A Church near Waipu
Just 15 minutes up the road.
Looking for a church home near Waipu? Encounter Church Bream Bay is a warm, non-denominational family church in Ruakaka — a short drive north on State Highway 1. Plenty of Waipu families gather with us every Sunday at 10am, and there's a seat for you too.
15 min
From Waipu township it's a straight, easy run north on State Highway 1 to Ruakaka, then a couple of minutes to 223 Marsden Point Road. No motorway, no city traffic — just a quick countryside drive.
There's plenty of off-street parking right at the building, so you can pull in and walk straight in. Wheelchair accessible, with room for prams and strollers.
A contemporary family church, worth the short trip.
Waipu has its own much-loved historic churches. If what you're after is contemporary worship, practical teaching, and a genuinely strong programme for kids and youth, plenty of Waipu families have found that just up the road at Encounter.
Worship that lifts
A live band leading contemporary worship every Sunday — songs you might know, and a few you'll learn. Sing along, sit and soak, however you like to meet with God.
Brilliant with kids
Encounter Kids runs right through the 10am service with safe, vetted volunteers — a big reason families from Waipu and the wider Bream Bay area make us their church home.
Real community
Connect Groups meet through the week across the Bream Bay area, so the friendships you build on Sunday carry on between Sundays — even when you're driving in from Waipu.
Come as you are
Non-denominational, casual, and completely unpretentious. Whether you've been in church your whole life or never set foot in one, you're welcome exactly as you are.
223 Marsden Point Road
Ruakaka
Sunday Service · 10am Postcode 0116, just off SH1 — about 15 minutes north of Waipu. Everyone from the Bream Bay area is welcome.
Questions people often ask.
Coming from somewhere else in the bay? See also our pages for a church near One Tree Point and Marsden Point.