Real human stories do not have beginnings, middles and ends. 

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Te Whenua Retreat opened in 2020, in the aftermath of the global pandemic, an idea brought to life by two friends. But the dream began back in 2008, when I discovered a special kind of retreat in an ancient abbey in Oxfordshire, UK. I went on multiple retreats there over several years - I was welcomed not as a project but as a person, and this was felt down to my marrow. 

But I must go back further and explain why I started going on retreats at all. I was working in advertising, a vibrant and fun industry condensed into the heart of London. I could execute my role well for them, I met targets and played the networking game with enthusiasm. But it wasn’t really me. 

I need to go back further, as we all inevitably do. I was born and raised in London to kind parents, and had a decent if unremarkable, secular eduction. From an early age I learnt to hide parts of myself whilst simultaneously ‘performing’ in other ways, in order to get recognition, praise and acceptance from my parents, teachers and friends. This strategy stayed with me into adulthood - because at some level it worked. Until it didn’t. 

Eventually, after more than 15 years in advertising (and a few years after I started paying attention to my inner world thanks to everything that I uncovered at The Abbey), I admitted to myself that my job was essentially hollow. Resigning was more than just a rational decision - my heart and mind became depressed to the point I simply couldn’t act the part any more. 

I took the opportunity for a year long career break, and offered my nascent cooking skills to a Buddhist centre in London as a full-time volunteer cook. The contrast in me was immediate - I felt alive and content for the first time in more than a decade. We were making something tangible, the connections I made were genuine, we were nourishing people, and enjoying ourselves in the creative process.

My initial interest in what you could call ‘inner work’ also blossomed. I was drawn simultaneously to multiple contemplative and wisdom traditions, not as an acquirer of knowledge but as a direct way to understand myself and the world. Over the years that followed, I connected with many exceptional teachers, mentors and fellow seekers across many continents, and this ongoing journey has become more fascinating than I could have ever imagined. 

I continued cooking too, taking head chef positions almost exclusively in retreat centres, that led me from The Abbey (Oxfordshire, UK), to AroHā (Glenorchy, NZ). This has enabled me to immerse myself in many different fields of wellbeing, whilst improving my cooking skills with every new season. 

But none of these places, as rich and impressive as they were, really offered an environment that matched my evolving world view on what it really means to feel well. A place for retreat - beautiful, comfortable, peaceful and simple - where guests can, first and foremost, deeply rest. It’s simply not possible to create a life of joy, beauty and magic on top of a nervous system that is over activated and a heart which is disconnected from what we each find to be truly meaningful. A place that wasn’t about self-improvement or transformation. A place to discover what’s already there, once you give yourself permission to put down the roles and the performance. So, Te Whenua Retreat was born. 

Gibbston chose us as much as we chose it — sheltered mountains, mature gardens alive with tui and bellbird, the distant rush of the Kawarau River, and night skies that open us to wonder and awe. Close enough to Queenstown to be accessible, far enough away to feel like another world is possible.

Te Whenua is now in its 6th year of offering retreats, which have evolved as I have also evolved. As I look back on my own story, I can see clearly how inner illumination is a long game, not a weekend course. I have integrated the profound understanding that simplicity & rest is the gateway to our true essence and aliveness, which reveals itself through our own willingness, plus the grace of others who walk alongside us. With 16+ years of professional cooking behind me, the reputation we have garnered for offering (and teaching ) modern plant-based cooking has brought us guests from all over the world. But without doubt my greatest offering to you is my presence, and an ability to meet and welcome you just as you are - to be a safe harbour as you reconnect with your own, incomparable dreams and desires. 

I look forward to welcoming you. Pull up a chair, the kettle is on. 

Jenny (& Pema, the Te Whenua dog)