Guest Book Comments

{We don't want to over-promise with some of the enraptured comments here! We can't promise you the best holiday you ever had, just that we will do our best to make it so. [Terracotta Gardens] }

Thank-you so much for letting us stay at this beautiful home. It really is a home from home. The views are beautiful and we (and our dogs) have enjoyed many walks on the stunning beaches. I love Russell and look forward to coming back. Your hospitality was wonderful too! [Auckland]

Had a really great time! Fabulous house which has everything you need, great views and loved the separate downstairs area! Loved Russell. Hired a sole charter on Vigilant for the 8 of us and it was an amazing trip, well worth the money. Scenery was amazing. Sally's is a really nice place to eat although if you like Pizzas and a really good salad "Hone's" is the place to go. Really good value for money. Huge thanks for having such a great house to rent out! [Surrey, Whitby, Scarborough (UK); NZ]

We had a lovely stay. The house was great with everything here. We would recommend a stay here. [Auckland]

Beautiful view and great weather! Thank you for the Christmas tree, it gives the living room a lovely Christmas spirit. The hot tub was used thoroughly but we also spent a lot of time upstais on the deck in the sun. Thank you so much for letting us stay in your wonderful home. MERRY CHRISTMAS! and enjoy the holidays. [Auckland, The Netherlands]

Beautiful house and location. Russel is such a tranquil place to relax. Shame the weather didn't match the location. Meant we spent more time in the wonderful hot tub. Thanks for letting us stay in your wonderful home. [Auckland, Devon UK, Aus]

Our second visit to your wonderful home. Very comfortable and the dogs settled in fine. Thanks so much for having us. [Katikati]

We had the most wonderful weekend, fantastic weather, stunning views, the house is absolutely GREAT! Russell and Paihia are real NZ gems! Thank you so much for the beautiful holiday! GO THE ALL BLACKS! [Auckland]

We really enjoyed our stay here - thank-you so much for the warm welcome and helpful advice prior to our arival. The house and garden are lovely as is Russell. It's just a shame that the weather was so awful! Our recommendation for dining btw is "The Gables" on the waterfront. Superb food and excellent service! We'd love to come again but only if the warm weather could be guaranteed! [UK, Auckland]
Sorry, folks, springtime weather is rather unpredictable, but that was most likely the last cold snap for the season.[Terracotta Gardens]

We have all really enjoyed our stay at Terracotta Gardens. The house and gardens are wonderfully spacious, welcoming and very enjoyable and relaxing. We have found everything we have needed within the house and made good use of the laundry facilities. Thank-you so much for a lovely time. [UK]

What a wonderful home and a great base to explore the region. The lift and hot tub were, of course, a great success. Internet access & Sky Sports evoked total satisfaction. The garden - magnificent, the vews - splendid. Thank-you [UK]

Thank-you so much for your generosity and letting us stay in this little slice of paradise. Gorgeous views, tranquil garden, hot tub - what more could you want for a few days R&R for some quake survivors. Perfect! [Christchurch->Maungataroto]

A lovely location, great views, loved the hot tub and surroundings. Great to be so close to town. Definitely will return in near future with extended family to fully use this lovely accommodation. [Whangarei]

Many thanks for the very relaxing and enjoyable holiday in your lovely home. You had everything here and we appreciated that. The garden, we all loved very much and the tranquility it offered with all the birds. The hot tub was special too. Thank you. [Auckland]

What a true Paradise! Everything Perfect. I love the Tea Pot! The only possible suggestion for improvement would be an elevator attendant, in formal attire of course, and perhaps offering light refreshments! Thank-you for providing us Quake Refugees a well-needed sense of calm!
Thank-you so much. Loved your bird-filled garden paradise, what a luxury - recharged, refuelled. Appreciate your generosity. Aroha. [Christchurch]

Thank you! What a fantastic, roomy home. All the extras, loved the pool and the downstairs retreat. [Auckland]

Thank you very much for letting us stay. We think you are terrific! We LOVE Russell and would LOVE to come back one day. [refugees from Christchurch!]

Thanks for providing such a relaxing home for us. The views, the space and the spa pool were a real treat! Can't think of anything that was missing. Definitely supplied everything we needed. [Liverpool, Bolton]

A very comfortable, high quality home in an idyllic location. Loved the sunsets from the deck. Thanks, Alan, for making us so welcome. (The dogs loved sunning themselves on the deck!) [England, France, Katikati]

Thank you very much for a beautiful home for us to stay in while in New Zealand. Had a wonderful time, would love to revisit in future. [Oxford - UK]

Thank you for a lovely relaxing stay. We enjoyed the house and garden. Long Beach - fantastic, superb & great swimming. Successful fishing with Bucko an experience! Caught some big fish, lost a bigger one. Marlin - proved slippery. A great family holiday. [Motueka, Christchurch, Auckland]

Thanks for our wonderful stay! House was gorgeous. Spa was amazing! Thanks for being so accommodating after being rained out in the storm. Looking forward to when we return. [Auckland]

What a wonderful place! It was absolutely perfect in every way ... the house, the lift, the hospitality, the garden, Russell itself, the company - PERFECT! Altogether it was a really fabulous and memorable holiday and we'll be back for sure!!! Thank you SO much! [Auckland]

What a marvelous start to our extended holiday in NZ. Hope the rest can live up to it! Russell is a lovely place. We enjoyed our visit to Waitangi hugely (go on a good day.) Took the ferry to Paihia then walked along the wash. Attended a lovely service in Christ Church [Russell's historic church] and everyone was so friendly. Took SO many photos to remind us of this gorgeous place - and the internet access meant we could share this with our family in the UK - much appreciated. A super time - we hope to return! [Lancashire (UK)]

Thank-you for providing such wonderful accommodation You have a very special place here. [Hawkes Bay]

Thanks for sharing your lovely home. Very peaceful, great setting, so neat. What a fantastic garden. Everything we needed right here. [Cape Town, Auckland]

Sweet As! The view was absolutely amazing and the location is perfect. The R. Tucker Thompson (Tall Ship) was a very enjoyable sail and let you see a lot of the Bay.
Russell is a nice town with beautiful scenery. We hope to be back sometime. [Invercargill]

Perfection - the house is amazing, you could not wish for better. "Sally's" is an excellent restaurant and the Dolphin Swim is well worth the trip.
Russell is a real pearl in the Pacific.

PS: As visitors from England on our sixth time over this is the best holiday home we have stopped in. As the Kiwis say, "Awesome". [England, Auckland]

Had a wonderful stay in your beautiful house. We would recommend the following trips: Corino whale/dolphin spotting & Coastal Kayakers
Both great fun.

We also loved Sally's & The Gables restaurants - lovely food! Thanks for a lovely trip [Victoria, Waiheke Island]

Team Gazza - Tour of Northland:
"FANTASTIC" - Perfect place to stay, relax and recover!

Had lots of laughs over the comments in this book ... LOVE IT, SEE YA NEXT YEAR, THANK YOU [Cambridge, Whangarei]

If Heaven is as beautiful as this we'll all be very lucky!

A very friendly welcome kicked off a few marvellous days at the end of our trip to NZ. The lift brought out the child in all of us - the video footage will testify to that. [England, Ireland]

Thanks. We all enjoyed our stay here. A very relaxing, peaceful place. [Western Australia]

This place has very good facilities, is very comfortable and has excellent views. If you want to meet the locals go to the Returned Services Association or the Swordfish Club.

Excellent in all respects. [UK]

A lovely place to base ourselves in the Bay of Islands. We really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere, the deck and the BBQ. All around a delightful place to stay. We'll keep it in mind next time we're planning holidays. Lots of nice touches. Thank you! [Wellington, Ireland]

Lovely visit. Great property. All facilities excellent. Lots of nice touches. Thank you! [Auckland, UK]

What a wonderful home you provided for us. Lovely deck and well-maintained furnishings. We had a fantastic time - view from upper deck amazing. [Auckland, Ireland]

Had a very relaxing stay in Russell. The house on the hill is fabulous. Wish we could stay longer. Just perfect for us all. Thank you so much. [Auckland, London, Berkshire]

Great house! Great views! Fantastic garden! Loved the lift! Lovely warm spa!

[Auckland, Tauranga]

We were very impressed with your beautiful property. The house and gardens are amazing - a beautiful place in a beautiful location. The facilities in the house are outstanding. Many thanks. [Christchurch, Auckland]

This house is perfect. Comfortable beds, clean house, high quality of contents. Our children (14, 12, 8) loved the elevator The ipod dock was an added bonus, and the water filter. Your garden is beautiful - we appreciated your gardener's work.

My husband got up at 5 am saying he could hear an electronic ding-dong sound. After 15 minutes we realised it was a tui!

The cruise through the Hole in the Rock was fun and we highly recommend the oysters from the nearby (Orongo Bay) oyster farm. We had a wonderful time and will have many fond memories of your home. Thank you.

PS: Your artwork is lovely, especially the local watercolours. We loved everything about your home, even the kitchen curtains and light fixtures. [Wellington, Auckland]

Super holiday - thanks. [England, Auckland]

Thank you for this beautiful accomodation. We all enjoyed Russell, it was amazing!!

The spa was lovely and the lift was awesome. Comfortable beds and the beddrooms were nice. The garden is just AMAZING. The whole family made a lot of memories. We will never forget the time we spent here at Terracotta Gardens. [Auckland]

Had a great stay, very well set up and relaxing. Enjoyed the walks, swimming and having the dogs with us.

Many thanks, see you again. [Auckland]

Thank you for providing such a lovely, comfortable and clean house to stay in. It is gorgeous! The spa pool was an added bonus and a welcome relief after we ran the Kerikeri Half Marathon.

It has been a lovely place to relax and the kids have had a ball too. The garden is beautiful and we enjoyed admiring the view from the deck. We have no suggestions; the house was perfect and a home away from home. [Auckland]

Terracotta Gardens is a superb way to spend a family holiday. We have had such a lovely time away, staying here took all the comforts of home and put us in Russell.

We saw a pod of dolphins at Longbeach. They jumped out and showed off to us for about 20 mins. We enjoyed the serenity and peacefulness of the tranquil surrounding whilst sitting on the verandah refreshing our thirsts with Bourbon beverages, chatting, playing uka and enjoying each other's quality company.

Thank you for providing such a clean, tidy, enticing home away from home. We hope to come back for future holidays here. [Wellington]

The house and position were great. We really enjoyed our stay and would definitely recommend the house to others. [Auckland, UK] Bookabach Guestbook

It is a nice house. We would like to come here again please. I really liked the spa, lift and the kid's TV. -Veta (5)

Great place. We both had a good time. Ipod dock was great. [Sydney]

Fabulous places here. Loved our accommodation. Sad the weather was bad but we made do anyway.

* We will be back again one day.

* The flowers were fabulous -> (one of our) birthdays that day! [West Qld, Far North Qld]

Thanks for all your help.  A lovely house and home to stay in.  The whole family had a lovely and memorable time.  Beautiful garden and lovely spa pool.

Thanks guys, lovely rooms and views.  Nice place, spa bath was awesome.  Lift was cool.  TV went a bit fuzzy but I had  a great time anyway.  I hope to come back in summer.

I HAD A GR8T TIME Lol from Emily (10) [Whangarei]

Thanks so much, even in the middle of winter, a beautiful warm place to stay [Auckland]

Great Spot!  Is an awesome place to stay between field work.  Enjoyed studying the great Hat Islands in the bay.  Lila (aged 2) loved the lift!   [Auckland, Wellington]

Thanks very much again. [Australia]

Thanks so much for a thoroughly enjoyable stay in beautiful Russell. [Auckland, London]

Great digs & as usual Russell is a fantastic place to visit.

What you had here was more than enough and what wasn't here we didn't need.

No oven meant we didn't need to cook. Great!  [Raglan; UK]

[There is now a full under-bench fan oven in the upper kitchen as well as a barbecue oven on the upper deck, microwave, rice cooker and gas hob in the kitchen for those not looking for an excuse not to cook - but there are great cafes, bars, restaurants and takeaways in Russell for those who are!]

Your house is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! XD

Great view and the house is fully equiped as well. I wish I could stay longer.

We had BBQ here, we had spa together and we all dine together as well. This lovely house has given us all a fantastic great memory!

Exploring Russell has been awesome as well. Very beautiful town.

XOXO THANX [Auckland]

Thank you for a lovely stay at Russell.

Your house is beautiful and such a good location to explore Russell + beyond. Lovely views, lovely town + spa was so good. [Bath - UK]

We have thoroughly enjoyed our stay in your lovely holiday home.  Picturesque garden with lovely windy path - a great shortcut into town.

The hot tub was an added bonus.  Everything we needed was on hand.  Will definately recommend to friends and hope to return sometime ourselves in the future.

Thank you. [Auckland]

Thanks Alan & Pat for a lovely place to bring my family from the UK + South Africa to.

You have a magnificent home here!

Only suggestion we have is in agreement with others regarding an oven but it was not a brain smash as we managed quite well on the barbi! [There is now a full under-bench fan oven in the upper kitchen as well as the barbecue oven on the upper deck.]

Thanks again! - [SA, UK, Auckland]  and the doggies

Very happy time here.  [Auckland]

Thanks Alan for a great week.  We've had great fun and enjoyed Russell very much.  We felt like it was home from home (same sofas!) 

The aroma of the flowers was a lovely welcome + spa pool a great treat after swimming in the sea at Long Beach.

THANKS  [Auckland]

Thanks a lot for the beautiful accommodation.  We really enjoyed Russell.

THIS WAS AWESOME.  Thanks for the experience.   [Hamilton; Waiuku]

Thank you.  Had a fantastic time.  ..

The highlight was at Omata Winery and looking around Russell shops for us. [NZ]

Thank you, we had a fantastic time here at Bay of Islands. Your accommodation was just perfect!

We went on the Fullers Hole in the Rock spercruise and to Cape Reinga. Shame we couldn't stay longer!

Thank you once again!   [England]

Beautiful, spacious, comfortable house.  Friendly welcome.  Great views.  Lovely town.

Had a great time on "The Edge", watching dolphins, sharks, penguins etc, then fishing with Carl on "4 Reel".

Ate lunch + dinner at "Sally's Restaurant" - fantastic.

All in all a great relaxing start to our trip. Many thanks.  [Salisbury, UK]