The Experience
Everything Anticipated
The food is taken care of, the experience is booked, and your concierge has thought ahead so you don’t have to. There’s nothing to manage once you arrive. It’s just the land, your people, and time.
The food is taken care of
The Whakahā Table is not a stocked fridge and a shopping list left on the bench, but a considered table — planned around your group’s needs, drawing on the best of Canterbury, and shaped to the kind of stay you want to have.
Every stay is fully provisioned. There’s nothing to pick up on the way. Dinner for your first night is taken care of: ready and waiting so you can gather at the table the moment you walk in. Local ingredients are provided throughout your stay, along with soft drinks, snacks, a ploughman’s platter, and the things that make a long afternoon easy.
Some groups pull the door closed and cook together for the whole stay. Others want to taste their way through the region: a private chef one evening, a local table the next. Alcohol, private chef dinners, and meals out aren’t included — your concierge will arrange everything through our favourite local suppliers.
Tell us how you like to eat and we’ll build the rest.
Your stay includes one curated experience for your whole group. No logistics to sort out, no separate bookings to make. Once you’ve confirmed your dates, simply choose what sounds right for your group. Choose from a private chef dinner at the house, a local nature adventure, or a group photography session to capture your gathering. Want more than one? Your concierge can book additional activities for your stay.
A local chef can come to Whakahā and cook for you as you relax. They handle the menu, shopping, preparation, cooking, and clean-up — all you have to do is gather and enjoy. Ideal for a special celebration, or simply an opportunity to savour the abundance of great local food.
Options include a guided fly-fishing session on the Rangitata, family-friendly rafting on the lower river, private horse trekking through river crossings and high-country routes with a guide who's ridden these tracks for over 20 years, or a visit to one of the working stations that shape South Canterbury.
A private photographer spends a morning at Whakahā with your group, as you wander the land, relax by the river, and soak up being together, here.
Choose your experience with your concierge to suit your group’s age, appetite for adventure, and the time of year — some activities depend on the season.
All the time in the world
Mornings cooking with local ingredients. Afternoons exploring thousand-year-old tōtara forest. Evenings that stretch long around the fire.
Your concierge is there when you need them, invisible when you don’t. Before and during your stay, they’ll book your included experience and additional activities, arrange delivery of specialty groceries or catered meals, organise transfers and vehicle hire. Just let them know what you’d like.
Some of our favourite local activities aren't available to everyone. The connection your hosts, Camille and Chris, have with local landowners means we can arrange access to places that are usually closed to visitors, such as historic stations and working estates. The same personal connections mean we can arrange for a local wellness practitioner to visit the property, access to local producers or artisans, and even a working farm visit in season. Experiences can depend on timing, weather, and the availability of local people. Talk to your concierge for more.
Local guides know Peel Forest and the history, geography, and ecology of the surrounding region. From river guides to local makers, we can organise meetings and activities with the keepers of the local lore so you can have a richer experience at Whakahā.
Options include a private transfer from Christchurch to the property, and a vehicle for your group to use during your stay. We can even arrange a helicopter if you want to avoid the drive from the airport or want speedy access to the ski fields or a scenic flight. Just speak to your concierge when you book your stay and they'll sort out everything for you.
