Seminars and company events
Rippon Hall and its adjoining marquee take conferences of up to 310 seated guests, gala dinners of up to 230 and corporate gatherings of up to 350, on a working vineyard above Lake Wānaka in Central Otago, New Zealand. The hall suits panels and round-table sessions for 30 to 75 people, while the marquee seats up to 230 for larger presentations. The two can stay open as one room or be divided into breakout areas.
A loft above the hall works for smaller meetings and breakout sessions. The terrace can be set for a cocktail party or an evening dinner, depending on numbers. An on-site events manager follows each booking from planning to the end of the evening. One program can combine round tables, a full conference, a trade show and an end-of-conference dinner in the same place.
Weddings and receptions
Rippon sells weddings in several formats. The Rippon Celebration is a two-day booking for up to 230 guests. Vines & Vows runs on Sundays for up to 12 guests, and an elopement package covers two people. Ceremonies usually take place in a natural amphitheatre next to the hall, looking over the vines to the lake and the Southern Alps, with the hall or marquee as a covered backup. The amphitheatre is in an area open to the public: the cellar door closes early on Rippon Celebration days, and full exclusivity can be added. Music can play in the hall until midnight.
Rooms and capacities
The main hall seats about 75 to 80 guests for dinner and has a picture window over the lake and a large open fireplace. The marquee, a covered canopy joined to the hall by two sets of tri-fold doors, is in use all year and seats up to 230. The licensed capacity of the site is 375 people, including staff and suppliers. The venue has a full catering kitchen and seven bathrooms. A floor plan with measurements is available from the venue.
Accommodation
There are no bedrooms on site. Wānaka has hotels, resorts and villas at a range of budgets a short drive away, and the Rippon team can suggest options for delegates and wedding guests.
Catering
Rippon has no in-house kitchen team. It works with a selection of Otago caterers, who become the main contact for menus, from morning and afternoon tea to lunch, gala dinners and cocktail food. For weddings the venue is dry hire: glassware, crockery, linen, tables and chairs come from outside suppliers, usually arranged through the caterer. Rippon wines are served at weddings in the hall.
History and setting
The Mills family has farmed this land on the shore of Lake Wānaka since 1912. Rolfe and Lois Mills returned to the farm in 1973, planted trial grape varieties in 1975 and the first Rippon vineyard block in 1982, among the oldest commercial vines in Central Otago. The vineyard is farmed biodynamically. The hall was built with compacted earth dug from the hillside, beams from the estate's larch forest and a boiler fired with wood from the farm.
Getting there
Rippon is at 246 Wanaka Mount Aspiring Road, west of the center of Wānaka, with access down to the lake below the vineyard. Queenstown Airport, the main air gateway to the region, is a little over an hour away by road.
