The Farm — Hotel in North Island

It was not what we expected from their website. It took a while to find someone who knew where we were meant to stay, eventually one of the wwoofers checked some cabins until they found ours - right next to the main house. Cabin smelt really mildewy with a half rotten door coming off its hinges, a slug got onto our luggage. And it shared a wall with another cabin which we could hear everything. The sheets were clean though. The common areas - kitchen and lounge were nice and welcoming getting to chat with fellow travellers. Not enough operating toilets or showers for 30+ guests. Bathrooms were dirty and one was being used for storage. Yoga shala was a cool space, but also was dusty and smelt pretty musty and sweaty. Nervous and slightly aggressive dog wandering the grounds. Overall would not recommend unless maybe you...

We accidentally stumbled across The Farm and thank goodness we did - what an absolute treat! It was only supposed to be one night and it turned into a month. The Farm has something for everyone: breath-taking 360 views, a huge cosy communal kitchen, a party barn, motor-cross, horse riding, horsemanship training like nowhere else on earth (this is such a must!!), kayaking through mangroves, nearby stunning secluded beaches, baby calves to bottle feed, so many fluffy and friendly animals to pat. It’s so easy to spend day after day relaxing and helping out the wonderful family who run this farm. Their doors are wide open and welcome all guests as one of their own. Can’t recommend The Farm enough, and will continue to do so to everyone we meet! One of my fave places to stay...

How to describe this little hidden treasure? Well, for a start, we came for a day, ended up staying for weeks! The people at the farm were so heartwarmingly hospitable, friendly and helpful, we felt like a part of the family. This gorgeous slab of land is a 1000 acre playground for anyone who likes motorcross, horse riding, kayak, but we equally got stuck in helping out with the farm: bottle feeding newborn baby cows for the first time, herding cows, feeding horses, getting fresh eggs... I rented a surfboard and drove to nearby Elliot beach to catch some awesome waves. It had all our weary traveller hearts could desire so we made it our base to discover bay of islands. It was a home away from home, and one of the best places we stayed in NZ! We WILL be...