Women’s Wellness Retreats
RAETIHI | RUAPEHU DISTRICT
MAYBE THIS IS YOUR TIME?
Permission to put yourself first.
Phoenix Rise began with a simple belief.
Sometimes reaching the point where you no longer know what comes next is not the end of your story. It is an invitation to begin again.
What started as accommodation-only, evolved into giving women a safe, grounded and welcoming place to relax, reset, renew and rediscover themselves via a retreat.
“When we finally give ourselves permission to stop; not to be fixed. Not to be told what our next chapter should look like. Simply to have enough space, support and perspective to begin finding our own way forward. That’s Phoenix Rise” - Sandy Waters, Founder of Phoenix Rise
TWO NIGHTS. THREE DAYS. TIME FOR YOU.
Everything taken care of.
Your accommodation and meals are included throughout your Phoenix Rise retreat, leaving you free to concentrate on something that can be surprisingly difficult to prioritise: You.
Each retreat brings together a thoughtfully curated programme of experiences alongside opportunities to rest, reflect and enjoy the Phoenix Rise surroundings.
Your retreat includes:
Two nights’ accommodation
All meals during your stay
A curated programme of wellbeing experiences
Time for rest and reflection
Shared experiences and opportunities for connection
Access to the Phoenix Rise facilities and grounds
YOUR RETREAT EXPERIENCE
-
![]()
CONTRAST THERAPY
Hot. Cold. Reset. Infrared sauna & ice bath.
Experience the invigorating contrast between the warmth of an infrared sauna and the cold of an ice bath.
Contrast therapy offers an opportunity to bring your attention back to your body, slow down and experience something outside the rhythms of everyday life.
-
![]()
FLOATATION THERAPY
Switch off the outside world.
Step into a quiet, sensory-reduced environment where there is nowhere you need to be and nothing you need to do.
Floatation sessions create an opportunity for deep rest, stillness and uninterrupted time away from everyday stimulation.
-
![]()
EQUINE-ASSISTED LEARNING
Connection, confidence and awareness.
Led by Heidi McGowan, Certified Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator, these guided experiences offer the opportunity to work alongside horses while exploring self-awareness, confidence, communication and personal growth.
Heidi also incorporates grounding, breathwork, mindfulness and connection with nature into her practice. No horse experience is required.
-
![]()
THERAPEUTIC QI GONG & BODY WISDOM
Gentle movement. Breath. Awareness.
Led by Sharon Lee Stannard, these sessions introduce guests to Qi Gong and body wisdom practices incorporating gentle movement, breathing and mindful awareness.
Sharon's wider practice encourages curiosity about physical, emotional and energetic wellbeing, helping people explore the approaches that resonate with them personally.
-
![]()
ART & CREATIVITY
Creativity without expectation.
Led by local artist and community art facilitator Paula Charlton, creative sessions offer an opportunity to slow down, focus your attention and simply enjoy making something.
There is no need to consider yourself artistic. The experience is about expression, connection and the pleasure of doing something completely different with your hands and your attention.
Paula's work is deeply connected to the whenua, landscapes and community of Ruapehu.
-
![]()
POTTERY
Get your hands into something real.
Led by Barbara van der Woerd of Volcano Vibe Collective, hand-building pottery provides a wonderfully grounding change of pace.
Barbara believes creativity can reconnect us with ourselves and one another, with workshops centred on the enjoyment of working with clay rather than creating something perfect.
Meet The Phoenix Rise Facilitators
SANDY WATERS
Founder: Phoenix Rise
SHARON LEE STANNARD
Body Wisdom Practitioner
HEIDI MCGOWAN
Certified Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator
SANDY WATERS
Founder - Phoenix Rise Retreat
Sandy is the heart behind Phoenix Rise and the woman who brings the different parts of the retreat together.
Her personal experiences have created a deep appreciation for compassion, resilience and safe spaces where people can speak openly without judgement.
Her hope is simple: that every woman who comes to Phoenix Rise leaves feeling restored, more connected to herself and equipped with new perspectives and tools for whatever comes next.
HEIDI MCGOWAN
Certified Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator
Heidi is the owner of Soul 2 Soul Meaningful Learning in Raetihi.
Working alongside horses, she creates supportive experiences designed to develop self-awareness, confidence, communication, resilience and greater understanding of our individual strengths.
Her approach also incorporates grounding, breathwork, mindfulness and connection with nature.
PAULA CHARLTON
Body Wisdom Practitioner
A Raetihi-based painter and founding member of Volcano Vibe Collective, Paula believes deeply in the connection between creativity, wellbeing, community and place.
Her workshops create room to explore creativity without needing to be an “artist”, and to experience the grounding satisfaction of making something yourself.
PAULA CHARLTON
Landscape, Portrait Artist & Community Art Facilitator
BARBARA VAN DER WOERD
Pottery Tutor and Co-founder of Volcano Vibe Collective
Sharon’s own journey through profound grief led her towards colour energy therapy and ultimately into extensive exploration and training across energy, healing and body wisdom.
Today she supports people to listen to and understand their own bodies and explore physical, emotional and energetic wellbeing through greater awareness and self-discovery.
SHARON LEE STANNARD
Body Wisdom Practitioner
BARBARA VAN DER WOERD
Body Wisdom Practitioner
Barbara has built much of her creative practice around creating spaces where people can connect, create and belong.
Through hand-building pottery workshops, she introduces guests to the grounding pleasure of working with clay, slowing down and allowing creativity to take over for a while.
NERVOUS ABOUT COMING ALONE?
You will not be the only one.
Phoenix Rise is designed to feel supportive without being confronting. You will have opportunities to participate, reflect, connect with other women and spend time quietly.
There is no expectation to arrive knowing anyone. There is no pressure to share your personal story. There are no forced friendships.
And you certainly do not need to arrive with your life figured out. Come as you are…
THE PHOENIX RISE
APPROACH
Phoenix Rise is intentionally different from the polished, luxury wellness experience.
We believe wellbeing can look like:
A quiet cup of tea.
A conversation by the fire.
Fresh mountain air.
Getting your hands dirty with clay.
Standing quietly beside a horse.
Laughing with women you only met yesterday.
Writing something in a journal that surprises you.
Or simply having an afternoon where nobody needs anything from you.
GIFT A RETREAT
Sometimes the best thing you can give is space.
When someone you care about is going through a changing or difficult season, knowing what to say can be hard.
A Phoenix Rise retreat voucher can be a meaningful way to give someone time away from responsibility, space to breathe and an opportunity to reconnect with herself.
Supportive, not fixing. Thoughtful, without pressure.