A place to start the rest of
your life!
The Tōtara Grove was created by love
with love and for love.
Humble in its grandeur,
The Tōtara Grove is a catered wedding venue in the heart of Horowhenua. Perched next to one of the best swimming holes in the region with stunning views to the mighty Tararua ranges that appear impossibly close, this is a special place to celebrate your love story.
We are committed to crafting and hosting a perfect day for you.
Raewyn and Scott are expert dreamers, planners, problem solvers and doers. They'll be on hand to help you curate a day that promises some of the most special memories of your life.
Make your wedding bespoke and distinctly your own at The Tōtara Grove.
Our Packages
celebrate your story your way
There are endless ways to celebrate your marriage, and The Tōtara Grove is the perfect wedding venue for couples looking to bring their outdoor wedding dreams to life.
Enjoy the stunning natural environment and create a truly bespoke, romantic ceremony that celebrates your love your way.
See the bottom of the page for the finer details and ts & cs.
The Wednesday | 1 Hour Wedding
full-service elopement style from $3000+gst
No fuss, 1-hour wedding. Just like the courthouse, but with a few special little extras and ceremony in our Tōtara Grove.
This package is designed for just the two of you and up to 10 loved ones to seal and celebrate your union.
You get a big day's special moments in a magical little hour.
Read below for everything included.
When you want to get married now, this package is just like the courthouse, only intimate, romantic and all yours.
We provide and set up: • Ceremony space • Celebratory glass of bubbles and grazing table for up to 12 people. • Ceremony planning session with a wedding planner • Witnesses available upon request • Bride bouquet and groom buttonhole from a local florist • Basic decoration Available times • 10:00am-11:00am • 11:00am-12:00pm • 12:00pm-1:00pm • 1:00pm-2:00pm Optional Extras | POA • Extended Catering Options • Wedding Cake • Local Photographer • Celebrant
All In
4 hr | starting from $5999+gst
If you are looking for a compact but beautiful wedding or have a budget for your wedding, our 'All in' package is the way to go.
How does it work?
You have exclusive use of The Tōtara Grove for your 4-hour celebration.
Everything's included, from the flowers, cake, truck style catering, decorations and more. We'll see it through with you from the planning stages to the pack-up at the end. Read more below to see the complete list of what you get with this package.
$5999+gst to be paid in full 14 days before the wedding date
additional $1000 bond to be refunded up to 48 hours after inspection.
The package includes; • Exclusive use of The Tōtara Grove beautiful venue for 4 hours • Exclusive use of our wedding planner • Celebratory glass of bubbles for you and your guests on arrival to the venue • Wedding cake - Single tier • Seasonal flowers to add to the stunning decoration sourced from a local florist (excluding bouquets and button holes) • Truck style catering for all guests • Use of basic decoration • Full staffing from start to finish • 4 hour event with up to and including 50 guests - $5999.00 • Starting anytime after 11am and finishing before 10pm. Excludes Jan – Feb weekends and public holidays Optional Extras | POA • Extended catering Options • Local Photographer • A registered celebrant *** Not included is marquees and portaloos
All Yours
2pm day before, til 11am day after
[venue only] starting from $3000+gst
The Tōtara Grove, All Yours for your special day.
This package allows exclusive use of the entire property for your wedding day.
If an intimate outdoor ceremony in the embrace of a majestic Tōtara Grove surrounded by native gardens is on your wishlist, this must be the place.
View our onsite catering and book your alcohol server; you're most of the way there.
We have nearly everything you need onsite already, including planners, catering, decor and more! It can be All Yours for the day of your dreams - check out the complete list below and get in touch to book your day.
The package includes; 1 sit-down meeting (up to 2 hours) with our in-house wedding planner Help with day of set up Exclusive use of our beautiful native bush and gardens for ceremony, photos and reception Access to grounds from 2pm day before to 11am day after Access to grounds for wedding rehearsal Capacity 120 guests Parking for up to 40 cars 6 X Trestle tables 4 m long, 1 x 4.8-m-long bridal table, 2x 2 meter long Trestle tables 10 x wooden bench seats 90 x white wooden ceremony chairs Ceremony arch 1 x signing table 6x wine barrels 1x welcome sign easel (wood or steel) 4 x black umbrellas Rubbish removal and recycling removal
Our catering is prepared onsite by our head chef Scott (who, just quietly, was trained in classical French style with the big boys in London ooh la la) in our bespoke food truck The Black Oven. She was lovingly built with every element thoughtfully chosen and has gorgeous rustic cottage vibes while providing a serious kitchen for your celebration fare.
Catering
Food is love
Whether you want us to cook up your home kill or create a feast that takes you back to your childhood, we're here for it. Scott's many years as a chef mean he knows how to cater for groups big and small. Still, the difference between a good meal and a core memory is the love put into preparing it - and that starts with us sitting down together and chatting about the kind of food that makes your heart sing and your tummy rumble. We all know the role food plays in celebration and our onsite catering will ensure it's remembered for all the right reasons.
Who We Are
We Love Special Occasions
The Tōtara Grove is a Husband and Wife owned and operated business
with family values at the core of everything we do.
Ten years ago, we bought an old New World bread truck from Invercargill
and started transforming it into ‘The Black Oven’, which now resembles a cottage on the outside with a fully decked-out commercial kitchen inside. It was a labour of love and took us four years to complete, doing virtually everything ourselves in between full-time jobs and raising four kids!
Through the building of The Black Oven, we decided to go even bigger in our dreaming and open a venue to complement The Black Oven in its rustic, down-to-earth charm.
Three years ago we brought a neglected piece of land backing onto the Ōhau river and started planting New Zealand natives and landscaping it into what you see today.
For us, this land is another labour of love, one we've put our whole hearts and souls into with pride and can't wait to show off. It's evolving as we continue planting and landscaping, the trees are growing and filling out, and spaces are taking shape.
Scott is our Head Chef with 12+ years' experience running a busy London restaurant and is currently teaching Catering and Hospitality at our local College. He brings all his knowledge and tailor-makes each menu just for you. You can practically taste the love in the food. Along with being our Head Chef, Scott's also The Tōtara Grove's Handyman and is constantly tasked with helping to bring all of Raewyn's visions to life and further develop the venue. Raewyn is The Totara Groves' visionary with original ideas about what the future will or could be like. Raewyn has a hands-on role as the Managing Director and is the onsite Wedding Planner. Detail-oriented and very passionate about the quality of service, she strives to bring every couple's dream wedding to life.
Quick facts
Here's some basic info so you can get acquainted with our little slice of paradise
The Tōtara Grove
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intimate wedding venue located in Ōhau
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just a few minutes from SH1
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max capacity 120 people
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parking for 40 cars (overnight parking at your own risk)
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onsite catering provided
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no confetti
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hire gear available such as furniture and decor
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wedding planner available
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owners onsite
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varied photography spots on and near the property
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access up to 2pm day before till 11am the day after
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BYO alcohol not permitted
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11pm curfew for sound equipment
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no dogs
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