Wharekauhau Lodge & Country Estate
This property is licensed for weddings.
Number of people: 2-400
Wow factor
With the wild Rimutaka Range mountains and a working farm for a backdrop, the lodge is ideal for country weddings – but brings a dash of coastal charm to the party too, with sweeping views of Palliser Bay. Interiors are grand and trad, with an Edwardian main lodge adding gravitas to proceedings; fine-dining makes the most of this epicurean region's award-winning food and wine assets.
Need to know
Choose between setting your wedding in the elegant, cosy lodge; the huge, verdant gardens or the black-sand beach that borders the estate for a darkly romantic touch. The lodge can host up to 100 wedding guests in marquees attached to the main building, or up to 400 by converting its pool complex for festivities. Accommodation on-site can be provided for up to 36 guests overnight, and the hotel is happy to handle absolutely any wedding arrangements for you, from transfers to cakes, activities, spa treatments, or sourcing bridal gowns or entertainment. A small lodge with a fine eye for detail, the hotel has a global network of stockists, suppliers and contacts to help make your big day go smoothly, and includes a wedding information pack on its website to help you plan your nuptuals.
Inspiration
Not many places in the world can offer a 5,500-acre private wedding venue, and even fewer can boast 15 kilometres of beautiful Pacific shoreline. Your photographer will think he's died and gone to aesthetic heaven. Celebs have wed here before, but the hotel is too diplomatic to name names.
