Friends House Waiheke
Friends House is not available for members of the public.
70 Palm Road, Palm Beach, Waiheke Island
What is Friends House Waiheke?
Friends House is a Quaker meeting house/retreat at Palm Beach, Waiheke Island, owned by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), for Quakers use only. It was built by voluntary labour in the late 1980s and is run on a non-profit basis using volunteers for maintenance. It is built on a hill overlooking Palm Beach with vehicle access to an easy-graded concrete path leading the final 30 metres up to the front door.
Friends House Waiheke
Friend's House Waiheke is:
- A Meeting House for Quakers on Waiheke Island
- A retreat for Quakers and Attenders wanting peaceful and inspiring surroundings in which to relax and rediscover the important things in life
What you'll find inside: Large main room, seats for 22, whiteboard; kitchen with stove, fridge, electric urn, cooking pots for groups, crockery and cutlery, highchair; bunkroom for 10, double bedroom, 6 spare mattresses; 2 showers/bathrooms, 2 toilets; vacuum cleaner, washing machine, iron, radio-cassette, phone (no tolls).
Little Palm Beach
What you'll find at Palm Beach:
- a safe sandy north-facing beach looking across the Hauraki Gulf towards Little Barrier Island
- shop with EFTPOS, takeaways, restaurant, children's playground
How do I book Friends House?
Email stover.watts@clear.net.nz Bookings will only be accepted from Friends/Quakers. You will need to use ferry services to get to Friends House from Auckland.
What do I need to bring?
Sheets/blankets or sleeping bags, pillow slips, food, towels, soap etc, sunblock, insect repellant in summer. Friends House provides toilet paper, rubbish bags, vacuum cleaner bags and washing-up liquid. In addition there are usually miscellaneous stocks of cereal, condiments, tea and coffee left by previous users. Important note! - during the winter the Palm Beach store closes at 5pm.
Getting the key: please contact the booking clerks.
When you reach Friends House, locate the power switchboard near the back door. Flick all the power switches UP (some will already be in this position). You should hear the water pump start, also the red light to the side of the board will light (this indicates hot water is heating).
Friends House Rules and Guidelines
There is one rule: No smoking in the building; and several guidelines:
- Use Friends House so as to enhance the reputation of Friends within the Palm Beach and wider community.
- Keep the place clean. To keep costs down, we don't have a regular cleaner, so the next occupants are relying on you to leave it tidy. Conserve water. It's all rain water.
- Look after the equipment - mattresses and pillows get ripped when treated roughly.
View from Friends House Waiheke
Things to do while at Friends House:
- Sit on the seat up behind the house and gaze at the sea
- Sit on the beach
- Swim
- Swing and slide at the children's playground
- Climb the path up the hill from behind the 'nudist' beach-seat at the top
- Ride the bus to Oneroa, Ostend or Onetangi
- Discover the Waiheke walkways
- Climb around the rocks at low tide
- Hire kayaks
- Adopt a tree and keep the honeysuckle off it
- Eat the apples from the orchard
- Play the co-operative games (or Monopoly if you insist)
- Bring or hire bikes and explore
- Stroll on the beach at sunset
- Read some of the Quaker literature on the shelf
- Go to a dance at the Palm Beach Hall on Saturday night
- Dine at the restaurant.
View from Friends House Waiheke
Leaving
When leaving, you will need to:
- Tidy and vacuum the bedrooms and meeting room
- Tidy and mop the bathrooms, kitchen, laundry and toilet. Use bleach to clean the toilet
- Clean out the fridge
- Leave the compost in the compost bin near the water tanks (behind the building). Put the remaining rubbish in the bag, tie it and leave it by the road for pick up on Monday. Note: there is no kerbside recycling, so you must either drive to the tip beyond Ostend, take it back with you, or put recyclables into the rubbish.
- Lock the windows and replace the wooden blocks in the ranchsliders (window is locked when lever is UP). Turn off the power-flick the circuit-breaker switches DOWN except the main plus those required for the fridge and the outside lighting (these are all marked with a green dot).
- Lock the back and front doors by pushing in the button and turning it 1/4 turn clockwise.
- Return the key.
The bus leaves Palm Beach about 45 minutes before the ferry departure. If you want a taxi, you'll need to order one at least a few hours before you want to see it.
Costs
For more information about booking Friends House, including costs, contact the booking clerk - 28 Grosvenor Street, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1021 - or Email stover.watts@clear.net.nz
How to pay
Make your cheque payable to Friends House Waiheke and send to 28 Grosvenor Street, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1021.
Transport
- Fullers Ferries 367 9119 Ferry Buildings, Quay St, Auckland
- Pacific Ferries 303 1741 Pier 2, 117 Quay Street, Auckland
- Subritsky Shipping 534 5663 Ara-Tai St, Half Moon Bay
- Fullers Bus Company 372 8823
- Palm Beach Store 372 8149 39 Palm Rd, Palm Beach
- Waiheke Taxis 372 8038
- Dial a Cab 372 9666
- Waiheke Quakers: Julia 372 7637, contact for Meeting for Worship
Produced by the Friends House Management Committee.