Jonkers Farm: Our Guide to This West Coast Farm Venue
Updated: Sep 6
Venue Guide: Bethells Beach, West Auckland
A Popin Wedding venue guide: Bethells Beach, West Auckland
Jonkers Farm is one of the wildest, most unpolished venues we get to shoot in Auckland, and we mean that as the highest compliment. This is a genuine working farm, run by the same family for a hundred years, not a property that was built to look rustic. Five generations of the Jonkers family have farmed this land near Bethells Beach, and when you're standing up on the ridgeline with sheep paddocks rolling away in every direction and both coasts visible at once, it doesn't feel like Auckland at all.
Why We Rate It
Jonkers Farm only takes a limited number of weddings each season, and once you've been on site it's easy to see why. It's 540 acres of genuinely isolated, private land, with views stretching to Muriwai Beach, Bethells Beach, Kaipara Harbour, Auckland City and even the Sky Tower on a clear day. Film crews have used it for exactly the same reason we love it as photographers: there are no power poles, no neighbouring rooftops, and no modern clutter in the frame. It's the kind of backdrop that makes every shot look like it was styled, when really it's just the land.
The ceremony space, known as The Woodland, is a naturally occurring clearing that works like a cathedral, furnished with seating handmade from wood off the farm itself. It's a genuinely unique setting, and one of the very few in Auckland that feels completely untouched by anything modern.
Getting There
Jonkers Farm sits at 130 Jonkers Road, Waitakere, on Auckland's West Coast near Bethells Beach, around 30 minutes from the CBD by road (or about eight minutes if you're lucky enough to arrive by helicopter, since the farm has its own operational airstrip). It's a working farm on rural roads, so we'd recommend building in a little extra travel time, particularly for guests less familiar with West Auckland's back roads.
The Spaces
Beyond The Woodland ceremony clearing, the farm offers a 1940s woolshed, a vintage handcrafted totara gate, waterfalls, native bush, and wide open vistas that have doubled as film sets for productions including Black Beauty and Mahana. After the ceremony, receptions can be held under a chic canopy, a rustic tipi, or a clear marquee, giving couples a fair amount of flexibility in how formal or laid-back the day feels.
Our Favourite Spots
For us, the real magic of Jonkers Farm is in the transport between locations. The venue provides a vintage bridal vehicle (an International truck or a Kawasaki Mule, both dressed with ribbon) to move the bridal party between the ceremony site and various points around the farm, and we always try to build in a stop at the top of Puketotara for sunset photographs. With views over both coasts from up there, it's one of the best golden hour spots we've photographed anywhere in the region.
Our Planning Tips
Because Jonkers Farm remains a real, working sheep and cattle station, we'd treat the planning process here a bit like planning an outdoor festival rather than a conventional venue booking. The team only allows preferred suppliers for marquee installations, so check that early if a marquee is part of your plan. Couples can choose their own certified caterer or pick from the farm's recommended list, and BYO drinks are allowed, which keeps beverage costs well under what you'd pay at a licensed venue. Booking dates are limited each season and are secured with a 50 percent non-refundable deposit, so if this venue is on your shortlist, it's worth locking in early.
Jonkers Farm at a Glance
Location: 130 Jonkers Road, Waitakere, Auckland (near Bethells Beach), about 30 minutes from central Auckland
Capacity: Flexible: no fixed public guest number, with larger weddings quoted on a case-by-case basis
Setting: 540-acre working sheep and cattle farm with a natural woodland ceremony clearing, 1940s woolshed, vintage totara gate, and twin East and West coast views
Approximate cost: Jonkers Farm does not publish set wedding pricing; the venue quotes each booking individually and confirms with a 50 percent non-refundable deposit on the location package. Please contact Jonkers Farm directly for a current quote.
Contact: Jonkers Farm, 130 Jonkers Road, Waitakere, Auckland
Website: jonkersfarm.co.nz/weddings
If you want a wedding backdrop that looks nothing like anywhere else in Auckland, and doesn't mind a little wildness with it, Jonkers Farm is worth a serious look. We offer full-day wedding coverage that suits a venue like this particularly well, since the light and the landscape change so much across the property from morning to sunset that a full day gives us time to properly capture all of it. If you're considering Jonkers Farm for your wedding, get in touch with Popin Wedding to talk through your day.
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