I enjoyed my stay at Karen's very much.
The cottage is in the backyard of their house and even has a little garden space. It is placed in a way that my privacy was always ensured. The pictures of the cottage are accurate but do not reveal how bright and light and welcoming it is. Communicating was easy and Karen was very supportive.
I was travelling without a car. The next huge supermarket where I could get all my groceries is just across the street, a two minutes walk. Walking to the little Howick downtown area with several nice restaurants was a 15-20 minutes walk. If I needed transportation I used Uber which worked very conveniently and going to Auckland CBD I used the nearby ferry which was a nice way to access the city.
If travelling by using a car it would be in my opinion the perfect spot between city and countryside.
Overall I felt at home and safe at Karen's and in her neighbourhood she's living and would stay there again without a question.