In the quieter months (May - September, excluding the school holidays) we may have space for day visitors, but you would need to call ahead to check first on 04 902 6287. A day visitor fee will apply. During our peak season (October - April + school holidays) we are likely to be at capacity hosting camps, conferences and events and don’t generally have space for day visitors as well.

Day visits just include our free activities like the Playground, Mini Golf and Discover El Rancho (find the clues around camp to solve a puzzle) and you can also book the waterslide for a half hour slot for a small fee. Please note that all of our main instructed activities need to be booked 8 weeks in advance and are reserved for onsite group bookings, not casual use/day visits.

We do hold a free Open Day every year where lots of our activities are up and running for people to try, so we would love to welcome you then! Keep an eye on our website or Facebook pages for details.

We have changed the way we offer our accommodation, including motel units and campsites. For most ot the year, these are now only available to be booked by groups.

The smallest venue we offer, has a minimum hire equivalent to 14 guests, so even if you have less people, you still need to cover that cost.

However on a few occasions each year, we will open up dates where families and individuals can book to come – join our mailing list or keep your eye on our Facebook page for details.

Please complete our online Group Booking Enquiry Form. You can find this under the ‘Contact Us’ tab on our website, elrancho.co.nz

We have several different facilities available and we cater to many – our venues range in size from a 14 person minimum hire right up to 500+ guests!

Please give us as much information as possible when completing the form so that we can look at options to best suit your needs.

Please note that we are a busy site, and get multiple enquiries daily. We will endeavour to respond to you as soon as possible, but there may be a queue. If you don’t hear from us within 3 working days, please feel free to give us a call on 04 902 6287 to check that we have received your enquiry.

We have a range of meeting spaces across our large site and the majority of them have accommodation that is included with them. This means that to use those spaces you need to book the adjacent accommodation for a minimum two night stay.

The exception is Founders Lounge. It is a small café style space, perfect for meetings and gatherings of up to around 30 people. It is a stand alone space, which we often hire for community organisations to use if there is availability.

Generally if you are booking for two nights during the week, you can either book Monday - Wednesday or Wednesday to Friday. If you are booking for three or more nights, we can be more flexible with the days you come. Most weekend bookings are from Friday - Sunday, but a longer stay can be booked if desired. We don’t typically allow bookings to start on a Sunday as it means we can’t then have guests for the weekend prior.

We have a 2 night minimum stay for all group bookings, and this may be a 3 night minimum over long weekends/public holidays.

Our standard weekday check in time is 2pm, and check out is 10am. Weekend bookings are generally from 3:00pm Friday – 3:00pm Sunday. Unless otherwise arranged with your El Rancho Group Coordinator, these are the times you will have access to the site. You will need to plan your travel to and from camp around the agreed times. We are happy to look at requests to alter access times, however please note that we are a busy site and have to factor in hosting multiple group bookings at once, and ensuring enough time to clean and reset facilities between guests.

Kāpiti is a beautiful place to explore!

Recommended activities:

• Beach walk, 20min walk from El Rancho
• Walk the Waikanae River track, runs along our southern boundary
• Ngā Manu Nature Reserve
• Visit Kāpiti Island
• Barry Hadfield Nikau Palm Reserve walk, Lindale
• Coastlands Aquatic Centre
• Waikanae Summer Pools (seasonal)
• Event Cinemas Coastlands
• Shoreline Cinemas Waikanae
• Paekākāriki Escarpment Track
• Otaihanga Domain (10min walk from El Rancho)
• Marine Gardens, Raumati
• Kāpiti Coast Museum, Waikanae

Recommended Waikanae Beach Eateries:(embed links?)

• Long Beach Tavern
• Hey Coastie
• Olde Beach Bakery
• Waikanae Beach Fish and Chips
• Tuk Tuk Thai

This is definitely an option! Please note that if there is onsite crossover (eg. second group arriving on transport that will take the first group home) then you will be required to take full responsibility for cleaning and preparing the cabins/meeting rooms for your next group on the day in between groups.

When initially making a booking request, we will need a really good estimate of your numbers, so that we can offer you a space with enough beds. Each space that we can offer will have a minimum and maximum number attached to it. The minimum is roughly 70% of the beds available in the facility.

If you agree to a booking, you will be signing a contract to cover the minimum hire for the facility, even if your actual numbers are less. If your numbers are more than the minimum, you’ll be paying for the actual number of attendees.

Your final, confirmed numbers will be required 7 days* out from your event. Your final invoice will be based off the numbers you confirm with us 7 days prior to arrival, or your actual numbers - whichever is greater.

Please note that if you are a Family Reunion or a new customer booking with us, we may ask you for this information one month out and require your final invoice to be paid prior to your stay

Luctus eget venenatis amet diam est aliquam. Nec dolor id tortor a pulvinar porttitor imperdiet. Tristique mauris tellus justo porttitor pretium tristique at tellus. Sit id nulla proin et in amet justo.

Luctus eget venenatis amet diam est aliquam. Nec dolor id tortor a pulvinar porttitor imperdiet. Tristique mauris tellus justo porttitor pretium tristique at tellus. Sit id nulla proin et in amet justo.

Luctus eget venenatis amet diam est aliquam. Nec dolor id tortor a pulvinar porttitor imperdiet. Tristique mauris tellus justo porttitor pretium tristique at tellus. Sit id nulla proin et in amet justo.

Luctus eget venenatis amet diam est aliquam. Nec dolor id tortor a pulvinar porttitor imperdiet. Tristique mauris tellus justo porttitor pretium tristique at tellus. Sit id nulla proin et in amet justo.