It was my first stay at an Airbnb and I loved the experience through and through.
Don’t expect anything fancy from the accommodation because that’s not the reason you should be considering your stay in puketitiri. The location is breathtaking.
In the rural area there are plenty of things to do like tramping to reach some great hot pools, golfing, and fishing. During the day you’ll be surrounded by beautiful rolling hills and at night everything around you will disappear leaving nothing but the starry sky in sight - as clear as I’ve ever seen it before. A great spot for keen nighttime photographers.
I stayed with a group of 3 and being the only vegetarian I had to cook with foil-lined trays and nonstick pans as I could tell meat had been cooked numerous times in these dishes - which I had no problem doing. Make sure you bring plenty of ingredients to cook for the amount of days/nights you stay and plan what you’ll be eating + carrying for lunch during the day as the closest supermarket is 1.5 hrs away (Napier I believe). There is a large single door fridge freezer as wells as enough counter and cupboard space so keeping ingredients fresh aren’t in issue here.
The hosts are lovely and their dog Juno is a charmer. Be sure to speak to them to get an idea of what’s good to do for the time you’re thinking of going. We went at a great time as there were lots of trout in the river nearby (2 mins drive)
There were lots of moths and other insects but nothing harmful from what we experienced. There is insect repellent provided but if you have a preference, do bring your own. There is fly spray as well but at night we often just kept lights off outside unless we needed them, that way there would be no swarm of moths on the walls and ceilings.
The sleeping arrangements were minimal but great and very comfortable.
The only thing I can think of that let us down were ourselves with our allergies. Be sure to bring strong hay fever medication as mild stuff like Zista definitely won’t work.
Thank you again for being so accommodating, wonderful hosts. Have a great 2019!