The Best Wellness Retreats in the South Pacific for 2026

New Year, New You: The South Pacific’s Most Transformative Wellness Retreats

There’s something about the turn of the year that demands a reset, maybe it’s festive -season overindulgence, the collective sigh of holiday mode coming to an end, or simply the urge to feel a little more like you again. If those “new year, new me” intentions have you craving nature, movement, and a little self-care, there’s no better way to recalibrate than a wellness retreat - and the South Pacific offers some of the best on the planet. 

From wellness retreats in New Zealand that balance glacier-fed rivers and alpine ridgelines with breathwork, Pilates, and cold-plunge rituals, to the best wellness retreats Australia has to offer, surrounded by subtropical rainforest, golden beaches, or red-rust desert, to wellness retreats in Fiji where the ocean does half the healing for you, this corner of the world knows how to slow you down (and send you home glowing).

Below, we round up the best wellness retreats in the South Pacific for 2026: a curated edit of stays that go beyond massages and smoothies, offering nourishment, healing, movement and a profound connection to the healing properties of Mother Nature. From Aro Ha Glenorchy (perhaps the most iconic Wellness Retreat NZ has ever produced), to Six Senses Fiji, where tidal rhythms and traditional holistic practices align, these are the places where you leave feeling brand spanking new.

Best Wellness Retreats in the South Pacific | NZ, Australia & Fiji

Maruia River Retreat - Luxury Wellness Retreat New Zealand

Set on 500 private acres of native rainforest beside the Maruia River in the Nelson region, this 5-star boutique eco-retreat (and GOLD-certified sustainable tourism operator) offers one of New Zealand’s most restorative wellness retreats. With just seven forest-edged villas designed for deep rest - super-king beds, private balconies with mountain, bush, and river views, heated bathroom floors, and shelves stacked with books - the focus here is calm, comfort, and a genuine switch-off.

Wellness can be as structured or spontaneous as you like: guided hikes through native forest, yoga and breath-work sessions, infrared saunas tucked beneath the trees, cold-water plunges, magnesium soaks under the stars, and timber hot tubs. Follow winding paths through beech forest to sauna and soak; watch warm mist rise into green canopy while the river sets the background tempo. Dining is seasonal and thoughtful: daily-baked bread, local produce, and chef-led menus that balance nourishment with a sense of indulgence, featuring vegetables and herbs from the land, honey from nearby hives, and locally sourced seafood and meats.

If balance, nature, and a choose-your-own-rhythm approach to wellness is what you’re craving, this peaceful bush sanctuary is exactly what you need. 

Aro Ha Wellness Retreat — An Icon in New Zealand

Arguably the most iconic wellness retreat in New Zealand, Aro Ha Wellness Retreat offers transformative wellness programmes in an absolute knockout location - framed by Lake Wakatipu and the stunning Southern Alps. With 40+ awards and a global reputation to match, Aro Ha Wellness Retreat is less a holiday and more an intentional full-system reset. The structure here has purpose: sunrise yoga to wake the body, alpine hikes to clear the mind, meditation and mindfulness workshops to recalibrate, and hydrotherapy and massage to restore. The plant-based menus play their part too - nutrient-dense, seasonal, organic, and microbiome-friendly dishes designed to support longevity and leave you glowing from the inside out.

Guests don’t just leave rested; some leave measurably younger, with evidence-based longevity practices woven into the experience. A clearer head and better habits in the end game -  a momentum that follows you home. New year, new me - quite literally.

Spicers Tamarind Retreat — Sunshine Coast Hinterland

If you’re searching for one of the best wellness retreats Australia has for foodie travellers, Spicers Tamarind Retreat should be top of the list. Where subtropical rainforest meets contemporary Asian-inspired design, this Sunshine Coast wellness retreat delivers tranquillity with style: Japanese-inspired cedar hot tubs tucked beneath palms, rainforest spa rituals, and suites designed for deep lounging.

Dining is central to the experience — The Tamarind, the award-winning restaurant led by Head Chef Alex Hall, plates up seasonal Asian-influenced dishes like market sashimi, wagyu beef tataki and butter pork mandu.

Wellness here comes without pressure or programmes — ideal if you’re looking for a laid-back wellness retreat in Australia that lets you set the pace. Join a cooking class at The Tamarind, wander to a nearby waterfall on a self-guided hike, book yoga or an in-suite massage, or let the spa come to you — LED masks included. Perfect for couples, slow-burn escapes and travellers who prioritise great food as much as great rest.

The only timetable here: relax, recalibrate, repeat.

Silky Oaks Lodge — Daintree Rainforest

Suspended in the canopy of the world’s oldest rainforest, Silky Oaks Lodge offers treehouse luxury with a strong wellness focus woven throughout the experience. Mornings begin with gentle guided yoga in the open-air Marrdja Pavilion to the sound of the Mossman River below, followed by slow exploration of the Daintree - self-guided trails through ancient forest, river swims in crystal-clear billabongs, and quiet moments in soft green light.

At the Healing Waters Spa, treatments draw from local knowledge and the belief that these waters hold restorative power. Six treatment rooms, some with Vichy showers and rainforest views, offer deep renewal, where Australian botanicals, regional Indigenous wisdom and elemental rituals blend seamlessly. Warm oil therapies, hammam-style rituals and mud baths offer a tangible sense of reset.

This is wellness by total immersion - rainforest air, the babbling river below, and a renewed sense of clarity you’ll be glad to take home with you. 

Longitude 131° — Red Centre Wellness Retreat Australia

If wellness for you is about grounding in place rather than gym sessions, Longitude 131° is your true north. Set among red dunes and spinifex in Australia’s legendary Red Centre, this luxury wellness retreat Australia leans into connection to Country as its guiding principle: uninterrupted Uluru views from tented pavilions, desert quiet that resets your system, and a sense of isolation that invites true presence - with yourself, your travel companions, and the land beneath your feet.

At Spa Kinara, treatments weave ancient Aboriginal healing traditions with local botanicals - including the revered Irmangka-Irmangka (Scented Emu Bush), prepared by women of the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) Lands Women’s Council. Balms blended by hand, therapies driven by Country, and elemental botanicals ensure this is wellness that resonates, not performs. Beyond the spa, experiential wellness is front and centre: guided walks sharing Anangu Tjukurpa (creation stories that map the land), sunrise excursions as the desert wakes, and cultural immersions that deepen understanding of plant medicines, habitats and sacred sites. A once-in-a-lifetime experience that clears the mind, resets the body and does wonders for the soul.

Six Senses Fiji - Wellness Retreat Fiji

A barefoot-luxury resort on Malolo Island with private-pool villas and long stretches of beach, Six Senses Fiji balances intentional wellness with island calm. Wellness programmes are personalised without feeling prescriptive: wellness screenings and sleep tracking to set your baseline, sunrise yoga and waterfront Pilates to move the body, and a spa offering that spans global modalities and Fijian healing traditions — naturopathy consults, meditation, hydrotherapy circuits, and sound healing included.

There’s even a dedicated Wellness Village and Alchemy Bar for creating your own facial and body scrubs, essential oils, and remedies using medicinal plants and herbs from the resort’s gardens. Between treatments, days unfold slowly: ocean swims, extended spa sessions, and movement guided by energy rather than obligation.

Dining follows the same philosophy; nutrient-dense, produce-forward menus sourced from island gardens and local growers, balanced but never restrictive. Add warm Fijian hospitality and space to exhale, and you have a wellness retreat Fiji experience that supports body and mind without losing that easy island rhythm.