Entire home

Park-like grounds, stunning sea views & private trail to the water's edge.

Photo gallery for Park-like grounds, stunning sea views & private trail to the water's edge.

Property grounds
Property grounds
Property grounds
1 bedroom, bed sheets
1 bedroom, bed sheets

Reviews

7.4 out of 10
Good

Entire home

1 bedroom1 bathroomSleeps 4

Popular amenities

  • Washer
  • Pet-friendly

Explore the area

Map
Opua/Karetu
  • Bay of Islands
    ‪2 min walk‬
  • Bay Of Islands Vintage Railway
    ‪25 min drive‬
  • Bay of Islands Marina
    ‪29 min drive‬
  • Kerikeri (KKE-Bay of Islands)
    ‪52 min drive‬

Room options

Similar properties

About the area

Karetu

When you stay at this cottage in Karetu, you'll be 2 minutes by foot from Bay of Islands. .This cottage is 15.7 mi (25.2 km) from Paihia Beach and 15.9 mi (25.7 km) from Paihia Wharf.

What's nearby

  • Bay of Islands Marina - 29 min drive
  • Paihia Wharf - 33 min drive
  • Paihia Beach - 37 min drive
  • Waitangi Treaty Grounds - 37 min drive
  • Russell Beach - 54 min drive

Getting around

  • Kerikeri (KKE-Bay of Islands) - 52 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Cbk Craft Beer and Kitchen - ‬33 min drive
  • ‪Marina Cafe Opua - ‬29 min drive
  • ‪Hone's Garden - ‬48 min drive
  • ‪Paihia Wharf - ‬33 min drive
  • ‪Charlotte’s Kitchen - ‬33 min drive

About this property

Entire place

You'll have the entire home to yourself and will only share it with other guests in your party.

Park-like grounds, stunning sea views & private trail to the water's edge.

Welcome to “The Cottage” in beautiful Bay of Islands.

Park-like grounds, gardens, native & tropical bushwalks. Stunning sea views with your own direct, private bushwalk to the water's edge. Perfect for a relaxing weekend getaway.

All environmentally-friendly bio products, soaps etc supplied.

Small dog-friendly & dog-sitting available.

2.5h from Auckland, 30 mins drive to Opua, or paddle by kayak to a cafe from the property’s shorefront/water access.

Ultimate serenity and privacy, yet close to the hustle of Paihia.

The Cottage is on our 5-acre lifestyle block, on a headland overlooking Opua and its marina, and wide-open views of the harbour and bush-clad rolling hills.

The views are stunning – close sea and acres of bush both nearby and on the neighbouring property, which ensures your privacy.

The entire property is serene, private and secure. Access is via a gated entrance and tree-lined forest driveway that serves a small number of lifestyle properties.

Accommodation is a simple, open-plan 45m2 space. It’s clean, tidy, private, relaxing, comfortable. It’s sheltered, yet has expansive water views, and you are surrounded by nature.

The Cottage is a converted Skyline garage, and was the main home of the original landowner for many years while they built the property’s main home. It is fully insulated, with a high-stud giving that feeling of spaciousness, and comes well equipped.

A separate bathroom with toilet, shower and basin is provided, plus washing machine. Water is via tank, and hot water is instant and ‘endless’ with gas on-demand heating.

A mooring, visible from the property, is available for trailer boats up to 7m for a small extra fee. Contact owner for more information.

Dog-sitting also available on request for those days or evenings when your furry friend can't accompany you. Personalised care in our home (on the property).

The Cottage is entirely yours, and you are free to roam the 5-acres, including the track to the waterfront - which faces the magnificent sunsets.

Perfect for picnics or lounge on the waterfront’s expansive (& sunny!) grass shore. A nice spot for an early evening pre-dinner wine or two.

The Cottage ideally suits a couple for that perfect relaxing weekend getaway. A fold-down double sofa acts as overflow for 1-2 kids if needed.

We are small/med dog-friendly (Rodney is the name of our super-friendly pooch), though with the local bird-life, plus the ease at which a dog could get lost in the expansive bush, for your own sake (and the local Kiwi), your dog is your responsibility and it should be kept on a lead when outdoors.

The owners live on-site in the main house, which is over 50 metres away from The Cottage.

Other things to note - Two adult single kayaks are included, with lifejackets & paddles of course, which you can launch from the shorefront two hours either side of high tide, or from the jetty (which doubles as a great fishing platform).

Note that access to the shorefront is not suitable for cars.

By road, only 20 mins to Kawakawa, 30 mins to Opua (and to the car ferry that will take you to visit historic and beautiful Russell) and 40 mins to Paihia. However Opua Marina (and it’s cafés and general store) is only 10 mins by kayak directly from the property’s shorefront/water access. In fact, there’s nothing quite like kayaking over to Opua for lunch or dinner at the Marina Café, kayaking back in the evening sunset across the (almost always) calm inlet.

If time & tide allow, the owner will “water taxi” you to/from Opua via dinghy for a nominal cost, so you don’t have to worry about those few drinks!

No wifi, but a good 4G signal is available.

The best thing about this property and location is that you have ultimate serenity and privacy, yet you are within 40 mins to the hustle of Paihia and all that offers – including beaches (it’s the Bay of Islands!) and many world-class tourist attractions – parasailing, jet boat tours, hole in the rock, fishing, jet ski tours, sailing, diving, cycling, scenic helicopter flights, many restaurants, cafes and bars, not to mention historic Russell and Waitangi.

We hope you will enjoy “The Cottage” and staying at the property as much as we do.
Make yourself comfortable in your cottage. The bathroom has a shower and a hair dryer.

Property manager

LeeB5169

Property amenities

Bedrooms

  • 1 bedroom
  • Bed sheets provided

Bathrooms

  • 1 bathroom
  • Shower
  • Shampoo
  • Soap
  • Toilet paper
  • Towels provided
  • Hairdryer

Laundry

  • Washing machine

Comfort

  • Heating

Pets

  • Pet friendly
  • 1 total (up to 25 kg per pet)
  • Welcoming dogs only

Suitability/Accessibility

  • Smoke-free property

Safety features

  • No carbon monoxide detector (host has indicated that there is no carbon monoxide detector or gas appliances on the property)
  • Smoke detector installed (host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property)

Policies

Check-in

Check-in time starts at 3:00 PM
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 11:00 AM

Special check-in instructions

You will receive an email from the host with check-in and check-out instructions

Pets

Pets allowed
Service animals are welcome, and are exempt from fees
Welcoming dogs only
1 total (up to 55 lbs per pet)

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Onsite parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has indicated there are no carbon monoxide detectors or gas appliances on the property
Host has indicated there is a smoke detector on the property
This property is managed through our partner, Vrbo. You will receive an email from Vrbo with a link to a Vrbo account, where you can change or cancel your reservation

Park-like grounds, stunning sea views & private trail to the water's edge. Reviews

Reviews

7.4

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 0 out of 3 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 2 out of 3 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 1 out of 3 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 3 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 3 reviews

10/10

Cleanliness

Reviews

6/10 Okay

Steve

Liked: Cleanliness
Lovely once you get there
Amanda and Lee are very good hosts. The facility was very clean and tidy. The queen bed was comfortable enough with a foam mattress.The road access was a about an 8 kilometre loose metal, steep, winding rutted road that we weren’t made aware of until it was too late to change our booking although Lee did offer late cancellation. Be good to have known about the road on the website listing so as not such a unfortunate surprise
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2025

8/10 Good

harnisH J.

Liked: Cleanliness
Scenic serenity
Amazing stay at Amanda and Lee’s place! The location is unbeatable - the views are truly worth the drive on that metal road they mentioned. Everything we needed was provided, making our family staycation with an 8 and 12-year-old perfect. Highly recommend!"
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2025

8/10 Good

David P.

Liked: Cleanliness
Feedback
The place was in a great part of nz but was not suitable for our family, mum dad and 15 & 17 yo. Quite a long way to drive to Russel, but if you just wanted to hang out in a quiet place it would be nice.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2024