My wife and I spent two nights at Catherine's cottage in June of 2015. Overall we had an outstanding experience and the location was great for exploring Fiordland. The cottage was clean, had all the kitchenware we needed, and provided us with amazing views in a quiet, remote part of New Zealand (the stargazing was especially grand). Moreover, Catherine and her husband were extremely welcoming and made us feel right at home. The location is only a ten minute drive from the Doubtful Sound port and fifteen minutes from Te Anau but still far enough away that guests really get to experience the pastoral life of southern New Zealand. We really enjoyed being able to relax in this cozy cabin, cook some meals on the grill, and watch Lord of the Rings after several long days.

The only reason we gave the cottage 4/5 stars is that during the morning and afternoon of our second day we were without hot water. While this was an inconvenience, Catherine did everything in her power to fix the problem quickly and hot water was on again that evening (she even bought us a nice bottle of New Zealand wine to apologize). Also, the cottage did take a few hours to heat up, but once the temperature was up we were comfortable for the duration of our stay. For guests visiting in non-winter months, I do not expect either of these things will be a problem.

All in all I would strongly recommend this cottage. It provides guests with a beautiful rural setting and an authentic experience of this part of world. We would certainly come back if we every visit Fiordland in the future!