http://www.tewhenuaretreat.co.nz/

Te Whenua Retreat, 2277 Gibbston Highway, Gibbston (2026)

13/03/2026

Every guest experiences a retreat in their own unique way of course.

And also, there are universal ways that healing unfolds, and clarity, confidence & joy emerge… four of which are mentioned in the images here. They are sequential - re-dreaming your life on top of a frazzled nervous system, just doesn't work.

Our retreats are radically simple, because this is absolutely what’s missing in our busy, complex, often over stimulated lives. Simple, is profoundly transformational it turns out.

This is a return to what truly nourishes our nervous system; which is the deepest level of our soul, our consciousness, and a barometer on how we feel moment to moment.

Whether you are navigating a transition, or simply wanting to press pause on the striving, the struggle, the problem solving, and the ways you’ve been putting your own needs (and dreams) aside, we’d love to welcome you to one of our all-inclusive retreats.

See our website for details and dates, or simply send me a message.

All welcome.

🏡🧡

07/03/2026

‘All Inclusive Retreats’. It’s only occurred to me recently that this has another meaning, ie beyond ‘what is included in the price’, and this feels very important.

All of you is welcome here.

There is nothing you need to do to ‘fit in’ here. You don’t have to have clarity, or purpose, and please lord, know that you do not have to be spiritual. And, your spirituality is welcome here.

Radical non-opposition is nervous system rest. Radical inclusion is unity, is healing, is real love.

(Our Autumn Retreat has 2 spaces left - 4th to 8th April. 4-nights, all inclusive. Full details on our website.)

Here is a beautiful poem by Julia Fehrenbacher, called The Most Important Thing.

I am making a home inside myself. A shelter
of kindness where everything
is forgiven, everything allowed—a quiet patch
of sunlight to stretch out without hurry,
where all that has been banished
and buried is welcomed, spoken, listened to—released.

A fiercely friendly place I can claim as my very own.

I am throwing arms open
to the whole of myself—especially the fearful,
fault-finding, falling apart, unfinished parts, knowing
every seed and w**d, every drop
of rain, has made the soil richer.

I will light a candle, pour a hot cup of tea, gather
around the warmth of my own blazing fire. I will howl
if I want to, knowing this flame can burn through
any perceived problem, any prescribed perfectionism,
any lying limitation, every heavy thing.

I am making a home inside myself
where grace blooms in grand and glorious
abundance, a shelter of kindness that grows
all the truest things.

I whisper hallelujah to the friendly
sky. Watch now as I burst into blossom.

24/02/2026

Days of total nervous system rest are the medicine we so urgently need…

No one to be, nothing to accomplish, no peaks to scale, nothing to prove, nothing to fix, no problems to solve. The self-improvement project also gets to sit it out for a while - nothing to learn, no biometric trackers to monitor.

Do you remember what that feels like? When you were all heart? When you were guided by feelings, not thoughts?

☺️🏡🧡

16/02/2026

Your portal to deep soul-rest is here

Quiet Weekend Retreat, 2-nights, 27 Feb to 1 March

Quiet Day of Meditation & Rest, Sun 1st March

Return To Centre, 4-nights, 16-20th March

Autumn Re-Connection Retreat, 4-nights, 4-8th April

Details on our website, link in profile and stories, or send me a DM.

Retreats to honour your nervous system, and support deep soul rest.

All welcome 🏡🧡

12/02/2026

As JOY has the same musical tone as love, I thought this valentines weekend to share some reflections that invite more joy into our lives 💓

The first prompt is a quick win and a no brainer.How easy it is to find moment of easily accessible joy, yet how often do we miss them?

The second is a prompt I’ve been reflecting on for many months, and I’m still finding more gold the deeper I go. I say it’s ‘humbling’ because I started out on this reflection thinking I was a very joyful person, only to find new places that I was holding a kind of ‘non-permission’ for joy.

Reflection three is a deep, loving, gentle project that is relevant to all of us, and requires patience. Ultimately, joy can be felt not just as a mood, not as the fulfilment of hoped for outcomes, but a restful experience of life to be enjoyed, fully, sensually, gratefully.

I hope these help, and would love to know what you noticed.

Much love to you all! ❤️‍🔥

09/02/2026

TESTIMONIAL

“I arrived feeling tense and troubled. I was not sure anything would help. I had no expectations really - just hope.

It was a gentle arrival and easing in. An invitation to simple be. And to be me. I felt immediately supported and that I was in the right place.

The elements of the retreat that needed to be time specific- like the massages and yoga classes - were advised gently and it felt like an easy shift. There was no pressure.

The retreat felt soft, like being lifted up and out of my darkness. It wasn’t a difficult struggle because all I needed to do was let it happen.

Things are clearer now; I have myself to nurture and I know how to be gentle with myself. I have reconnected with my wisdom council who are there when I need them. I am not alone.”

💜🧡💜

4-night Re-Connection Retreat, 2026

24/01/2026

Greetings all!

I’ve been pondering changing the name of these monthly, and perennially popular, one-day retreats.

A marketing expert may advise against it, given how established they’ve become over the last 5+ years…

And given that the retreat itself is not about to be re-designed or re-imagined (although over the years it has slowly, imperceptibly evolved.)

But I’ve been thinking a lot about REST.

I’ve been thinking about how, as a species, we are not very good at it.

Yet, rest is essential if we want to be healthy, joyful, inspired and at peace in our lives.

How do you rest? Watching tv / movies? Gardening? Being in nature, hiking, biking, kayaking? Being with friends? Walking the dog?

Me too!

But these are all examples of ‘doing’ rest. How about ‘being’ rest?

Being rest, at the deepest level: the nervous system.

Not being with friends & family, scanning for approval / disapproval. Not meditation, yoga, or pilates, wondering whether you’re doing it ‘right’. Or my personal favourite - sitting with a good book and a coffee looking peaceful, whilst internally evaluating and judging myself.

Nervous system rest does not depend on the body being still, though slowing down helps us identify the constant background hum of our nervous system scanning, reporting, alerting, notifying…

Meditation, including the styles I’ve offered in the past, were something guests were invited ‘to do’. Now, they are invitations to do absolutely nothing and simply receive. So this is the word in the retreat title I am thinking of fading out. Because for many, the idea of ‘doing’ a meditation has the fragrance of anti-rest.

These day retreats, plus our 4-day ‘Return To Centre’ retreats, unveil deeper layers of you BEING you. Not you, DOING you. No performance anxiety. No vigilance. Nothing to get right. A soft invitation to rest the body, the mind & emotions, and if you’re up for it, to rest the nervous system.

Who might you even be, without the constant hum of your nervous system, trying so hard to keep all the balls in the air?

2 spaces left on Sunday 1st Feb, and the 1st of each month thereafter. All welcome. Full details online or send me a message.

🙏🏡🧡

31/12/2025

Happy new year! I hope it’s filled with joy, ease, playfulness and illumination!

We are on day 4 of our New Years Retreat. Each day brings more peace, more confidence and more discoveries (and more rainbows!)

Thank you for your support this year. 2025 was the year we sailed through our 5th anniversary, and it’s been a pretty special time - thanks to you!

All best wishes 🥰

🙏💫🧡

22/12/2025

I asked God if it was okay to be melodramatic
and she said yes
I asked her if it was okay to be short
and she said it sure is
I asked her if I could wear nail polish
or not wear nail polish
and she said honey
she calls me that sometimes
she said you can do just exactly
what you want to
Thanks God I said
And is it even okay if I don’t paragraph
my letters
Sweetcakes God said
who knows where she picked that up
what I’m telling you is
Yes Yes Yes!

—Kaylin Haught

Sending out much love! 💜💙🩵💚💛

16/12/2025

Ready for deep, genuine rest? This is not just about ‘doing nothing’, collapsing & zoning out.

Genuine rest is profoundly healing. It engages our creative and intuitive qualities, it amplifies our clarity, perceptions (inner and outer) and reveals where and why we get stuck in unhelpful habit patterns. It brings our nervous system into balance It empowers us to live more fully, radiantly and joyfully. Rest is a superpower, and we can support you in reclaiming rest as your birthright.

💛 TESTIMONIAL 💛

“One of the things that is most magical is how time seems to expand into what feels like weeks, even after you’ve only been at Te Whenua for a few hours. It’s a melting pot of the peaceful landscape, nourishing food, Pema’s [🐶] sweet nature, and most especially Jenny’s intuitive way of understanding what you need.
This retreat was the perfect recipe for deep, genuine rest. I’’m so grateful for the last few days and feel comforted by the idea of coming back.”

Our Return To Centre Retreats are 3-night, all inclusive, guided retreats. Our next one is in Feb. Book online via our website - all welcome 🏡🧡

09/12/2025

SPOTLIGHT on our 3-night ‘Return To Centre’ all-inclusive retreats:

We’ve created this 3-night retreat with a gentle yet profound focus on rebalancing your nervous system and bringing back your calm confidence.

At times in our life, we all absolutely need to press pause on the busyness, hyper connectivity, and the relentless forward motion of modern life, and come back to centre. We need to stop the current conversation, in order to have a different, more fulfilling one.

These fully catered, all-inclusive retreats are offered throughout the year, and include daily yoga nidra (non sleep deep rest) to rebalance the nervous system & foster deep rest; restorative yoga to ease muscle tension and support healing; nourishing & delicous plant-based meals; guidance & companionship in exploring our unique life journey; tea ceremony; and plenty of free time to spend in our peaceful gardens, reading, taking a local walk, or soaking under the stars in our cedar hot tub.

Simply being in nature is a true healer.

Conversation, connection, as well as peaceful solitude, are always available as supports for your physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. You are welcome just as you are.

Please check our website for dates and availability.

All welcome - please don’t hesitate to get in touch with questions / queries.

🏡🧡

29/11/2025

SPOTLIGHT on our ‘Quiet Day Of Meditation & Rest’

We’ve been offering these regular one-day retreats for more than 5 years, on the 1st of every month (except New Year’s Day.) 💫

The inspiration came from my own past experience of craving somewhere quiet, relaxing & safe to spend an occasional day. This was during a time in my life when my home situation was challenging, and on my days off from work I would go out for the day rather than spend it at home - but where to go? There’s only so much time you can spend in a cafe, or library or park.

If only there was somewhere I could go to rest my mind and heart… Spending the days with friends is an option, but the social expectation to chit chat, though wonderful at times, doesn’t provide the same inner rest as being quietly and gently with our own hearts.

So our Quiet Days are here to provide a safe and nourishing hang-out. No need to tell your story… come and spend the day however you choose.

Even when home life is wonderful, the benefits of spending a day in a space other than your own home, are many. You are away from the distractions of housework, tasks and interruptions. Being in a different space actually helps you see things from a different perspective. We see OURSELVES from a new perspective. We let someone else support us for a day.

Our Quiet Days are perhaps the simplest - and cheapest - of all our retreats and we feel very committed to keeping hosting them. They’ve been perennially popular.

They cost $120 and run from 10am to 5pm, whichever day of the week the 1st falls on.

Next one is tomorrow 😌

Maybe you know someone who may be seeking a day off to rest and refocus? Please let them know about these Quiet Days! 🙏🥰

As always , full details and bookings on our website, link in bio. Or simply drop me a message.

🏡🧡

Te Whenua Retreat

13/03/2026

07/03/2026

24/02/2026

16/02/2026

12/02/2026

09/02/2026

24/01/2026

31/12/2025

22/12/2025

16/12/2025

09/12/2025

29/11/2025

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