Hello.
Are you feeling...
• buried under the mental load? The endless decisions, the worries you carry for everyone, the lists that never actually finish?
•tired in a way that a good night's sleep doesn't quite fix? Like you're running on fumes, even when you're not consciously aware of it?
•disconnected from what your body actually needs—unsure why certain times of the month feel impossible, or what's changing as you move through midlife?
•like you've lost touch with what rest actually means? Weighed down by the guilt of slowing down, by the belief that you should be doing more?
•ready for something to shift, but uncertain of what that looks like or where to even begin?
If this is you, you're not alone. And this weekend is designed for you.
August 21 - 23, 2026
Mangamaunu Retreat
A weekend where we hold you completely.
We handle everything—the meals, the decisions, the logistics. You simply arrive and let yourself be guided through a richly curated experience designed to nourish you on every level.
You'll walk alongside other women who truly get it. And you'll leave with practical tools, deeper self-understanding, and genuine support to carry this reset forward into your life.
But perhaps most importantly, you'll feel what it's like to be held and guided through a weekend that asks nothing of you except to show up and receive. To remember that you matter—not for what you do, but for who you are.
You'll return to your life nourished, grounded, and resourced. With your soul restored in ways you didn't even realise it needed.
Your weekend rests on four pillars:
NOURISH
Feeding your body and soul with intentional nutrition, herbal teas, cacao ceremony, and meals crafted with care. Learning how to nourish yourself in ways that support your changing body, energy, and wellbeing.
RESTORE
Deep rest, renewal, and nervous system care through yoga, sauna, mindfulness, outdoor walks in nature, and the simple act of being held and looked after.
REFLECT
Coming home to yourself through journalling, panel conversations, and educational sessions that give you frameworks and tools to understand your body, your needs, and your next chapter.
RECONNECT
Building genuine community with other mid-life women, anchoring yourself in what matters, and returning home centered, resourced, and ready to show up differently in your life.
Your retreat leaders
Chai:
Chai co-founded Kindred Studio in Nelson, where he teaches Yoga, Meditation and Breathwork, runs Yoga Teacher Trainings, and works one to one as a therapeutic massage therapist. He has been practising for over thirty years.
He specialises in applied anatomy, the anatomy of movement. More than two decades of therapeutic and sports massage have taught him to read bodies closely, and he teaches from one plain starting point: bodies are built differently. Your hip is not his hip, and there is no single shape everyone is meant to reach.
Chai teaches from inside a body that has never been naturally bendy, so the work isn't about how it looks but how it feels from the inside. Across the weekend he will guide Yin, Hatha, breath and meditation, with plenty of room to slow down and let the nervous system settle. You do not need experience, and you do not need to be flexible. You only need to arrive as you are.
Kathy:
Kathy guides yoga, yin yoga, reformer Pilates and mat Pilates with a warm and grounded approach, creating spaces where people can slow down, reconnect and simply exhale. Her sessions blend movement, breathwork, meditation, mindful stillness, and moments of both gentle challenge and strengthening, supporting people to build strength, move well, and work from where they are at, helping them feel stronger, calmer, and more connected in both body and mind. With a background in nutrition, Kathy is passionate about supporting wellbeing through practical, natural, and evidence-based approaches to health, creating experiences that feel supportive, restorative, and realistic for everyday life.
Sarah:
An intuitive coach, speaker, and writer, Sarah specialises in releasing deep seated patterns and harnessing the transformative healing power of the mind-body connection. Her work honours the complexity of the human experience across every layer: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and energetic. Through her work, she empowers women to embrace and celebrate their innate rhythms and cycles.
Your choice of accommodation
Single occupancy or twin share | Mangamaunu Retreat or Manakau Lodge
Please see all accommodation and pricing options below.
Payment plans are available - please enquire.
Single occupancy | Mangamaunu Retreat
Ocean views
Super King sized bed
Private ensuite
All meals, drinks, and sessions included
SOLD OUT
Single occupancy | Mangamaunu Retreat
Ocean views
King sized bed
Shared bathroom
All meals, drinks, and sessions included
$2,400
Single occupancy | Mangamaunu Retreat
Queen sized bed
Shared bathroom
All meals, drinks, and sessions included
$2,200
Single occupancy | Mangamaunu Retreat
Queen sized bed
Private bathroom
Outdoor bath
All meals, drinks, and sessions included
$2,300
Twin Share | Mangamaunu Retreat
King single bed
Ocean views
Private ensuite
All meals, drinks, and sessions included
$2,000pp
Twin Share | Mangamaunu Retreat
Single bed
Shared bathroom
All meals, drinks, and sessions included
$1,750pp
Single Occupancy | Manakau Lodge
Ocean or mountain view
King sized bed
Ensuite
All meals, drinks, and sessions included, along with transport to and from Mangaumanu Retreat
$2,400
Twin share | Manakau Lodge
Ocean or mountain view
Twin beds
Ensuite
All meals, drinks, and sessions included, along with transport to and from Mangaumanu Retreat
$1,900pp
If something in you is saying yes, then book now. Spots are limited.
Your weekend reset includes:
• private chef
• luxury accommodation
• yoga sessions
• education sessions covering nutrition, women's cycles, q&a session, optional workshops
• nature walks, sauna, journalling
• herbal teas, cacao ceremony, sound bath
• curated gift bag
FAQ
I'm not really a yoga person - is this weekend for me?
Absolutely! While yoga is one of the tools we'll be drawing on over the weekend, this is far from a yoga retreat. It's a full holistic reset, and yoga is just one small piece of a much bigger experience.
There are 4 yoga sessions in total across the weekend. Two of them are yin yoga — a deeply restorative, slow practice that is essentially lying down, resting, and breathing. The other two will be completely tailored to the level of the group, whether you've never stepped on a mat before or whether you have a regular practice.
The rest of the weekend is packed with so much more — education sessions, breathwork, mindfulness, journalling and reflection, coastal walks, sauna, and plenty of space to simply slow down and reconnect with yourself.
If yoga isn't your thing, you'll still find so much here that is. Come as you are.
Will this be a weekend of sharing problems and emotional venting?
Not at all! This retreat is intentionally designed to be a positive, forward-focused experience — not a group therapy session.
There will be plenty of space for self-reflection and journalling, which are powerful personal practices, but these are private. There are no group sharing circles or open sessions where participants are expected to air their challenges or emotions. Strong boundaries are held across the weekend to ensure the space stays clear, uplifting, and focused.
Of course, connection happens naturally over a weekend like this, and you may find yourself having meaningful conversations with other women one-on-one — but that's entirely on your own terms. Nothing is ever required or prompted.
This weekend is about resetting, restoring, and filling your cup — not emptying it out.
I already live in Kaikoura — is it really a retreat if it's in my own backyard?
Yes, and honestly, that's one of the best things about it! A retreat isn't about how far you travel — it's about stepping away from your normal life, your routine, your to-do list, and your everyday environment. And you get to do all of that without the stress of a long journey.
You get to see your own backyard through completely fresh eyes, slow down in a place you perhaps take for granted, and come home feeling like a different person — without the long car travel, the luggage, or the travel fatigue.