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    The Falls Retreat

    5.0 (1 review)
    ModerateHotels

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    10 years ago

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    De Preaux Lodge

    De Preaux Lodge

    (1 review)

    This is by far the most beautiful home my husband and I have ever stayed at. We are so glad we…read moredecided to stay at de Preaux Lodge instead of a normal hotel in Matamata. The luxury B&B and Farmstay experience was unique and definitely made our honeymoon in New Zealand much more memorable. In the morning, we drove from Auckland to our Hobbiton tour at 1:30 pm. From Hobbiton, we drove about 10 minutes to check in at de Preaux Lodge. After parking in front of their home, Joy greeted us at the door and helped us get settled in. Their home looks like something photoshopped from an interior decorating magazine. Our first thought was, "This is a farm? OMG." The home was decorated with beautiful furniture and our room was very clean with a comfy bed. We were impressed their home has solar panels and motion lights which was especially nice when we walked through the halls at night to the bathroom. Joy and Ian are very kind hosts who were so friendly and welcoming. I appreciate their flexibility and how they customized our farm stay to our schedule. For example, they made breakfast and gave farm tours at different times since one family wanted to leave early and we wanted to sleep in. The farm tour was so much fun. Ian gave us a ride on his tractor while feeding the cows and let us watch him while he gave a sick cow a shot of medicine. My favorite part was giving Daisy, their friendly sheep, a treat and taking a selfie with her. We learned so much from Ian during our farm tour about sustainability and being able to live off the grid. After seeing Joy's garden, we definitely want to grow our own vegetables once we get back home. If you're planning a trip to Hobbiton or Matamata, I definitely recommend staying at de Preaux Lodge. You won't regret it.

    The Church - Cute presentation of salt and pepper (upon request)

    The Church

    (3 reviews)

    $$$

    I left my heart in Hahei. Seriously this was my favorite place out of the 8 accommodations we…read morestayed in during our 2 weeks in New Zealand. We had booked a studio, which had a bed, mini fridge w/fresh milk, outdoor patio. It is about a 10 minute walk to the beach along the verge. So why did I love staying that the Church so much? Well, the staff were amazing. They had a cute dog that roamed around that I got to pet. Oh the garden is just breath taking. I'm going to dream of that garden forever, it just can't be real. And at night I could hear the sounds of the waves crashing. I was the most relaxed staying that the Church and was sad the day we had to check out. Some of the perks were they allow for guests to use shovels for hot water beach. Which certainly came in handy digging holes in the hot sand. Also, you can take a beach towel and I noticed a boogie board. There is a lounge room you can read or watch TV, check your email. We didn't use it much, because there was the patio facing the garden. Brekkie is about $12 paid the day before for continental. Let's talk about the restaurant. Ate here on Valentine's Day. We made sure to make our reservations. Gorgeous restaurant inside an old wooden church. You can eat inside or outdoors. My husband order the muscles and a beer, I ordered the baked eggplant with a glass of wine. Perfect meal.

    I rarely give 5 stars, but this place was amazing. We ended up going here because it is the only…read moretrue restaurant in Hahei, and we didn't feel like driving too far. The sign in front says bookings essential, but I ran in to see if we could get a table. We arrived just before 6:00 pm, and they told us we would absolutely have to book for a later time, or they could seat is immediately. We opted to be seated right away. The menu is a tapas menu and the server recommended two entree/appetizer tapas per person to make a complete meal. The food has some Spanish/Portuguese flavors, but they are combined in an original way that is totally excellent. Hubby and I chose the Seafood Platter for 2, which came with snapper in an olive/parsley sauce with shrimp on the side, clams in a chili chorizo sauce, mussels in a white wine with cream, shallots and garlic sauce. Salad for two was also included, along with a delicious bread. Everything was amazing, but the mussels were worth going back for. They were absolutely as fresh as could be and completely yummy -- I kept dipping my bread in the sauce! On top of the excellent food, the wait staff were professional and prompt, and very friendly, as well. I highly recommend The Church Restaurant in Hahei!!

    The Falls Retreat - hotels - Updated August 2026

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