This is a beautiful house to explore from. Day trips to as far north as Te Anau and exploring the South Coast via Tuatapere and Riverton are easily accomplished ( get the Aparima Riverton heritage trail guide ). There is a lot to see and then you can come home to a beautiful home and garden. I would recommend at least 2 nights so that you can some decent exploring in a region that isn't the easiest to get to from those outside Southland. Otautau, it is fair to say, has seen better days but a tasty meal can be found at the local pub.