4 Day Breathe Life into Your Writing: A Writer's Retreat in Tasman District, New Zealand

Accommodation

Check-in Time:

14:00

Check-out Time:

11:00

Traversed by five creeks, Maruia River Retreat is home to wild deer, goats, and numerous native bird species and boasts some of the best fly fishing New Zealand has to offer. Private chartered flights and scenic aerial tours can be arranged as the estate has a 480-meter airstrip, a private hangar, and a helicopter landing area. You will be accommodated in solo or twin share occupancy rooms in your own private luxe or master villa.

Program

You will use the stunning natural world around you at Maruia River Retreat as a springboard into your writing sessions, contemplating how patterns in your own life are reflections of those in flora, fauna, and landscapes. This will guide the shape and structure of your storytelling. You will practice how to write using all of your senses and how to bring yourself and others alive as bodies move through environments, which will help you create vivid characters who drive your stories. Daily writing workshops with daily yoga, breathwork, and meditation classes led by Cristina Holopainen, Maruia River Retreat’s resident yoga teacher.

Included excursions

You will walk and explore 500 acres of native beech forest.

Instructors

Cristina Holopainen

Cristina has been teaching well-being classes and workshops for the last 10 years, focusing on the healing benefits of yoga. She is known for creating a nurturing and safe place for her students with classes that are accessible for all kinds of students.

Kerry Sunderland

Kerry Sunderland is an Australian writer based in New Zealand. She has a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Victoria University of Wellington and was joint winner of the 2018 Hachette Mentorship in Australia for an earlier draft of her soon-to-be-published memoir, Beyond the Blue Door. She is the coordinator of the Nelson Arts Festival’s literary program, Pukapuka Talks, and offers residential writing retreats and short courses in creative nonfiction. From 2017 to early 2021, she was a part-time creative writing tutor at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology.

Retreat location

Surrounded by 500 acres of exquisite native beech forests, rugged mountain ranges, gardens, and terraces, Maruia Retreat is an extensive natural estate nestled alongside the magnificent Maruia River. The estate showcases its beauty through the extensive nature trails found on the property. Close to the lodge, both Braeburn and Lyell tracks are perfect for guests wanting to explore the glorious inner West Coast region.

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Food

You will be served a welcome snack, as well as daily breakfast, lunch, and three-course dinner, included in the price.

The following meals are included:

Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Snacks

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Regular (typically includes meat and fish)

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

What's included

3-night Private villa accommodation in twin share or solo occupancy with river, mountain and forest views
All meals including a welcome snack, daily breakfast, lunch and 3-course dinners
2 daily yoga and meditation classes
2 x 2-hour writing workshops
One-on-one support during private writing sessions
Guided nature walks in 500-acres of native beech forest
Forest bathing in the outdoor Stoked Hot Tub, Infrared Chroma-therapy and Finnish Sauna

What's not included

Airfare
Airport transfers

How to get there

Recommended Airports

NSN

Nelson Airport

112 km

Transfer not provided

Cancellation Policy

A reservation requires a deposit of 50% of the total price.
The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.

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