Location, location, location.
We (2 adults + teen daughter) spent 3 wks at the cottage in Petone, and it was perfect for our stay.
We were just a few blocks from every restaurant you could imagine, and in the other direction, we were just a block or two from the beach. It was super easy to hop on a bus into Wellington, Lower Hutt, or one of the other beach towns.
Nicola was a great host and made sure we had everything we needed while ensuring we had our privacy.
We would stay here again in a heartbeat.