If you don't have fun, it's not for Gary's lack of trying.
After a very long day (I don't recommend trying to drive from Rotarua or Whakatane all the way to the Bay of Islands in one day with the road closures and construction delays), we were glad to get to the house (perfect directions) and get ourselves unpacked.
Because we stayed a week, Gary was kind enough to take us out on his yacht - we had a wonderful day exploring and Gary found dolphins both directions, one frisky little guy even leaping directly next to us and making great flips and fun.
We went out on our own and Gary had great recommendations. We did the 12 hour tour to Cape Reinga and highly suggest you go -- it's beautiful, I loved the lighthouse, and Sandboarding was one of our many highlights.
We ate at the yacht club and enjoyed the personnel and the food. As Gary told us, it's not 5 star dining but it's relaxed, fun and delicious -- just try to get there before they run out of salmon.
The only down side was the lack of an oven. We figured out how to make many things on the hot plate. Their providing supplies for the first day made it much more relaxed for us and we ate in at least once a day.
The indoor space provides plenty of space to spread out. The master bedroom goes out onto the deck - but the bathroom is not en suite as is the other.
The Netflix and HDMI capacity (no network TV) came in really handy - and we watched as many old films as NZ Netflix has to offer.
The outdoor space is lovely - great views from the mid deck, access to the garden with fresh vegetables ready to pick (in season). They were very generous with their yummy blueberries.
Sincerely appreciated all Gary did to make our stay a great one and felt very much at home - would loved to have stayed longer.