Staying with Fenella's was a truly unique and wonderful experience. Would 100% recommend it. My friend and I drove an hour and a half from Bay of Islands just to stay there. We were greeted by her and her friendly clan of pups. In the morning, she made us delicious homemade muesli and invited us to stay for as long as we liked that morning. Both the house and the property are beautiful and definitely worth exploring. I do wish we would have had a little more time there to swim in the swimming hole but we had a packed schedule.
Fenella was also very helpful in providing suggestions as to where else to visit in Northland.
Word to the wise - drive there during daylight as the roads are very windy.