Our retreats
With just 3 guest bedrooms, Te Whenua excels at offering peaceful retreat opportunities, tailored to our guests, sidestepping the potentially distracting dynamics of larger groups.
Our signature 3-night and 4-night retreats are described below.
We also offer a writers retreat twice a year.
Jump to our retreat calendar for the dates of all our retreat and workshop offerings. Select a date for full details and to enquire regarding reservations.
NOURISHED:
Plant-Based Cooking Retreats
3-night all-inclusive retreats
Retreats are a fertile ground for personal growth and enhancing creativity, and at Te Whenua this often finds its first expression in the kitchen.
Cooking is more than just a daily task—it’s a gateway to transformation. At its simplest, it nourishes our bodies. But when approached with intention, it also nurtures our hearts and minds.
For many, cooking can feel intimidating—whether due to a lack of experience, confidence, confusion about nutritional needs, or the sheer overwhelm of which recipes to choose. Derived from 15 years professional cooking experience, this retreat is designed to guide you through those challenges. Through hands-on sessions, you’ll build confidence in the kitchen with simple techniques, practical tips, and a wide variety of reliable recipes designed to make plant-based cooking approachable and enjoyable.
But this retreat is about more than just the how. It’s also about exploring the why. Cooking is an art, and it’s also the art of life itself. In the kitchen, we learn patience as we wait for flavors to develop, creativity as we play with ingredients, mindfulness in the rhythm of preparation, and perseverance and resourcefulness when a recipe doesn’t go as planned. These lessons radiate far beyond the kitchen, helping us navigate life with grace, humour, and appreciative joy.
Over 4 days, together we’ll explore how a return to seasonal, plant-focused cooking can simplify our lives, address health concerns, deepen our relationships, and amplify our well-being. Shared laughter and meaningful conversations around the dinner table make all our efforts in the kitchen worth while. Between sessions, enjoy valuable downtime to relax and soak into the tranquility and natural beauty of Te Whenua Retreat.
Whether you’re a seasoned home cook or someone who feels that they have forgotten the art of home cooking, this retreat will meet you where you are. You’ll leave feeling nourished, inspired, and equipped to bring this new perspective back into your everyday life.
Whatever your current eating style - omnivore, vegan or somewhere in-between, this retreat will support you.
All welcome!
Please select a date below to enquire & book.
These retreats run with a minimum of 2 guests and a maximum of 5. If you are considering this retreat with a friend and the published dates don't quite work please get in touch to see if we can create something for you.
Presence & Possibilities Retreats
3-night all-inclusive retreats
If you've been feeling disconnected - from your heart, others, or your purpose in the world, our Presence & Possibilities Retreat offers a pathway to re-discover your essence, unique gifts, and a deeper sense of belonging.
By cultivating presence you'll learn to live more fully, connect more deeply, and access the wisdom and compassion within your heart.
This retreat offers:
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a break from your habitual patterns & routines to shape new habits
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guided meditations to calm and befriend the mind
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nourishing, all-inclusive plant-based meals
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group cooking class to awaken creativity and engage your senses
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yoga to help you become more present with your body
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practical tools for more mindful speaking and listening
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time in nature to align with the energy and wisdom of Mother Earth
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relaxation, and soaks in our hot spa, surrounded by crisp night air and a blanket of stars
With a balance of facilitated sessions and down-time, this retreat is not an ‘intensive’ meditation experience. Rather, we'll explore practical ways to cultivate presence in every day life.
Drawing on timeless wisdom from Buddhism and other contemplative traditions, and insights from neuroscience, you'll experience the possibilities that arise when you are present, curious and grounded.
Join us to rediscover your essential nature, be present to new opportunities, and carry the gift of presence into you everyday life - select a date below to find out more
Recollecting your Inner Wisdom ~
Seasonal Retreats
4-night all-inclusive retreats
We spend much of our lives inside our heads, yet it is our hearts that carry both the wisdom and compassion we are seeking.
Our retreats are all designed on the same principle - that with support (nourishing food, permission to deeply rest, meditation to support presence), we discover that at the centre of our being we have all the answers we need.
It takes time however for our minds to stop racing and our bodies to relax. On this 5-day retreat, as we slow down, restore our being with nourishing food and deep sleep, we can connect with that place that's always been there - call it heart, or higher self, or soul.
These retreats are fully catered with seasonal plant-based meals, and offer a balanced mix of facilitated sessions and free time. All sessions are optional, and include guided reflections, meditation, plant-based cooking, yoga and contemplations. Use the 'downtime' for a local walk, to take rest, read, rediscover your inherent connection to nature, and end the day perhaps with a hot-tub under the stars.
Come as you are, and leave feeling grounded, more creative, and inspired for your ongoing journey.
We offer these all inclusive 4-night / 5-day retreats seasonally - summer, autumn, winter and spring.
Bespoke Retreats
Here to Support You
Whether you are looking for a longer (or shorter) retreat, to be supported in a particular practise or a fast, or perhaps you are wanting the solitude of a solo retreat, then please don't hesitate to get in touch. If you are needing something bespoke at this time we will do our best to assist you.