Outdoor Education Centre is a group accommodation centre at 98 Upper Kawhatau Road in Mangaweka, Rangitīkei. It was once the Upper Kawhatau School, and it still has a classroom. It sleeps 60 in beds, with extra tent space and a drying room, and has a large, well-equipped kitchen. The centre is aimed at school camps, large groups, family gatherings and sports groups. It sits across the road from the Kawhatau River, with farmland and native bush of the Ruahine Ranges beyond, and it is close to river activities, walking tracks and local attractions.
The centre is run by volunteers from families in the Kawhatau Valley. Its history is a local rescue: when the school closed in 1985, the Taihape Rotary Club took on a long lease of the buildings and converted them into an outdoor education centre. The JBS Dudding Trust has continued to support it, most recently with funding for bathroom changes and building maintenance. Course registrations and events are announced through the centre's website.