Gear Homestead Venue and Bar occupies a heritage homestead at 1 Okowai Road in Aotea, Porirua, where acres of picturesque gardens and stunning sea views frame a setting the venue sums up as 'where history meets hospitality.' For years it has served as an elegant, charming backdrop for weddings, private functions, corporate events and casual gatherings, blending heritage character with a modern twist.
In May 2025 the team opened their own bar and eatery on site. The style is tapas: a sharing menu of flavourful dishes made for enjoying with friends or family. The space splits in two — a relaxed cocktail lounge on the lower level, and an upstairs area with what the venue bills as the best views in Porirua. The bar and eatery operates Thursday to Sunday, 3pm-10pm, with online table bookings and gift cards available.
For events, Gear Homestead works in seamless collaboration with In House Catering to cover everything from elegant canapés, grazing tables, family dining and buffets to beverage packages, event staff and hire-ware. Sample packages include the Gold Buffet, the Premium Buffet and a cocktail-style evening catering for up to 150 guests — every event is quoted tailored to the occasion, with seasonal, local flavours at the heart of the food.
Perched at 1 Okowai Road in Aotea, Porirua, Gear Homestead is one of those rare places where the setting does half the work. The heritage homestead sits amid acres of picturesque gardens with sea views stretching out beyond, and the venue sums itself up simply: 'where history meets hospitality to create unforgettable moments.' Long known as an elegant venue for weddings and functions, it broadened its story in May 2025 by opening its own tapas-style bar and eatery on site — turning a place you book for big occasions into somewhere you can also drop in for shared plates and a cocktail.
Gear Homestead's core business is venue hire, and the offer is refreshingly straightforward: when you hire the venue, you get the use of the Homestead, the land and the gardens. Full-day hire runs from 12pm to 12am, with half-house and half-day options available on enquiry and a refundable bond applied to bookings. The combination of heritage charm and a modern twist gives events an extraordinary backdrop — and the wedding galleries on the venue's site back that up.
Recent celebrations show the range. There was K + A's elegant summer garden wedding for 80, an outdoor ceremony followed by a reception upstairs among rustic wooden tables, delicate wildflowers and seasonal cuisine. E + O chose a timeless garden ceremony for 50 with canapés and a buffet reception. B + M's 75-guest wedding leaned into the classic homestead setting with a relaxed Kiwi feel and a fun vintage touch, while C + A threw a 100-guest backyard party complete with canapés, grazing tables, larger bites and signature cocktails. Elegant seated receptions, relaxed garden gatherings, kiwi-style celebrations — the homestead absorbs them all.
What makes Gear Homestead unusually convenient for event planners is its collaboration with In House Catering. Venue, food, beverages, hire-ware and event staff all come under one roof, which the team describes as a streamlined experience where quality meets convenience. Catering spans elegant canapés and grazing tables through to family dining and buffets, with tailored packages that highlight seasonal ingredients and local flavours.
Three sample packages give a sense of the formats. The Gold Buffet starts with post-ceremony refreshments — five canapés of your choice — followed by a buffet dinner of one main, three sides, one dessert and artisan breads with whipped butter. The Premium Buffet stretches refreshments to two hours with grazing tables and adds a second main. The Cocktail Evening skips the sit-down dinner altogether: seven canapés, grand grazing tables loaded with NZ cheese, deli meats, fresh fruits, chutney, olives, pickles, Mediterranean vegetables, pâté, artisan breads, bao and rice paper rolls, then two larger bites to finish the night. Each sample includes an onsite chef, a function manager, event staff and hire-ware — and the team stresses these are starting points, with tailored quotes for every unique event. Cocktail-style service can stretch to 150 guests.
Drinks are handled with equal care. The House Range package offers an upfront, agreed price per guest for an agreed timeframe — regardless of the volume consumed — drawing on fine wines, local craft beers, cocktails and non-alcoholic options, with glassware, ice, set-up and pack-out all managed by experienced, host-responsibility-licensed staff. Rolling tabs and cash bars are available too, spanning house beer and wine through to premium spirits and cocktails.
The newest chapter arrived on Thursday 1 May 2025, when the Gear Homestead bar and eatery opened its doors. The concept is tapas-style: a sharing menu of delectable dishes designed to be enjoyed with friends or family, a format the venue calls brand new to the area. The atmosphere splits in two. Downstairs, the cocktail lounge is built for unwinding; upstairs you'll find what the venue confidently bills as the best views in Porirua. The space is designed for both relaxation and celebration, matching the venue's mission of an elevated, welcoming, customer-focused experience where every guest leaves with a memorable experience.
The bar and eatery operates Thursdays through Sundays, 3pm to 10pm, with table bookings available online. Gift cards are on offer as well — a neat solution for the hard-to-shop-for friend.
For a casual evening out, book a table for Thursday-to-Sunday service and choose between the downstairs lounge and the upstairs views. For weddings, corporate events and private functions, reach out directly: Gear Homestead is at 1 Okowai Road, Aotea, Wellington 5024; phone 04 471 4079; email [email protected]. From a single shared plate at the bar to a full garden wedding with grazing tables and a sunset ceremony, the homestead scales to the moment — history and hospitality, exactly as promised.