Six days in Wanaka
to fall back in love
Six days in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, among lakes, mountains and big skies, to understand your emotional and sexual cycles, bring desire back and have an adventure together.
Apply to talkYou can love each other and still feel lonely
Maybe you share a life and still feel like flatmates. You’ve tried marriage counselling, date nights and weekly check-ins, and you still wonder where the laughter and the touch went.
Do you ever ask yourself if this is all there is?
On this retreat we take you into the mountains for six days. You do the therapy and you have an adventure together, and you remember that long-term love doesn’t have to fade.
The deepest love is still ahead of you.
This is for couples who:
- Want to create a different relationship
- Have just found a new love, or have been together for several years
- Don’t want to repeat old mistakes, and want deeply connected intimacy
- Love each other and want to feel closer
- Want more than couples counselling has given them
- Are willing to do honest work that includes the body
- Are open to adventure and movement as part of the work
This is not for couples who:
- Are in active crisis (an affair just discovered, abuse, separation already in motion)
- Need traditional weekly therapy (Tarisha offers that separately)
- Aren’t both ready to engage
- Want a holiday with light coaching on the side
The retreat is for couples who are ready to go deeper. If you’re in crisis, please start with couples therapy.
What you’ll learn
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
A well-researched couples therapy based on attachment science. You learn to see the emotional cycle you keep getting stuck in, and how to step out of it together.
Sex Therapy
Tarisha is a trained sex therapist. Your sex life shows how the relationship is going, so we work on sex as well.
Polarity
The masculine and feminine charge between you is what creates desire. When that polarity fades, sex usually fades too. You can learn to bring it back.
Erotic Embodiment & Tantra
Your bodies are part of this work. Pleasure is healing, and some things can’t be reached by talking, so we work with the body as well as with words.
Adventure
Long-term love stays alive when you keep doing new things together. On retreat we use the NZ landscape, outdoor adventures and shared challenges as part of the work itself.
What the six days look like
Arrival
Arrive Wanaka by mid-afternoon. Settle into the lodge. Welcome circle at 5pm with all the couples. Opening dinner. Early night.
Coming Home
Morning: somatic group work, attachment cycle mapping. Afternoon: an outdoor adventure in the mountains, then a walk for the two of you. Evening: erotic embodiment introduction (clothed, somatic, safe).
The Pattern
Morning: a close look at your own pattern as a couple, using EFT. Afternoon: free time or private couples session with Tarisha. Evening: sex therapy group session, open and well supported.
The Adventure
A day of outdoor adventure in the mountains, with a packed lunch. Afternoon: rest. Evening: polarity practice, shared meal at a new venue.
Embodiment
Morning: erotic embodiment and tantric practice (somatic, clothed, in couples). Afternoon: free time, optional private session with Tarisha. Evening: a circle by the fire.
Integration and Closing
Morning: integration circle, what's coming home with you. Closing ceremony. Lunch together. Departures from 2pm.
Wanaka: the lodge, the mountains and the table
A few photos of where the six days happen.
Everything you need for six days
The Wanaka Adventure
Six days in Wanaka, in the Southern Alps of New Zealand.
Let’s talk first to make sure it’s the right fit.
- 5 nights luxury lodge accommodation (private room with ensuite)
- All meals, prepared by chef from local NZ produce; dietary requirements catered for
- Full retreat curriculum led by Tarisha and Mark
- Two private 90 minute couples sessions during the retreat (with Tarisha)
- Daily group work, somatic practice, and partner exercises
- Guided outdoor adventures (full safety briefing, all gear provided if needed)
- Closing ceremony and integration session
- Post-retreat 30 day group voice channel for ongoing integration
- One private follow-up couples session within 60 days (online)
- Flights to Queenstown (closest airport)
- Travel insurance (required, please arrange separately)
- Optional individual add-ons (massage, individual sessions)
Couples therapy and adventure retreats
Tarisha is a relationship and sex therapist with 15 years of clinical practice. Her training includes Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples, Hakomi somatic psychotherapy, Gottman couples therapy, somatic trauma work, sex therapy, tantra and biodynamic breathwork.
She has a Master’s in Counselling and a postgraduate degree in psychotherapy, and is registered with the New Zealand Association of Counsellors. In a past life she was a chartered accountant, before she found the work she loves.
Mark co-leads the retreats with Tarisha. Twenty years as an IT project manager means he keeps everything behind the scenes running smoothly. He’s also the founder of Wild Sky Coffee, designing coffee gear for the outdoors. His own training includes men’s work, polarity, breathwork and tantra. On retreat, he supports the men, especially in the harder moments, when it helps to have another man look you in the eye and say I see you. Keep going.
They live and work together in Auckland, NZ. Together they love mountain biking, swimming through the winter, and dancing salsa and bachata.
Read more about us →From a couple who’s done this work
From a couple Tarisha worked with in private practice. The first Wanaka retreat is in February 2028.
“We came in flatmates after 22 years. We left lovers. Not because of one breakthrough conversation, but because they showed us how to keep choosing each other every day.”
Frequently asked
How is this different from a regular couples retreat?
Most couples retreats either do therapy in a hotel ballroom, or they take you on adventure trips with light “communication” thrown in. We put the two together on purpose. The adventures are part of the therapy, and the therapy is part of the adventure.
Is this only for couples who are struggling?
No. We work with couples in crisis (referred to therapy first), couples who feel disconnected, and couples who are loving life and want to go deeper. The retreat is for the second and third categories.
Do we have to be physically fit?
The outdoor adventures are moderate and nothing is technical. If you can walk for 90 minutes on undulating terrain, you can do this. We adjust the pace to the group.
What if my partner isn’t ready?
This retreat needs both of you to want to be there. If one of you is being dragged, please don’t book yet. Tarisha also works with women on their own, so one of you can start first.
What if I’m not into “spiritual” stuff?
This isn’t a spiritual retreat. There’s no chanting and no plant medicine. It’s couples therapy, body-based practice and adventure in a beautiful place. If wellness culture puts you off, you’ll be comfortable here.
Is there any nudity?
No. All the practices in the group are clothed.
What about food and dietary requirements?
All meals are included and we cater for all dietary requirements. Tell us when you book.
What if we get there and it’s not for us?
Refund policy: cancellation more than four months before the retreat: full refund less a NZ$500 administration fee. Two to four months out: 50% refund. Less than two months out: no refund, but we’ll work with you in good faith on a credit toward another retreat.
Is travel insurance required?
Yes. We require travel insurance for all participants, including cancellation cover, medical, and adventure activity coverage.
The deepest love is still ahead of you
February 2028, in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Start with a free Zoom call to find out if it’s right for the two of you.
Apply to talk