Old Forest School

Old Forest School sits at the edge of the Rotoehu Forest on Rotoehu Road, a rural spot near Pongakawa that is about 45 minutes from Tauranga, Rotorua and Whakatāne. The venue grew out of an old country schoolhouse and the trees planted around it on school arbour days more than 80 years ago. Couples get the whole place to themselves. There is no double booking, so once you arrive Old Forest School is yours. Several ceremony spots are on offer, from the original schoolhouse to the shade of the big sycamore and redwood trees, with a reception space called The Noshery for dinner and speeches and a fern-filled room as a wet weather option. Catering and drinks are entirely up to you. The venue runs fully BYO with no corkage and no alcohol charges, so you bring your own caterer and bar stock and keep the day yours. Guest numbers run from around 30 up to 120. Pricing starts at $3,900 for a weekday and climbs for a Saturday, with a per-head charge on top. Forest cabins on site mean the wedding party can stay the night. It suits couples after a relaxed woodland wedding with room to make it their own.