Auckland Strategic Retreat Venue

 Ascension Wine Estate is one of Auckland's leading venues for corporate retreats, outdoor retreats, strategic retreats and team building retreats.

• 2009 Hospitality Association of NZ "Awards for Excellence"
• "Best Restaurant" - National Finalist
• "Excellence in Customer Service" - National Finalist

We cater for anything from an intimate strategic retreat for four, to an outdoor retreat for 35, to a major team building retreat for 150.

We'll do everything in our power to make your strategic retreat easy & perfect in every respect. To give you confidence that we will deliver on that promise, here's our "daring to be different" guarantee...

"If something is not to your expectation, let us know. We will do whatever YOU say it takes to put it right!"

A short leisurely drive to a unique strategic retreat venue
Conveniently located right in the centre of Matakana Coast Wine Country - we are only 4km through Warkworth and a mere 39 minutes from Auckland's CBD. Far enough out of Auckland to make sure your strategic retreat attendees are totally relaxed and focused on the business at hand, but close enough to conserve precious time.

Right click and select "Save Target As..." to download a printer friendly Map & Directions to Ascension Wine Estate (PDF, 382 KB).

A strategic retreat room within Ascension's state-of-the-art retreat & conference facilities.

A state-of-the-art retreat centre
"The Belfry" retreat centre and conference venue at Ascension is inspiring. A visually stunning centre that is peaceful, comfortable, functional and flexible. You'll find state-of-the-art audio visual equipment and wireless internet zone, and attention to detail including design features such as quality chairs, natural light (with black out capability) and air-conditioning to ensure your retreat attendees are comfortable and focused.

Wide choice of activities
Choose from a wide range of activites such as...

• Wine tasting & tour
• Fun wine quiz
• Competitive team wine tastings
• 7 Secrets of Enjoying Wine presentation
• Grape stomping!
• Golf events at the golf course next door
• Mental golf coaching
• Petanque
• Croquet
• Horseshoe pitching
• Clay bird shooting
• Outdoor chess or checkers
• Spa and wellness sessions
• Horse riding
• ... and much more!

Flexible retreat spaces
Whether you have 3 people attending a strategic retreat or 150 people attending a major team building retreat, we'll make sure they're comfortable in a space that's not too small - not too big - but just right.

Award-winning cuisine & wine
Our menus use fresh local produce and are nutritious & memorable for your attendees. From plated working lunch right through to degustation dinner, our team of chefs pour as much passion & care into the food preparation as our winemaker does into the wine. And it's all served with wine country graciousness.

Our "Oak Grill" restaurant has been awarded the New Zealand Beef & Lamb "Hallmark of Excellence" in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, and we've won four HANZ (Hospitality Association of New Zealand) national "Awards for Excellence" and been a national finalist 12 times. Need we say more?

Total reliability - zero surprises
We know you want absolute reliability and no unexpected surprises. Just tell us what you want and we'll make sure your retreat runs smoothly with fastidious attention to every detail. Our experienced, dedicated and professional team will help make your plans a reality in a friendly, efficient manner.

A total retreat package
Whether it's transport, accommodation, entertainment, theming or team-building activities, we can arrange as much or as little as you like. And we promise it will always be with a sense of style.

Retreat accommodation
Accommodation is available amongst the vines and olives at Riverside Serviced Apartments, our accommodation partner. Visit our accommodation page for more information.

Value for money
Yes, it's a rather old-fashioned thing these days, but we abosolutely believe in it!

Phone Jessica!
For a strategic retreat in a beautiful vineyard setting with the "wow" factor, phone our retreats planner Jessica Haack on (09) 422-9601 ext 3.

Or email corporate@AscensionWine.co.nz and we'll respond straight away. We'd love to help make your retreat super enjoyable and successful.

Free strategic retreat information pack
Phone Jessica Haack or email corporate@AscensionWine.co.nz for a free strategic retreats information pack.

Testimonials

• Our 2-day retreat was a huge success thanks to a combination of the following - the venue & facilities at Ascension were great (as are the views of the vineyards!). The staff were extremely helpful, friendly & very willing. As an event organiser, this sort of detail makes a huge difference & can often dictate whether or not you use a venue again.
   
  The food was exceptional. Thanks for being so accommodating with all the dietary requirements! It's wonderful to finally have a venue in Matakana that offers excellent accommodation for a group our size. We will definitely use Ascension Vineyard again in the future".
  - Belinda Wilson, Merck Sharp & Dohme

• Ascension Wine Estate created the perfect environment for our offsite being close to Auckland and within the beautiful Matakana valley. The Ascension conference centre offered a quiet ambience with plenty of space for breakouts and workshops. The food, wine and a roaring fire at dinner provided a fabulous setting for the team to let down their hair and have some fun. Our whole team had a fantastic time on our retreat and at Ascension; they are still talking about it!
  - Holly Adams, Gen-i

• Our Leadership Group retreat was held recently in the Belfry at Ascension Wine Estate. We found the catering to be of an excellent standard. Of all the venues we use, Ascension's catering really stood out. The service we received was excellent and the staff were very friendly and helpful. The location was great, as it wasn't too far away but yet far enough that you felt you got away. I would happily use Ascension again for retreats and would highly recommend it to other companies.
  - Marilyn Payne, Rodney District Council

Strategic Retreat Photos
See our our Photo Gallery page for more strategic retreat photos.

Ascension's winery, restaurant & strategic retreat venue.