Tucked away in the Bay of Plenty, Old Forest School is more than just a venue, it’s a piece of New Zealand history, lovingly restored and reimagined. Built in 1933, this former country school was once the heart of a thriving rural community. Generations of children passed through its doors, leaving behind memories of laughter, learning, and friendships that time never quite erased.
Some places have a way of calling you home. You feel it the moment you arrive—something familiar in the air, something waiting to be rediscovered.
More than fifteen years ago, hidden deep in the Pongakawa Valley, we stumbled upon such a place. An abandoned schoolhouse, weathered by time but not broken, stood quietly among the trees. To most, it was just another relic of the past, easy to overlook. But to us, it felt alive, like the voices of children still lingered in the air.
We didn’t set out to build a wedding venue. We were simply looking for a place where life could slow down, where our children could run barefoot through wildflower meadows and climb trees older than memory. But in restoring this school, something unexpected happened: it became so much more.
A Place Worth Saving
From the moment we stepped inside, the schoolhouse wrapped itself around us like an old friend. Beneath the peeling paint and broken windows, there was warmth, a heartbeat.
The restoration was relentless. It took years of hard work, uncovering layer by layer, beam by beam, the stories hidden within its walls. We found letters tucked into attic corners, books long forgotten, and time capsules buried beneath the floorboards. And as we brought the school back to life, something remarkable happened: people came.
Strangers knocked on our door, eager to share their memories. Past pupils arrived with photographs and stories from their childhoods. Some brought tools and paintbrushes, keen to lend a hand. Slowly, the school’s history returned—its trophies, its jungle gym, even its long-lost school bell.
What had once been forgotten was now waking up, remembering who it was.
A Living Legacy
In 2013, Old Forest School became more than a family home, it became a destination. Almost overnight, the world took notice. Weddings, celebrations, film shoots, it was as if the school had been waiting for this moment all along.
Past pupils watched in awe as their childhood classrooms transformed into a place of new beginnings. Couples exchanged vows where school desks once stood, and families gathered to celebrate milestones beneath the trees.
Before we knew it, Old Forest School’s charm was being shared far and wide. TV3’s The Bachelor NZ came to film, expecting a brief segment but instead dedicating an entire episode to its magic. Articles appeared in wedding magazines. Photographers and filmmakers couldn’t get enough of its nostalgic beauty. But no matter how much attention it received, its heart remained unchanged.
Everything we do—every beam we restore, every space we create, is done with immense respect for those who walked here before…and those whose footsteps are yet to come.
Welcome to the Story
Today, Old Forest School is more than a venue. It’s a home, a gathering place, a reminder that history is never truly lost, it just waits for someone to listen.
It supports artisans, local businesses, and creatives who share its values. It welcomes couples who long for something timeless. It embraces families, dreamers, and those who seek a place where memories are made, not just captured.
Every season, new ideas take root. Every year, new stories unfold. And yet, the essence of this place never changes. It is, and always will be, a place of belonging.
To everyone who steps through our gates, you are now part of its story.
And to this little school, standing tall among the trees, thank you for waiting.
You can read more information and see more photos about the history of Old Forest School here.
A GIFT FROM THE PAST
Before we opened our doors, an anonymous past pupil left us a blessing, one that we now pass on to you. For our family, for this land, for New Zealand, and for a very special school:
A VALLEY SHRINE (ABRIDGED)
To the schools Maori friends, please approach your ancestral Spirits and ask them to protect this place that no man or act of God would ever bring it to its knees again. That it has risen from near death is a miracle and all those who cherish this place must be forever thankful. Please protect it from rain or fire, wind or earthquakes and may it always be cherished with memories of those who played in its grounds.
Thoughts on those who have passed this way, a tribute. To the farming community who have supported this place, we remember you, children, grand and great grand children who have turned this valley into the place we honour today. We can no longer see your face, grip your hand or hug your shoulders but we smile when we remember you.
To the people of the Pines, hard working, strong and poor, some uneducated, the Depression and World War II was grim for all and work with very little pay or play was the order of the day, yet above it all was courage, friendship, harmony and honour, unlike today.
To the people of the mill, thank you for being there, our lives were so dependant on your waste product slabs, slabs for the stove for cooking and warmth, for a little hot water, slabs for the open fire, slabs to make with, chook houses, dog kennels, garden edges, trolleys, sledges, milking yard rails and bail shelters while milking, an endless supply of slabs, you were very much part of our existence, thank you for your support, this was your school also, we enjoyed our social time together, like dances. Your friendship and support were very much part of our lives.
To the pupils of the pines, 40,000 acres or so we were told, our playground, where the tree in front of you was the same as the one you had just passed, the same to the left and the same to the right, the line to eternal darkness as it went or just a small ray of light in the distance to guide you to the end. What a playground. To those of you who enjoyed this place, the lessons, the sport, the play, the mates and friendship, give your thanks, those educators of the day, they taught you learning, lifted you above the pines, made you who you are today, gave you the skills to rub shoulders with all, be a citizen of this country, fight its fights, celebrate its glories by the standards set by our parents and by our schooling, Hard, but good times.
To those who have been back you should be very thankful for the peace and tranquillity this place holds, good memories, friends. Settle down, remember the smell of the pines, walk across the playing fields, rub your hands in the needles and relive those moments as a child you lived through here. This place stands as a tribute to all who passed this way and to the parents who supported it.
To those who haven’t been back, we plead with you to do so, your memories may be sad but you will find a peace you have never known, drink in the atmosphere, recharge your batteries, go back into the world feeling at peace and so pleased you have returned.
This place deserves our support, we cannot enjoy and not contribute to its restoration and maintenance, we can be thankful with its present ownership and the sharing they have with us, if we want our grand and great grand children, our Whanau to visit this place we must support it so one day young children may visit and say with pride ‘my Great/Grand parents strode these paths and fields’.
To Alistair and Su-an and your two Princesses may we say thank you for your foresight and hard work, for your inspiration and downright doggedness, this restoration must have nearly broken your hearts and will. We hope your endeavours will be duly rewarded and our thanks must also go to the princesses for helping Mum and Dad, a forestry tradition.
Bless you all, Thank you.
Author Anonymous