Emily and Co. were great hosts and very accommodating of our busy schedule. My wife and I had initially planned to check in with them before our 5pm Hobbiton tour, but we got caught up in Auckland (Rugby World Cup and Auckland Marathon on the same morning) and had to make a last minute change to head to the tour straightaway. They kept the lights on for us and Tineke stayed up to greet us when we arrived. She showed us the room and we could not have been more pleased with it. Everything is as it looks in the photos and the bed was one of the most comfortable we had in our mini-tour of New Zealand. We had our best night of sleep here. Emily also has brochures for various activities around Matamata and the surrounding area: very handy for an impromptu adventure or just to get contact information that you may have otherwise forgotten to jot down.

Our only regret is that we were unable to take in everything Southern Belle Orchard had to offer due to our own tight schedule. We were able to meet Emily and her partner briefly on our way out and she was as warm and inviting in person as she was on our earlier communications. I highly recommend the orchard of Emily and her family.