We had a wonderful time there and Elaine was a great host/communicator through our entire time! Our only regret was that we didn't leave any time to explore the grounds or go to the pool/hot tub which both sounded like a wonderful time!
This was a good launching point for us to Bay of Islands. It's ~1hr drive so close enough for an easy day trip, but also makes the drive from Auckland the day before more manageable.