December is only a day away, and stores are stocking their shelves high of Christmas decorations and blasting the carols over the loudspeakers. With Christmas comes the highly anticipated Christmas Workplace Function; a great time for all those attending, but a serious stress trigger for the boss or the lucky employee tasked with organising an event that beats all those from the previous years!
We have pulled together a list of epic Christmas venues and activities that are a little different and take the work-do from 0 -100, earning you some serious cool points!
Get your team outdoors and having a blast on two wheels at the Waitangi Mountain Bike Park. The Waitangi Mountain Bike Park is not only located seaside providing for some epic viewpoints (for those staff that need photo spots to keep their Instagram game strong), but it also provides a mix of easy, scenic trails that you can take at your own pace as well as some hardcore riding for those shredders out there-so something for everyone!
The team at Paihia Mountain Bikes has some great packages available to suit everyone in your team - even Kevin from accounts will be hooting and hollering once he is let loose on the tracks on an electric bike! Give them a call and they can help plan the best day out that suits your teams’ fitness and riding abilities.
Finish the ride off with a visit to Phat House Brewing - for some quality brews and some delicious pizzas
Get in touch with the amazing team at Unforgettable Fun. They are the experts in Northland when it comes to running Team Building and organising other Corporate Events. Their digital scavenger hunts around the Bay of Islands get the whole team laughing, seeing different parts of Paihia/Russell and mean that even the staff member booking the end of year function gets to turn up, have some fun and be surprised.
The Bay of Islands is the birthplace of winemaking in New Zealand, with Samuel Marsden planting the first NZ vines and Sir James Busby cultivating sparkling wine on the Waitangi Estate even before the treaty was signed. That means by choosing to go on a Wine Tour with Bay of Islands Tours, you can surely try to pass it off as an educational learning day out for the staff!
If your office year has been full-speed ahead and hectic, everyone will love a day out to relax, enjoy the sunshine with a chilled wine in hand. Hopping aboard a comfy air-conditioned minivan and being taken to some of the best wineries Northland has to offer, is the perfect end of year activity!
Spend an hour or so with Flying Parasail soaring up high and seeing the Bay of Islands from a different viewpoint. If you have been searching for an opportunity to get back at the Office Prankster, point them out to the boat staff to make sure they get signed up for a surprise ocean dunk during their Parasail.
After you have all been in the year, head out for dinner at Charlotte’s Kitchen. We highly recommend ordering a few bowls of their tasty truffle fries. YUM!
Having a hard time deciding what activity would best suit your group. Why not pick an option that provides plenty of differing activity options all tied up in one. The Rock Overnight Cruise in the Bay of Islands is perfect for a team that doesn't mind getting their Feet Wet! Plenty of time to socialise, do ocean-activities, chill out and watch the stunning scenery and wildlife.
Jump onto a Fishing Charter and let you inner Jeremy Wade let loose. Feel like you are on River Monsters as your group heads out into the Bay for a Private Charter. Bait on up, put your lines in and seeing what fish will jump on your lure. The crew onboard know where the hearty-sized fish are hiding and cater to what your crew are looking for – whether it is Snapper, Kingfish, or heading out to the depths to have an arm workout reeling in Marlin and Hapuka.
Once your fish has been caught, get it filleted and take it to the Swordfish Club, for them to cook it up and serve for your Team Dinner – can’t get much fresher than that!
Another option for those offices that have had a full on 2022 and next a little time to rest and relax is to go check out the newly renovated Ngawha Springs. Let the healing waters and ancient energy revitalise their senses. Although December is meant to be full of endless sunshine in the Winterless North, sometimes the weather does not play ball. Heading to the Springs is a great activity wet-weather team activity in the day or evenings! Tired and rundown bodies will feel rejuvenated after spending an hour in these Springs