Hideaway Point
We bought this property and named it Hideaway Point because we know the benefit of "hiding away." Making time and space for important things is a practice that saved our family and it continues to be a discipline that serves us well. We hope you feel a sense of restoration at Hideaway Point and return home feeling lighter and more prepared to manage the pressures & enjoy the beauty this life offers.
High hopes
We have high hopes for the beautiful kinds of gatherings that will happen at Hideaway Point. We believe in restoration and healing and know the power of adventure and retreat. We hope Hideaway Point will be a special place for you and the people you love and serve.
Sarah Wilson
Sarah Wilson is our onsite groundskeeper and year-round manager at Hideaway Point. She has a heart for service, hospitality, and the outdoors, and she brings a unique blend of skills that make the property feel both beautiful and alive. Sarah cares for the inside and outside of Hideaway Point—handling maintenance, tending gardens, and adding thoughtful touches that help guests feel welcomed the moment they arrive. She’s an outdoors enthusiast with years of experience in outdoor leadership, hospitality, and experiential education, and her friendly presence is part of what makes Hideaway Point so special.
Beyond caring for the property, Sarah is also available for hire if your group would like additional support during your stay. She has coordinated intimate weddings at Hideaway Point, supported group retreats, and assisted with special event logistics. With her background as a certified paramedic, outdoor educator, and hospitality professional, Sarah is able to create a seamless, stress-free experience for gatherings of all kinds—whether that’s a family reunion, a retreat, or a special celebration. Reach out for details and her resume.
Sarah has two dogs and a small collection of critters she enjoys teaching others about, especially kids who love hands-on discovery. We love her passion for fostering healthy communities, her depth of knowledge, and the joy she brings to Hideaway Point.
The Goodgame family
We are Ben and Liz Goodgame, and together with our four kids, we’ve poured energy, creativity, and care into making Hideaway Point a place where people can pause from the noise of life and reconnect with what matters most.
For a season, we lived between two countries we love — the United States and New Zealand. That experience shaped us deeply, and though we’ve now returned to the U.S., our time overseas continues to influence the way we see life, community, and hospitality. We love adventure and have a wide array of hobbies between us, but more than anything, we are passionate about creating space for what really matters. It is our intention to “shine light” wherever we can in this world, and Hideaway Point has become one of the ways we get to do that.
Hideaway Point is more than a vacation rental — it’s the expression of our family’s love for hospitality, restoration, and adventure. We love creating space — for rest, for laughter, for meaningful conversations, and for unforgettable adventures. Tucked away in the Nantahala Gorge, surrounded beauty that points to creation. We believe this property is meant to be more than a couple homes in the mountains. It’s a gathering place — where marriages can be strengthened, families can make lifelong memories, teams can grow stronger, and individuals can find inspiration. We’ve walked through the challenges of building and growing this property, and that is a big part of our story… we hope Hideaway Point becomes a part of yours.
Our Hideaway Story
When we left America in 2013, we were worn thin. Ben had just finished a long stretch of medical training, working and commuting hours each day, and I (Liz) was running on empty — juggling little kids, work, and a marriage that felt strained. On top of that, we were preparing for an international move I wasn’t sure about. By the time we landed in New Zealand with an infant, a toddler, two kids starting school, and a pile of trunks, we were exhausted and in need of something new.
About a month later, we rented a small “holiday house” (what Kiwis call a vacation rental) at Hot Water Beach on the Coromandel Peninsula. It wasn’t fancy, but it gave us what we needed most — space. Space to breathe, to walk along the beach, to cook simple meals, to listen to the waves, and to remember why we liked being together. For the first time in years, it felt like we could take a deep breath.
We went back a few months later when the sun was shining and our hearts were in a healthier place. That outdated little house in a stunning setting became something more than just a rental — it became a marker of growth, healing, and reconciliation for us.
Our holiday in the Coromandel became and important part of the Hideaway Point origin story. We bought this property so that lots of different people could experience a similar sense of restoration in a beautiful place. We named the largest house “the holiday house” with a cheeky nod to our favorite little vacation rental at Hot Water Beach.
After years of living between New Zealand and the US, our family made the difficult decision to move back to North Carolina full-time. In this video, I share the story behind that transition—what we loved about living in New Zealand - how time there shaped us, what led us to buy Hideaway Point during the pandemic, and the challenges that followed. I share some of our vision for Hideaway Point and what we hope to see happen there in the future.
Curious to learn more about our story of restoration and healing? Check out this these interviews on the Outside of Sunday Podcast.