Meet Kate
Helpful, Friendly, Responsible
An adult family home, with privacy for our guests.
On a typical day...
I’m mostly at home/work from home.
When I host guests...
I like to chat with them when they are home but have my own things going on.
Family Hobbies
Swimming, Fitness, gym, Computer games, Gardening, Reading
Hosting guests since
2020
About the Homestay
- Welcomes
- Males
- Females
- Couples
- Families
- Students
We are a family (husband, wife, cat, dog) who live on the West Coast of New Zealand. We are from the UK originally but settled in New Zealand 5 years ago.
Kate works full time as a teacher in the local school and tutors via Zoom at the weekends. When she's not working, she's often at the local recreation centre, which has excellent and affordable pool, gym and sports hall facilities.
Spike manages the house and animals full time, and is involved in the local gaming groups, hosting gatherings at the house on Sunday evenings. We love watching TV and movies, playing video games and we are working hard to whip our garden into shape! If you are happy to dig in with a trowel or get snap happy with some secateurs, please feel free to join us!
EDIT From 17th December our household will be joined by Jeff, another teacher at a local school. He will be staying with us long term and will sometimes be visited by his two children (aged 5 and 3) who live locally with their mother.
We would be happy for you to join us for dinner on occasion, but we keep very late hours due to Kate's busy schedule. This does mean that the kitchen will be available for you to use in the early evening.
We are about 15 mins drive from Greymouth and 30 minutes drive from Hokitika. You can bike to Greymouth if you are super keen, it takes about 50 minutes.
Our house is in a rural area with large gardens (we have about 10 acres of land) so very quiet and private. The property is unique, including features from an old local convent such as stained glass windows and the old chapel door. It is called Chapel Hill.
The house is largely open plan, but your room will be private and you will have access to your own shower/toilet which you will not need to share with the hosts. Internet access is included in the rent, as is use of the laundry (we have a washer, but no drier).
YOU WILL NEED ACCESS TO A CAR TO GET AROUND HERE, THERE IS NO PUBLIC TRANSPORT. CAR HIRE IS AVAILABLE AT GREYMOUTH RAIL STATION AND HOKITIKA AIRPORT.
We've had friends and guests stay with us on and off since we moved to the property in 2020, we can't wait to welcome you to our home and show you that the West Coast is the Best Coast of the South Island.
My Pets
Cat, Dog
House Facilities
- Garden
- Parking
- Internet Access
Bedrooms available for booking
About the Area
Our house is about 15 minutes drive from Greymouth and 30 minutes drive from Hokitika. It is a quiet, private rural area. Our house sits in about 10 acres of grounds, including gardens and paddocks, with ample parking for cars.
YOU WILL NEED ACCESS TO YOUR OWN CAR. THERE IS NO PUBLIC TRANSPORT HERE. WE ONLY HAVE ONE CAR WHICH IS USED BY THE FULL TIME WORKER IN OUR HOUSEHOLD.
15 mins drive away we have: Hospital, Supermarket, Beach, Town Centre, Greymouth Railway Station
Meals
Hosts can offer a complimentary light breakfast at their discretion. All other meals, including a full breakfast, might incur an additional cost, if offered. Meals and any additional payment should be arranged directly with your host.
Included in the stay
- Complimentary Light Breakfast
- Use of Kitchen
House Rules
No smoking/vaping/drugs. No drinking to excess. If you are caught doing these things, you will be asked to leave and any monies paid up front will be non-refundable.
We understand that accidents happen, but if you cause damage to our home and property, we will expect contributions towards repairs.
You must be ok with an indoor dog (huntaway) and cat (can be kept out of your rooms, but this is their home.) The dog only goes out on a leash and is crate trained at night and when we go out. The cat is an indoor only cat (to protect the local wildlife) and must not be let outside.
We are an LGBTQIA+ friendly household. All genders and sexualities welcome.
No other overnight guests - please don't bring your conquests home.
No under 18s.
Quiet time after 11pm as this is a full time working house - including at weekends.
Washing Machine available to use, please hang your laundry in your room/on your balcony. (Laundrette available in town with driers)
Cooking is fine - we have a spare fridge/freezer and space in the pantry for your food. You are welcome to use our crockery/cutlery/dishes/pans.
We are an omnivore household, we cook with fresh meat, fish and veggies.
You must clean up as you go and DO NOT LEAVE ANY FOOD/DISHES OUT IN THE KITCHEN - the cat will steal it. A dishwasher is available to stack dirty dishes in or you can use the sink to wash up after yourself.
We can provide tea/coffee (Dolce Gusto Machine pods) and bread/cereal of your choice to help you on your way with breakfast. If you would like us to provide plant based milk/spread, please let us know when booking.
Smoking Rules
Your host is a non-smoker.
Smoking is not allowed.
How do I book?
Contact the host to check their availability and ask them any questions you have about staying with them. Once the host confirms they’re available for your dates, you can complete your booking.
When do I pay?
Once a host confirms they're available, you can go ahead and pay the 15% booking fee (maximum of 250 $£€ for longer term bookings) using a choice of payment methods: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Maestro, Laser, JCB & PayPal (not available in certain countries). You then pay your host on arrival or as stated by your host on their profile and agreed by you on booking. Please be cautious if a host requests advance payment if its not included on their profile. Our hosts have been advised that if they wish to request advance payment they must make this explicit in their profile. We do not recommend the use of Money gram or Western Union.
When can I share my contact details?
Host and Guest email address, phone number and home address will be exchanged in a confirmation email sent to both immediately after a booking is completed. It's against our policy for Guests and Hosts to exchange direct contact details via our messaging system.