Planning a family reunion in the Bay of Islands? Kerigold Chalets offers a setup that works remarkably well for multi-generation gatherings: private standalone chalets (sleeping up to 5 each) and studios, clustered together on two acres of citrus and avocado orchard in central Kerikeri. Certain groups of chalets can be booked together so your family effectively has a whole corner of the property to yourselves - together all day, private all night.
Together All Day, Private All Night
One family group who stayed with us for a weekend reunion summed it up. They booked out a number of chalets and studios, spent their days at the barbecue area and out in the orchard - kids running around on the grass - and then everyone retreated to their own private space in the trees at night. No arguing over bathrooms, no one sleeping on a fold-out in the lounge. They loved it, and they've been recommending it to their friends and family since.
Why Chalets Beat Renting One Big Holiday Home
- Everyone gets their own bathroom, lounge and TV. The politics of a shared house disappear when every household has its own front door.
- It works for the grandparents. Our ground-level chalets mean no stairs, and we have wheelchair-accessible units with accessible bathrooms for family members who need them.
- You only pay for the nights each family stays. This is the big one: with a holiday home you rent the whole house for the whole period. Here, the cousins can come just for Saturday, the grandparents can stay all week, and everyone simply pays for their own chalet for their own nights.
- Flexible headcounts. Chalets sleep up to 5, studios sleep 2 - mix and match to fit the family you've actually got.
Where the Family Gathers
The heart of a reunion stay is our covered barbecue area - awning overhead, lights for the evening, picnic tables, and a proper setup for communal cooking and eating. Around it, two acres of orchard give the kids space to run while the adults talk. In winter, when the oranges are ripe, guests are welcome to pick them.
And because you're in the centre of town, nobody has to cook every night: there's a bakehouse with a café right next door, restaurants like the Black Olive nearby, the supermarket is about 200 metres away, and the weekend markets are a 10-minute walk up the road. Each chalet also has its own kitchen for breakfasts and fussy eaters.
Kids and Dogs Welcome
Families appreciate the space - and so do the dogs. We're dog-friendly (in selected chalets), and because the chalets are standalone rather than adjoining units, a bit of barking doesn't disturb the neighbours. Every chalet has green space beside it, and a number of our dog-friendly chalets have a balustraded deck that can be closed off - effectively a ready-made pen, so the dog gets outside space without being tied up.
How to Book a Family Group
- Book directly - by phone, email, or our website. Direct booking is the only way to arrange specific chalets, chalets near each other, or any particular setup - and it's cheaper than going through Booking.com or Expedia, which are less adaptable to special requests.
- Tell us your configuration. How many people, who needs the accessible unit, who's bringing the dog - we'll map the right cluster of chalets for you.
- Sort the money upfront. Our honest tip from years of group bookings: decide early whether one person takes the whole bill or each household pays its own. Easiest of all is everyone prepaying their own chalet - then it's allocated, sorted and done before anyone arrives.
- Book ahead for busy times - Christmas, Waitangi weekend, long weekends, the Kerikeri Half Marathon, and summer generally (January and February book out).
Things to Do Together
Between meals, Kerikeri keeps a multi-generation group busy: safe swimming at Opito Bay (15 minutes), the Rainbow Falls and river walks, the historic Stone Store, and the weekend markets. For bigger group events and corporate gatherings, see our group bookings page.