Seminars and company events
Makoura Lodge takes day conferences for up to 100 people and overnight retreats for up to 40 on a family farm in the hills of Manawatū, on New Zealand's North Island. The lodge stands near Āpiti, about an hour by road from Palmerston North and its airport and 2.5 hours from Wellington.
Corporate packages for ten or more guests come with exclusive hire of the lodge, and overnight groups of more than ten have the whole site to themselves. Meeting equipment is included, and a projector and screen can be added. Between sessions, groups can book clay target shooting, archery, axe throwing, sheep herding or team challenges, and the farm's 4WD tracks host training days, safaris, self-drive outings and product launches. Event packages combine activities and meals for Christmas parties, team days and stag or hen groups.
Weddings and receptions
The lodge hosts weddings with receptions for up to 115 guests. Ceremonies take place in the native gardens or indoors beside the large open fireplace, followed by champagne and canapés. Tables, linen, crockery and glassware are set before guests arrive, and the team packs down afterward. Couples and their guests have the venue and its accommodation from the day before the wedding until the morning after, and the planner drives the couple across the farm in a Land Cruiser for photographs. An elopement package is also offered.
Accommodation
The lodge sleeps up to 59 guests, and camping is possible when the beds are full. Six Lodge Suites stand near the main building, two with spa baths and four studios, each sleeping one to five. Glenluce Homestead, a restored family home, has five bedrooms for up to 17 people, and Burnside Bungalow has three bedrooms for up to ten. The Riverside Retreat, set by the river, sleeps two and can be kept for the newlyweds.
Catering
Meals are cooked on site and must be booked in advance. Menus use produce from the garden and local meats, from an outdoor barbecue to a formal three-course buffet, and the lodge caters for up to 110 people at functions. Wedding guests get a cooked breakfast buffet the next morning. The bar stocks more than 100 drinks, including Scottish whiskies, and serves barista coffee. The lodge is licensed and does not allow BYO.
History and setting
Hugh and Agnes McIntyre came to New Zealand from Glasgow in 1865, and their sons bought the land in 1898. Hugh McIntyre opened the lodge in 1998, building it with macrocarpa milled on the farm and stone from the nearby Makiekie, or Coal Creek, river. The bar top and fire surround come from a totara log that survived a scrub fire on the property. Hugh, his daughter Kimberley and her partner Luke run the lodge today.
Getting there
The lodge is at 736 Makoura Road, about 40 minutes from Feilding and five minutes from Āpiti. Most guests arrive by car.
