We had the best time at Schooner Bay. Loved the house, perfect for a family, and the peaceful cove, exploring with the kayaks and swimming with dolphins. Simple fun and good times. Hope we can stay again!
Decades ago everyone left their houses and cars unlocked, car windows down and honesty boxes on the side of the road. Aotea and The Yardmaster is that vibe. The manaakitanga/hospitality floods over you from all the toys in the boat shed for you to enjoy to an onion in the pantry for your burgers. The peace and serenity enveloped you from the moment you turn in to the driveway. You definitely need a vehicle ... and then it's hard to leave. I could write about beds and showers and yet, when such generosity is bestowed upon you, all you feel is abundance. We struggled to leave on our final morning and sat with our tea at the open doors of the boatshed. The little penguins that I thought we had missed finally made a few sounds from beneath the floorboards and we felt felt complete. So very grateful! A taonga/treasured spot.
Family are keen fisher people. They loved the location, access to water and water sport equipment generously made available to us.
The Yardmaster house easily fitted us all (4 adults, 2 children).
Wondaful spot:)
Thank you so much to our host. Great location and stunning views. Everything we needed in a cool setting and great communication. So lucky to have had a late check out as well. Recommend!
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Yardmaster. The power supply was more than enough to charge our devices. The boat shed was very special and great to have the use of kayaks etc. If you want a true kiwi Bach experience and an off grid break away. This is the place!
Thank you for having us stay at the Yard Master. Fantastic property with lots of history and interesting things to look at.
Perfect base for a stay at Great Barrier Island. Private house with out any one else around. We felt we could just do what we wanted and live as we do at home, while enjoying an amazing view.
Anything we needed to know was in the welcome book, which was an interesting read in regards to the house itself.
Our kids loved it there, especially as they are used to off grid living and enjoyed candlelight card games in the evening after a meal at the pub not far from the house.
Thank you both for having us. We would absolutely love to stay again and will recommend. Great value for money.
What an idyllic setting! So quiet and peaceful...ideal place to relax and unwind. Had everything we needed and only 10mins from grocery store, cafe and restaurants in Tryphenna. Suited our family of 3 couples perfectly. My only suggestion would be it would be great to have curtains in the big bedroom to keep out the light. Would be more than happy to stay there again.
We were very happy with the accommodation apart from being locked out at the beginning. The bird life, sea views and sun sets were amazing. The shower, beds, kitchen, bathroom were all quite basic but sufficient. Loved the history of the house.
Thank you
The place called the yardmaster was nothing but amazing with so much history behind it. Very nice and quiet with amazing views with everything you could ask for. Outstanding service. Friendly neighbourhood. Met amazing people and will definitely be going back there soon. Memory's for life. Highly recommend staying here to anyone. See you soon great barrier. Thank you.
We enjoyed our stay, though there are some things that could maybe be made more clear in the listing.
Schooner Bay is pretty at high tide, but rocky and not suitable for swimming. The fishing tackle available was not suitable for shore fishing. We didn't find any walks locally, so ended up driving each day. There was minimal phone reception at schooner bay (Spark or Vodafone).
The bach is basic. Beds were clean and comfortable. Lighting is 12v and dim, so bring several really good torches. The kitchenware wasn't very clean and most crockery and utensils required washing before we could use them. They're was barely any washing up liquid or toilet paper provided, we had our own, but that is the sort of thing that would be helpful to state in the listing.
The toilet is in a separate building, just three steps away, but not ideal given the pouring rain we had, for nighttime trips to the loo. The toiletroom was full of caterpillars and slugs. Lots were squashed under the mat, so that had obviously not been moved for cleaning.
Overall an interesting bach, but not one I would recommend for a family wanting to explore the island.
Great communication with the property manager and such an easy check in and check out process. The house was clean and tidy. We made the most of the boat shed, smoker and kayaks available. We had such an incredible trip and will certainly return to this property! Highly highly recommend.
This property is spacious and comfortable. The kitchen is well equipped and the pantry is well stocked. It is clean and has fantastic view of the ocean.