Birdsong Retreat & Sanctuary is the name of our ten acre slice of paradise located in the tiny hamlet of Wainui Valley. We’re just a one hour’s drive from Christchurch on the Akaroa Harbour of the Banks Peninsula.
Sitting mid-way up the valley, our Victorian-styled house is near the end of the road, nestled in forest and surrounded by the song of kereru, fantails, and bellbirds. The peace here creates a space for wellness, spiritual healing, and soul nourishment.
Our home is our sanctuary. For this reason we are not a traditional retreat centre where we are busy year-round with bookings, guests, and woofers. We try to balance our own need for inner self nurturing and quiet reflective space with our desire to be of service to our communities.
Birdsong is a place where love, laughter, and fun abound. We are constantly evolving and like to share our knowledge and gifts with those who stay with us. We are conversant on an eclectic mix of subjects related to mind, body, and spiritual transformations – yoga reiki, meditation, sacred geometry and sacred structures, chi gung, EFT /‘tapping’, painting, sewing, hooping, distillation, singing, herbal healing, nutritional delicacies from garden and sea to plate, organic gardening, forest gardening, and simple, pure enjoyment of life. We are well-travelled and love to meet new and interesting people who share our zest for life and desire for mindful living.
We have two sleepouts on the property — The Buddha Bungalow is a self-contained studio unit complete with toilet/shower and small kitchenette; the other contains two sleeping accommodation rooms (one with double bed and the other with a set of bunk beds) and shared toilet/shower.
We offer these rooms as guest accommodation, woofer accommodation, and a place for friends and family to visit. The studio sleepout is also perfect for use as an artists/writers retreat or for short-term caretakers who may like to stay with us for up to three months in exchange for working on the property.
We love collaborating with people and Birdsong and the Wainui hamlet are the perfect place to hold day-long workshops or multiple-day retreats. We can offer workshop space either on the property or at the local Community Hall, accommodation, and wholesome organic meals and can handle all the administrative tasks for your workshop or retreat.
If you’re keen to do a work exchange with us, please contact us through either Wwoofing NZ (Host #36503 and yes, that’s us featured on the main page!) or Help Exchange (HelpX – Host ID #40846).
We also hold working bees – an opportunity for friends and whanau to have a retreat in the country, get their hands dirty, and experience country life!
Check out our Facebook page where we announce upcoming activities & events and where Birdsongers can stay connected – so many wonderful people have passed through over the years and there are more to come. Every single one of you leaves a tiny piece of your soul light with us.
Come play and work with us. Bring your skills, your insights, your knowledge. But most of all, bring your radiant open-hearted selves!
We look forward to hearing from you.
Namaste!
birdsongretreat@gmail.com