Aoraki Cottage B&B / Adventure Farm Stay

Aug 24th, 2021

Nov 27th, 2019

The first early warning signs of disorganization was when they asked me to pay via bank transfer, incorrect info was supplied to me and their bank rejected the funds but took out a $25 fee to return the funds citing the beneficiary has no account at their bank. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as we had booked 3 nights originally but were unable to stick it out. It was the worst accommodation Ive stayed in, ever. I was so excited to stay and thought this was going to be the highlight of our Honeymoon. I was looking forward to the advertised activities of Deer Farm Tour, Eco Fire Bath, Kayaking, Fishing, Toasting marshmallows by fire. I can only describe this as a tourist trap. When we rolled up I could see straight away the place was neglected. Lawns were freshly mowed (to be fair) however leaves, spider webs and childrens toys littered the cabin steps and deck. An easy 5min sweep down could have made a world of difference. Then I saw the Fire drum surrounded by mouldy couches covered in dead leaves, I wouldnt let a dog sit on. Found the Eco-fire bath full of leaves and a massive spider living in, looks disused for months. Hot tub 10cm of mossy water with dead leaves amongst other insects. ATV was broken down. WIFI didnt work despite him giving us the password and getting us to try 100 times, made it very hard to plan our days. One positive was the bedding and towels were clean but this perk was ruined when a big black spider walked across the fresh white bedcover. Supplied food was used by other guests before us, stuff in cupboards most of it passed the use by date long ago. The butter like nothing Ive ever seen *spew*. No air con. Then when we go to leave he tries to charge me $45 more because he upgraded us, sorry what? My husband handed over the agreed amount. Then the owner insisted on taking us on a quick farm tour in his van despite all precious communication about this it apparently couldnt be done while ATV was broken. Ok?Van was full of other peoples litter, half drunk water bottles etc. Felt like we were trespassing on other peoples property as his farm is mostly leased out. Its advertised as a deer farm. There are 35 deer? We have more chickens in our Chicken Coup we dont call it a Chicken Farm. We return to our car to leave and owner asks me for the money for the room. I was sure my husband had given it to him earlier, he insisted no. I went to get more money but thought I better check with my husband who assured me he did hand the money over earlier. I go to find the owner again and he checks his pocket and its in there. Not sure if forgetful or was trying to get more out of me? Everything just felt so misleading. Was very much a backyard operation. I could go on. When we arrived we wanted to organize some of the farm activities and the Owner kept suggesting activities that were away from the farm like hikes etc, we could do these things staying at a nice comfortable hotel in town, we wanted the NZ farm experience but all we got was a dingy cabin up a driveway. To be fair, Dave seemed like a nice man, though must take some responsibility for all these shortcomings when running a business, I would expect a dramatic price reduction for the stay also to reflect the current conditions. Our house is in 1000times better state and we work full time and arent expecting paying guests. So relieved to call it early and get out of there.
Apr 10th, 2019

Jul 8th, 2017

Feb 18th, 2016