My husband and I stayed with Julie for 2 weeks after arriving in New Zealand with work visas. We are planning to stay in Hastings for a long time and chose to stay with Julie while we get settled and find our own place to live. We could not have been luckier! Not only is Julie’s house beautiful and clean, she was so helpful and accommodating. We came with a ton of stuff and she found space for us to store our things out of the way. She gave us so many recommendations for where to go no matter what we were looking for. She always has the kitchen stocked full of more than you could need and she adds lots of nice little touches to make you feel cared for. She has lots of regular guests who come in and out and it was a lot of fun meeting the other people who choose to stay with Julie too. I have stayed in lots of airbnbs and Julie really is an excellent host. (And it is always fun to see Biggles the cat who will greet you with a nice meow from time to time)