We were on a 9 day road trip tour of South Island and our stay at Karl and Melanie's was the highlight of trip.
The Good:
- Easy check-in and super responsive/friendly hosts.
- Well stocked kitchen and home with everything you could need for a short stay.
- Comfortable beds and plenty of space.
- Boardgames, cards and puzzles provided.
The Better:
- Chicken eggs fresh off the farm and croissants provided for breakfast.
- Coffee, tea, sugar and milk provided as well.
- Catlins Lake is a short walk from the house where we caught fish and dug up some cockles that we cooked for dinner (bring bug spray for the sand flies).
- Friendly and incredibly hard working herding dogs who you get to watch do their thing (pretty awesome if you've never seen it before) including a 10 month old puppy in training!
- Washer, dryer and laundry soap - this was very helpful since we stayed here towards the end of our trip and had a few things that were due for a wash.
The Best:
- Farm tour of Karl and Melanie's gorgeous property. They could seriously charge for this tour, it was some of the best views we experienced in all of South Island.
- Perfect location; just a short drive to the Town Centre and many of the Catlins' most famous attractions (Cathedral Caves, McLean Falls, Purakaunui Falls, Nugget Point Lighthouse, Jack's Bay, etc.).
To Note:
- No WiFi, but there's so much to do in the area that you won't even miss it.
- Grocery stores, restaurants and gas stations in town close early (~7pm).
- It's best if you like animals as there are many on the property (it is a working farm after all) but if you would prefer not to interact with them you certainly don't have to. They are in their own spaces and don't come around the cottage unless invited.
If I ever come back to South Island (which I plan to one day) I will definitely stay with Karl and Melanie again.