Words cannot describe how good our stay was at Jo's house. I've given lots of great reviews for previous Airbnb stays, because many are just so good, but our time at Jo's house was the best of them all. We stayed in her personal house in taupo and had the entire place to ourselves. Jo met us and explained everything clearly. The house is just amazing. So big and beautiful with lots of nooks and crannies. And easy to walk to shopping and the lake right from the house. We even had Tuesday the cat to keep us company.
We used taupo as a base for day trips to tongariro and Rotorua and it worked perfectly. If you are also staying in taupo and have a chance to stay in Jo's house, do it. You won't regret it.