Old Forest School — Local services in North Island

The moment my hubby to be and I stepped foot in this venue in January 2020 we immediately knew this venue was the one. We had visited other venues previously but learning about the history and seeing how passionate Su-an is about her gorgeous venue was one of the selling points for us. From the first visit to the big day Su-an was incredible, the communication and guidance was fabulous along with the event management on the day, Su-an worked along side our vendors to ensure everything ran so smoothly without error. I knew the minute I arrived at the venue that Su-an had everything under control and it was so exciting to go back and visit again and again keeping an eye out for the newest upgrades that they've worked on! This venue is beautiful and the team are continuously working behind the scenes to enhance its beauty even more. The guests can't stop raving about how stunning it is and all the little details from the outdoor bar to the school house to the lawn games! Everything is absolute perfection. We took the "Mystery Location" approach and none of our guests were aware of the venue. We had them meet at our local bus stop in Rotorua and bussed them out. The secret location was a huge hit for the guests and added a whole new level of excitement for them as the journey unfolded!!! Would definitely recommend! Alot of posts I had previously seen stressed about the set up time, as long as you're well organized and have a good team on board it's no problem! We had 7 close friends and family go in and set up and 4 stayed behind for pack down and it worked a treat. Also remember this venue is so naturally beautiful and you less is definitely more! Thank you so much Su-an and Alistair, your gorgeous space will always hold such a special place...

We were sold on Old Forest School immediately after a wonderful visit and tour (and meeting of the pigs!). This gorgeous venue in the middle of an isolated valley is so picturesque and so well designed and maintained we also knew that we wouldn’t have to spend lots of money decorating it ourselves. Planning a wedding during a pandemic was far from ideal, trying to navigate constantly changing alert levels was stressful to say the least. But Su-an and the OFS team were always available to answer any questions we had, with kindness, understanding and humour! Of course they themselves were getting the news of changing statuses at the same time as the rest of us, a very difficult time for them as well. Su-an was an absolute queen and my rock through this process and I’m not overstating when I say we couldn’t have done it without her, in fact I think she will be a long time friend because of it. They knew all the answers to the questions vendors threw at us and had excellent recommendations for local vendors as we were from out of town. The day ran so smoothly (for us!) anything that went on behind the scenes was dealt with by the OFS team and we never heard about it in the day. Which we are beyond appreciative of. Guests were absolutely blown away by the venue. I love that there was no WiFi, it kept people engaged in the moment and the day. The animals are gorgeous and the whole ethos behind OFS connected with ours and we will remember our day with joy for the rest of our lives. Cannot speak more highly of the venue and the team. Oh, and they let us bring...

Absolutely stunning of a place! Was not expecting to walk amongst such beautiful grounds upon visiting. The owners have clearly done nothing but the best to present, uphold and maintain what once was a tiny school deep within nature’s forest. Recently I randomly took the opportunity to visit this place to see where my mother attended school back in the 1960’s - thinking to myself I was going to explore some very old historic and ancient, abandoned ruins in the middle of no where. Yet instead, I was in awe of such a beautiful hidden gem. The restorations the family who now own it have put in place is aesthetically pleasing, not only with new facilities and add ons, but also with maintaining some of the original buildings and materials.. I couldn’t believe it. I’m so grateful to have had pulled into this place and got to walk the same grounds my mum did as a young adolescent. To step inside the exact same classroom. The very same pool. And everything more that was worth exploring while there. Well done to the owners and their team! Definitely a lot of history behind it all and to see how well looked after it has been just shows a lot of respect for it all. If I ever had a chance to host an event for the sake of such beautiful atmosphere and stunning photo opportunities - it would definitely be here. Literally the most boujee’est place in the middle of the forest I have ever...