Discovery Settlers Hotel Whangarei

Discovery Settlers Hotel Whangarei is a 54-room, three-star hotel at 61 Hatea Drive, Whangārei, set among gardens and lawns beneath the bush-clad slopes of Mount Parihaka. It is 100% New Zealand owned and operated and forms part of the Distinction Hotels Group under the Discovery brand. The hotel is a straightforward, well-priced base for business travel in Northland and for small to mid-sized conferences, meetings and social functions roughly two hours' drive north of Auckland.

Accommodation

All 54 rooms have ensuite bathrooms, SKY TV channels, tea and coffee facilities and free unlimited Wi-Fi. Room types range across five categories:

• Standard Studio – 10 m², queen bed, suited to short single-night stays
• Comfort Studio – 18 m², queen bed
• Superior Studio – 24 m², super king or two singles, city facing
• Executive Studio – 24 m², super king, upper level with balcony and outdoor furniture
• Family Studio – 18 m², two queen beds, a maximum of three adults plus a child aged 12 or under

Guests have complimentary use of the outdoor swimming pool during summer months, guest laundry facilities, luggage storage and free off-street car parking. Room service is available. Check-in is from 2pm and check-out is 10am.

Meetings, conferences and events

The hotel offers two function spaces, both with free unlimited Wi-Fi:

• Hatea Conference Room – a purpose-built, air-conditioned meeting room for up to 18 delegates theatre style, or 15 in boardroom or U-shape. Equipment includes a whiteboard, projector, flip chart, 42-inch flat screen television and blackout curtains. The large garden area alongside is used for break-out sessions, team building and barbecues.
• Settlers Bar & Grill functions area – the larger venue, with indoor-outdoor flow to the garden, seating up to 100 people theatre style or 80 classroom style.

The hotel employs a conference coordinator and publishes a downloadable Conferences, Meetings & Special Events kit. Weddings and end-of-year functions are also handled on site; the hotel runs a seasonal Christmas function package with a buffet lunch for groups from 30 adults.

Food and beverage

Settlers Bar & Grill is the hotel's à la carte restaurant, sited opposite the Hatea River, and can seat up to 120 guests for larger events. There is a hotel bar and a garden bar for outdoor drinks, and cooked and continental breakfast packages are available.

Location and delegate activities

The hotel is a short stroll from the Town Basin Marina and roughly one kilometre from the Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery. The 4.2 km Hatea Loop walkway, incorporating the marina and the sculpture and heritage trails, starts close by. Whangarei Falls, Claphams National Clock Museum, Kiwi North, the Whangarei Quarry Gardens, the Tutukaka Coast and Poor Knights Islands diving are all within easy reach, which gives incentive and conference organisers plenty of scope for delegate programmes and partner activities. The hotel also arranges pick-ups for local touring operators.

Discovery Settlers Hotel Whangarei suits conferences and meetings of up to about 100 delegates, board and training sessions of up to 18, and residential events where affordable single-site accommodation, in-house catering, free parking and easy access to Northland's attractions matter more than luxury positioning.