Abseil Inn

Just a delightful, quirky place. The rooms were comfortable, the beds comfortable, the breakfast delicious, and the owners delightful. A small place (only 6 rooms I think) and very convenient for the Cave. One warning: If you complain that the road to the Inn is steep (which it is), you will be required to pay $5 NZ to the Red Cross! :-)

Although the way up the hill to where the B&B is, seems like a reversed abseil, that is all part of the adventure for us. Straight-forward check in. We were given a list to note our preferences for breakfast, great! The hosts helped us out with heating up some food. There was a fine selection of books and dvd's which we browsed through. The themed rooms were small and somewhat noisy but we liked it nonetheless. It also has a porch with great view. John cooked us a delicious breakfast in the morning, we were really happy with this.

Myself and my boyfriend stayed a night here after a tour of the Waitomo caves. We were welcomed with open arms by Helen and John. Our room was perfectly situated to watch the sunset. Once you get over the driveway the views are fabulous. The room was perfect, air con to keep us cool at night with a powerful shower. Helen has a breakfast card for you to fill out and she all options covered from juices to fruit and yogurt to hot choices. I had some particularly delicious strawberries. Highly recommend you select the Waitomo Eggs (similar to eggs Benedict but with Johns secret recipe - your mind and taste pallets will be blown away) they were delicious!! John kindly introduced to around 6 different types of honey - one as delicious as the next. Tried some peanut and dark chocolate peanut butter and peanut, chilli and paprika peanut butter. Worth trying, very delicious- we are going to pick some up before leaving. There is a lovely relaxed chill out/breakfast space with a fridge of beverages for you to enjoy in the sunshine. I cannot recommend this place highly enough.

A quirky lovely spot …. John and Helen were so kind and attentive it was delightful to spend time with them. Look it is what it claims to be and if you embrace that it’s a fab stay. Johns passion for honey and peanut butter was epic thanks John. Parking is a bit of a Jenna game so make sure Johns there to advise you !!

After a tough day hike in Tongariro National Park, my boyfriend and I were looking forward to a romantic bath in the bathtub for two to unwind and relax. We were excited to see the Waitomoto glowworms the next morning. However, we not only didn’t get this bathtub as advertised, we didn’t get the room that we booked either. We didn’t get a room period. When we got to the inn at a little before 9pm, we rang the doorbell and the host came out. I say came out, because he did not greet us or welcome us. He repeatedly told us that check in was closed as he pointed to a sign outside the inn that said “Check In: 3pm- 7pm”. I at first thought that this was some poor humor, but he was actually serious. We saw him get up from a couch where he was watching tv a minute earlier, which must have been more important than us getting the hotel room that we had booked. The check in time was not listed anywhere on the website nor was it communicated to us beforehand in any way. He must have expected us to be… mind readers? He claimed he sent two emails to my boyfriend informing us on this policy the day of (we later saw one was around 7:10pm, there was no second email). However, my boyfriend was driving the car at that time up until we got to the inn and was unable to refresh or check his email. The owner also claimed that *********** had the updated check in time and that most people book through that website. However, my boyfriend booked through the inn’s website, and the inn’s owner even admitted to not updating the hours on that website. After refusing access to our room, we ended up having to sleep in our car since all the other hotels in the Waitomoto area were closed as well. If you are staying in this hotel, make sure you call or email ahead of time and tell the owners around when you are getting there, or else you might not have access to your hotel room. TLDR: Hotel owner refuses room after getting up from watching tv.

Ein tolle Möglichkeit an den Waitamo Caves zu übernachten. John und Helen sind tolle Gastgeber! Das Frühstück ist sagenhaft! John erklärt jeden Honig, macht tolle Eier und ein super Chutney! Der Ausblick aus dem Cave Zimmer klasse ! Ein wirklich besonderer Ort!