Five Stars!
Gerry and Jeannette are the best! Before we booked our trip to New Zealand we knew it was their place we wanted to start our six week trip down under. Upon booking the flights (from Minnesota, USA) in July, we immediately went to their calendar and our dates were booked – literally minutes later. We were really bummed so we wrote a note informing them of our dismay based on the above asking for recommendations on different hosts. Jeannette quickly replied back telling us she had only moments earlier blocked out the dates for private time and, because of the circumstances, we were in!
Four of us (two couples) arrived on Valentine’s Day and were immediately treated to two sincere, helpful, and genuine hosts. Their location is exactly as shown in the pictures. However, actually being there it is so much more. The view to downtown Auckland feels like you can touch it. The deck meanders along bayside where coffee in the morning tastes a bit better and wine in the evening goes down like peace meets heaven. There are walking paths along the shore that host occasional joggers, locals out for a stroll, some live and once magnificent old growth stumps, along with doglegs where one can walk up to the upscale neighborhood for some manmade eye candy. This is clearly a case of under promise and over deliver.
To make it all even better, Jeannette told us of her sister Mary Ann’s Air B&B in Ahipara, at the bottom of 90 mile beach. Set into a New Zealand hillside, these rustic and homey digs have with seemingly endless beach views looking north. A few kilometers south is Ship Wreck Bay, once featured in the 60’s surfing classic Endless Summer. Mary Ann is a kind and sweet soul. Damn, this is a hellava gene pool.