I read another guest's review about the house being cold, and New Zealand in the winter can be quite cold. However, between the heaters and the wood stove, we were pretty comfortable. The heat pump in the living room is wonky, and it seemed to stop for no reason, attempt to start again, and then blow air that was either ambient temperature or just slightly above, but the other means of heating sufficed for us.
This house is old, and it looks like the childrens' room was added on after the fact, as there are windows with curtains between the room and the living room. The beds are all fairly comfortable, although we've taken to traveling with our own mattress topper, due to the variability in mattress firmness we've found.
The water pressure in the kitchen and shower are excellent, and the shower is nice and hot. The kitchen sink has separate faucets for hot and cold, which is pretty common in older houses in New Zealand. I found it was easier to go into the bathroom to do things like washing my hands or my glasses. When all of the curtains are open, the house is very well-lit, and the bright New Zealand sunlight is everywhere in the house.
The location is very quiet, and there are some woods that are below and adjacent to the house. We didn't do a lot of exploration, as we mainly spent our time in the nearby geothermal resort.
NOTE: We had to rent our towels and sheets from the host. It wasn't very expensive, and she doesn't charge a cleaning fee. Before we left, we vacuumed and cleaned the place. If you rent this place, please do the same. It's super awesome to find a host that doesn't charge for cleaning.
I highly recommend this house if you like funky old houses that were clean, and Hanmer Springs in general if you love outdoorsy stuff and geothermal spas.