Mt Potts Lodge

We had a really negative experience with Mount Potts Lodge. We booked accommodation for April well in advance of our trip (the previous October). Upon arrival, we were greeted with a closed sign and nobody in sight, with the site looking very much abandoned. After tracking down a neighbour, we were told that the owners were away, and that they were supposed to have contacted us to let us know that our booking had been cancelled. I emailed the owners, and was later told that they had sent an email to cancel 3 days prior to our stay. When I reviewed the email thread I had been CCd into, the owner had made 2 spelling errors in my email address (despite my having emailed them directly from the correct address to make the original booking), and so we did not receive the email. We understand that human error occurs, but given the short time frame for the cancellation, believe the owners should have been more thorough in their communication. Luckily we were able to return to Mt Somers and find alternative accommodation, but this certainly tainted our experience of Mount Sunday, and created a lot of unnecessary stress.
Apr 16th, 2023

Nov 30th, 2022

Nov 28th, 2022

I've booked a night with the lodge, and I'm having a lot of trouble contacting them to change the reservation. It seems that I can't reach Mt Potts through email, phone, or Instagram messenger. Maybe there has been extenuating circumstances (which if fixed, I will change my review), but it's frustrating as I've been charged for the booking already. I also can't tell if the lodge is still operating, and need to make other arrangements if so.
Nov 26th, 2022

Definitely the worst campground we visited in our 6 weeks in New Zealand. The place is obviously abandoned. We arrived at 5pm and left at 9am and didn't see anyone from the staff. There is no network and no instructions on how to use the WiFi. The toilets are disgusting and there is no toilet paper. The garbage bins are missing and there is food wastes from the restaurant laying in the open air, attracting rats, just a few meters away from the camp sites. The outdoor kitchen area is also not clean. I emailed the staff to get a refund but only received bad justifications in return. Avoid this place. If you're here for Mt Sunday, which you don't even see from here, save your money and go the the free campground close to lake Clearwater. That's what we would have done if we hadn't already paid online in advance...
Jan 15th, 2023