Quaker Settlement is an intentional Quaker community on the northern outskirts of Whanganui, on a 20-acre site at Otamatea. Sixteen homes surround a seminar centre that takes up to 40 people for seminars, retreats and other groups. The land is held by a Quaker trust set up in 1975, not owned by individuals, and the settlement describes itself as an education centre and a place of retreat. It also works to find more sustainable ways of living and to develop a permaculture approach to the land.
Customers describe it as a good venue for medium to large groups and camps, with a warm fireplace, a big commercial kitchen, a bunk room and cabins. Several find it close enough to town for day trips but far enough away to feel like its own oasis, with birdsong every morning. One reviewer found the accommodation affordable and the catering good for a formal group. Others praise the beautiful grounds and gardens, the quiet, and the setting for families. One calls it a great venue for small, no-frills meetings. The settlement's website invites people to get to know it at a Tuesday coffee morning at 10.30am and at Work Weekends. Our pick in Otamatea for a group weekend in a quiet setting near town.