My partner and I stayed at Carol's house over Easter weekend. Carol was an excellent host. We felt very welcome in her home and she was more than happy to tell us about everything the area had to offer and give us some good recommendations of places to visit, things to do, places to eat, and wine to try out.
The room is simply set out and is small but more than enough room for two people, a dog, and all the baggage that comes along with that. The added fact that the room has slider doors leading out onto a deck with a lovely view adds to the space. There was plenty of room in the garden for our border collie, Cujo, to run around in, and, as the property was fully fenced, we weren't worried about him running off.
Carol's house is about 3 mins drive (or 20 min walk) to Waipukurau and 40 mins to Havelock North. There are plenty of cafes in the area (Hatuma Cafe is right next door and the food and coffees are great). We highly recommend checking out the Forest of Memories nearby and the Tukituki Trail in the local area.