Dave and Anne's place is a wild oasis! We loved our stay in their downstairs apartment and whiled away many hours reading in the cool shade on the porch. The "egg" chair was especially lovely to curl up in. Their permaculture garden and the bird life it brings just added to our sense of being 'away from it all'. The apartment had a great shower, comfortable beds, everything you could need in the kitchen (inc. a very small fridge) and plenty of linen. The natural hotpool, pool table and river nearby were just added bonuses!
Dave and Anne are such wonderful hosts and really made us feel at home, without being intrusive.
Tokaanu is a great area to explore (in a very laid back way) and is only 45 or so minutes from Taupo if you feel the need for more stimulation!
Only small note to people travelling with pets would be that the property (at the moment) has very low fencing on one side, so is not appropriate for medium-large dogs.