This is a great place for a family with a great location! My partner and I had a lovely time, even though we were laid up after putting our backs out. Our local friends came with their two kids.
There are a great many things to do and the drive into Auckland CBD isn't bad if you do it off hours. Really, we just loved Stanmore Bay and all it had to offer and the value of Geoff's place is really high: location, people, all you really need. If that wasn't enough, Geoff went the extra mile and let us take a bit longer getting out because of our limited mobility and need to switch to a new house since there was already another reservation for his place.