My partner and I bookended our Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk trip at Jane and Leon’s place in Tuai and are so glad we did. It was a relief to have somewhere to prepare beforehand as well as recuperate afterwards, before journeying back to Auckland. It was also lovely to get a taste of the local life and community in Te Urewera.
Jane and Leon truly were ‘above and beyond’ hosts. They were generous with their time and knowledge about the area, extremely helpful with our questions about the track and travelling, and flexible with our changing plans. They are genuine and friendly people and we are very grateful for their manaaki.
The cottage was very comfortable and in a beautiful setting, complete with fruit trees, vegetable gardens, swan plants (with chrysalises!) tuxedo cat Eric, and a view of the village. We enjoyed sitting out on the patio for our final coffee before heading out to the track, and coming back to hot shower and warm, clean bed on the other end.
Thank you so much for having us!