Kate and her sunny garden studio are simply the best! I stayed for about a week last year and stayed again this year for about 9 days because I had such a wonderful experience last year. Kate is warm, welcoming and helpful with everything from directions to clean towels to having enough tea / coffee in the studio. I so appreciate how thoughtful she is.

The studio is super clean with comfortable, attractive decor, has a comfy bed and pillows with lovely linens, and there's a microwave, toaster, electric jug/kettle, silverware, plates, glasses, a small fridge, coffee, tea and the like. She also leaves fresh New Zealand yogurt and jam in the fridge as welcome gift, which I remembered from last year and enjoyed again this year.

There are shops, cafes and a bus stop about 3 minutes walk up the street and there's plenty of parking on the street if you have a rental car. The location can't be beaten; it's in an inner suburb of Auckland you have quick and easy access to downtown, motorways and bus lines that take you wherever you want to go. I also enjoyed walking around the neighborhood to the organic food market, banks, cafes, bookstores and restaurants nearby.

Since I spend a couple of weeks every year in Auckland, I'll be booking early next year to make sure I can stay at Kate's studio for my third year in a row. I highly recommend Kate and her lovely studio!