JJ was such an excellent and lovely host! We were moving to Auckland, and stayed the first week with him. I can't imagine a better person to have stayed with. Always friendly and up for a chat, he also has a lot of great insights and helpful tips for people in our situation. The common room is beautifully decorated, with a lovely and comfortable seating area. The location is great, central enough to get around walking or with public transport (though we did have a car). I do suggest bringing earplugs if you are a light sleeper and like to either go to bed early or sleep in late - train tracks run right under the bedroom window.