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When I learned about Resolution Retreats in Karapiro, I scanned the website with a curious but critical eye. On the surface, it looked incredible; named New Zealand ’s best wellness retreat in 2020, 2022, and 2023 at the Annual World Spa Awards, the 35ha property beside Lake Karapiro is also the country’s only solely female live-in weight-loss, health, and wellness retreat . Several itineraries, from the three-day ‘fresh start’ to the 10-day ‘intensive’ programmes, offer techniques and treatments across the wellbeing spectrum from scientific (on-site blood testing and nutrition seminars) to spiritual (qi gong and meditation).

As someone who has pursued countless treatments, products and experiences that promise the ever-elusive state of ‘wellness’, I’m reasonably cynical towards anything vowing to unwind my stubborn habits in a matter of hours or days because most of the time, eventually, I end up back at the start; hunched at my desk drinking too much coffee or scrolling my phone in bed at 1am. There was only one way to find out if Resolution Retreats would be any different, so I emailed the retreat and booked in for the ‘fresh start’ package. One week before the retreat, I received a 28-page document detailing everything one could possibly need to know, from directions and packing lists to pages describing meals, staff, and accommodation.



A sucker for information, I read the entire thing and felt a fizzy anticipation about spending three days eating sa.

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