#6405 Premium
Algies Bay Beauty, close to a quiet beach & 1 hour & a half north of Auckland
House • Algies Bay New Zealand
Exchange types accepted
Statistics
Listed February 2020
Views 7425
General overview
Algies Bay near the town of Warkworth, is in the winterless north of New Zealand. Perfect quiet and private location, 2 mins & 40 seconds from a calm beach, (wonderful swimming or kayaking from Dec to April) & only 5 minutes from good coffee in Snells Beach. 15 minutes from Warkworth for supermarkets.
A light filled house, open plan kitchen and dining area with sliding doors opening onto the completely private back deck. The Bush backdrop is humming with cicadas in summer and birds in winter. Paddocks beside the house have cows or sheep in. Our house is 7 years old and very comfortable all year round.....cool in summer due to low eaves and warm in winter with the log burner and plentiful wood. Perfect for couples or small families.
The space
The main living area is the open plan kitchen & dining room. There is a dining table for 4 or 6 at a pinch, plus 2 sofas and it opens out onto the peaceful deck. There's a separate TV and music room off the kitchen area, comfortable for 4 people. The kitchen is well equipped with a great coffee machine too. There are 4 bedrooms, a family bathroom and a en suite off the master bedroom. Most suited to one couple as apart from the master bedroom, the other bedrooms are small, especially by US standards. Large garage with 1 adult bike, 1 youth bike. 2 kayaks, (seats and life jackets). A peaceful walk down a path through the bush (forest), gets you to the beach. Glow worms to be found on this path at night and the beach is safe for swimming and kayaking and a good leg stretch.
Loads of board games, puzzles, DVDs and CDs.
Plenty of organic veggies grown in season for you to help yourself, from our small garden.
Guest access
All ground floor and level.
Notes
Looking for a 3 to 4 month swap, from May 2025, somewhere mountainous in USA. May is still a lovely month in NZ weather-wise as ots late autumn. We would like to be in your home if it has good access to hikes and wildflowers.
We think you'll love it here, so quiet and private with native bush (trees), right on the edge of the deck and outside the master bedroom. A field behind the house means you are not overlooked at all. The beach is perfect for swimming on a calm day, although a wet suit needed in May, an hour either side of high tide. The bush path to the beach is magical with glow worms at night and it really is 2 minutes and 40 seconds from our front door to getting your toes in the water! Surf beaches are half an hour away at Omaha or Tawahanui. A choice of Regional Parks for day trips. And Auckland only an hour and a half away for concerts, shopping and city life. Being in the winter-less north means no cold, hard frosts while the house is well insulated, with double glazing and a log burner that heats the whole house. We prefer non-smokers inside and outside & ask that outside shoes are not worn in the house. Occasionally we may want to include another couple when we come to your home but would, of course clear this with you first.
Features
Washer
Dishwasher
Oven
Microwave
Coffee machine
Fridge
Iron
Hair dryer
Heating
TV
WiFi
Bathtub
First aid kit
Smoke alarms
Fire extinguisher
Bed sheets
Towels
Workspace
Fireplace
Garden / yard
Deck / patio / courtyard / terrace
Kayak
Travel Styles
Long term
Weekend
Adventure
Budget
Family
Romantic
Sport and leisure
Foodie
Relaxing
Eco
Beach
Water
Hiking
Cycling
Last minute
Golf
Accessibility
House rules
Unsuitable for infants under 2
Suitable for children ages 2-12
Pets not allowed
No smoking
Allergens
Cat free
Dog free
Smoke free
Dates of Availability
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Neighbourhood
Algies Bay is a lovely quiet neighborhood with families, retired people and quite a few holiday homes. The beach is a great place to walk all year round. For active people, the beach walk can be extended up a series of steps to the donkey sanctuary where you will be rewarded with a stunning view. Matakana is a short drive away, with its fabulous Saturday morning market, movie theater and range of excellent cafes and restaurants. The famous Morris and James pottery is one side of Matakana and Charlie's ice-cream and pizza parlour the other. Both are highly recommended. Past Matakana is Omaha for a long beach walk, surf or play in the waves plus a bird sanctuary at one end. Keep an eye out for dolphins and orca here! Tawhahanui Regional Park has magical beaches, surf, snorkelling and the Ecology Walk is a beauty with a high chance of seeing taheke, (the rare endemic flightless bird) and Kiwis at night. If snorkelling is one of your favoured activites, Goat Island at Leigh, is superb followed by a pizza and music at The Sawmill.
Snells Beach is our nearest shopping and it has The Village Kitchen for fresh fruit and veg and a few staples plus a coffee cart. Easily cyclable if you push the bikes up the hill! Warkworth is a 10 to 15 min drive for supermarkets, banks etc. Auckland airport is an hour 20 mins away, while you can easily drive into the city for a day's sightseeing or an evening show. There is a large shopping mall at Albany, 45 mins away.
Getting to my home
Auckland airport is about an hour and a half away. An easy drive to get to us and we can advise the best route. We can arrange to leave our car at the airport for you if it is a simultaneous exchange, (if a reciprocal car is offered that would be preferable), to pick up to drive to our place. Easy peasy!
Public transport to our home is possible with a shuttle bus: https://www.warkworthtaxiandbus.co.nz/warkworth-to-auckland-airport/
Nearest airport
Auckland.
Getting around
A car is the best option although there are buses to nearby places and to and from Auckland. You will be able to explore much more if you have a car.
Car swap negotiable.
Map of Approximate Location
People Like Us Local Guide
Very happy to offer advice on local activities, e.g. walks, good swimming beaches, surf as well as recommended good coffee shops and restaurants. We'd love to meet you too and you'd be most welcome to call in for a coffee, tea, beer or whatever we have to share. Do please get in touch!
Feedback
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We had a lovely time in Carey and Peter's wonderful home. It's a beautiful home in a beautiful location, within easy reach of many wonderful beaches and other great places to visit. This was the completion of our exchange that occurred when we stepped in to offer them or home in Tuscany when they needed it. They stayed only a couple of days, as did we, and we would wish to stay longer. Though we have not met them directly yet, we consider them to be friends. -
Carey and Peter's home in Algies Bay is very comfortable living. We loved the set up of the home, tucked back in amongst nature, and the layout of the home makes everything convenient (and delightfully one level!) We could spread out and make ourselves at home, and we did! The birds outside their home are so wonderful to hear, and the walk to the beach just a short 1/4 mile away is fantastic. Delicious coffee every morning with the espresso machine, and were charmed by the homemade loaf of bread left for us, which we toasted and enjoyed each morning. Just amazing hosts in a beautiful area of New Zealand. Thank you! -
Peter and Carey kindly accepted my globe at short notice for a stay at their lovely Algies Bay location. Just a few minutes walk to the beach and with a lovely bush outlook in one direction and farmland in the other is was the peaceful sojourn I needed. -
We had a lovely time in Carey and Peter’s lovely home in Algies bay. It was fantastic to be able to walk to the beach from the house and there was great and easy communication from Carey. We really enjoyed exploring this beautiful region! -
Thank you, Carey for making our first exchange so easy and stress free. Your comfortable home was enjoyed by all. The easy walk to the beach was great for swimming on the full tides. Overall a wonderful time spent here with our kids that joined us from overseas. Thank you Carey and Peter. -
We had a great time staying at Carey and Peter’s home, we are just sorry we could not stay longer. There are many amazing hikes in the area and we enjoyed ourselves just relaxing on the deck watching the birds, especially the Tuis! The beds were very comfortable and it was a great experience all round. We hope to return one day to explore further. Thank you again for your hospitality— and the Squiggles! -
Absolutely fantastic host and home! Five stars all the way. Their hospitality, kindness and beautiful place made our stay exceptional. Highly recommended for a memorable and enjoyable experience. Thank you for being such a wonderful part of the PLU community. -
Peter and Carey were extremely easy to communicate with. We enjoyed their company and wish we had more time to exchange home exchanging experiences. Their camper , Veronica was a delight! Such a great little layout that we adapted to very easily, throughly enjoying our 18 days we travelled in her. Having Veronica allowed us to coddiwomple in Northland New Zealand taking all the time we wanted exploring some of the less visited places. Treat yourself and spend some time in Veronica. We loved it. -
This beautiful comfortable home embodies the beauty of home exchanging. Wonderful, friendly and helpful host where we felt at home. Their home is tucked away in a quiet cul-de-sac with easy access to the beach. Nice deck where we enjoyed feeding and watching the tui birds. We loved the morning walks on the beach to the nearby park & donkey reserve. It's close to several regional parks to explore and walk. -
We spent a wonderful week in Carey's and Peter's home in Algies Bay. It was the perfect closure of our New Zealand trip, with lots of activities available in the area (swimming, snorkelling, hiking, kayaking, wine tasting....) without the need to drive far. The house is in a quiet cul-de-sac and well equipped with everything we needed - including canoes! We enjoyed watching the tuis (birds) at the feeder and sitting on the deck with a view of the bush. Carey was a great host and communicated regularly, including useful tips about things to do. We would come back any time! -
Lovely, comfortable home, plenty of room for 4 adults. Spotlessly clean. Great location in quiet street. A short walk to the beach and shore walks. The biscuits Carey left were delicious too. -
What was set up as a non-sim exchange became, by mutual consent, a hosting from Carey and Peter. Add to that Cyclone Gabrielle and we were in for quite the adventure. To say I was welcomed like a member of the family would be an understatement... I was part of the family as I got to meet Anna and her fiance Josh as well as Robbie. All I missed is meeting Clare... I think Carey and Peter epitomize what PLU stands for. They were generous, friendly, took a genuine interest in my stories and went the extra mile to make my stay a very memorable one. Even had me working (:)). Joking aside when one of the neighbor's came to Peter to ask for some help to take care of trees the cyclone had damaged I understood just how deeply rooted they are in their community and how it was natural for them to give back. Their home is very well located in an otherwise sunny location. You will be waken up by birds in the morning and will enjoy beautiful sunrises and sunsets either at walking or very short driving distance ( could not experience it myself-cyclone) but you should. The house is very confortable. It is obvious an unequivoble that I recommend an exchange in Algies Bay and if you are so lucky getting to meet Carey and Peter which I very proudly call my friends now. -
Carey and Peter were superb hosts - great communication, spotless home, helpful advice, thoughtful welcome goodies, and lots of local information. We had some challenging weather during our stay and Carey reached out mid stay to make sure we were comfortable. Their home is in a beautiful semi-rural neighbourhood, a very short 'jungle' walk to a lovely private beach. There is lots to do in the surrounding area and some good restaurants a short drive away. Thanks for the hospitality! We really enjoyed our stay. -
Carey and Peter's home is in a quiet location backing on to farmland and just a short walk through to a beach. The house is very comfortable and had everything we needed, including a very welcome bottle of wine after our journey there! Their house enabled us to spend a week in this beautiful part of New Zealand. After enjoying breakfast on the deck each morning listening to and watching the tui, we ventured out to explore the area. The suggestions Carey and Peter left were very helpful. The area is lovely. Lots of stunning scenery all along the coastline and walks. Our favourites were Scandretts Regional Park, Martin's Bay, Scott's Landing, Omaha, Buckleton Beach, Leigh and Matheson's Bay (great beach). Lots of cafes, wineries, markets, etc. Would recommend the mail boat to Kawau Island which we have done on a previous occasion, and we also re-visited Warkworth and Matakana. All in all, a great week based at Peter and Carey's home! Communication was good throughout and any questions answered promptly. Hopefully we will have a chance to meet one day, but in the meantime, thank you for exchanging with us! Penny and Iain -
Carey and Peter's home is in a really nice location, being close to a lovely beach but yet privately tucked away with views of their lovely native bush backyard and a farmyard paddock. They have done a magnificent job with making a forest in their backyard, and it was great to wake up with the sun on the trees and birds singing all around! Their house was very comfortable and had everything needed. We found so much to do in this area of NZ, and Carey's trip suggestions were extremely useful; we enjoyed all the walks and explorations that were highlighted in the suggestions. We spent 2.5 weeks at Carey and Peter's house and found so much to do. -
Carey and Peter have a lovely comfortable home in a great location. Situated in a quiet culdesac alongside a farm and bush - you would hardly know that you were in the suburbs! A great location from which to explore - and so much on offer close by - beach and park walks, a great Farmers Market in nearby Matakana, many good restaurants and bars to visit - we had a ball Thanks so much for your hospitality Peter and Carey - your delicious chocolate slice and wine were much appreciated Looking forward to repaying the favour! -
We have just returned from 4 nights at Carey’s house. We have three young kids and found the house was absolutely perfect. Nice quiet street. Lovely bush walk down to the beach, which the kids loved. The area had everything we needed and lots to do without having to travel far. Great coffee, ice cream parlour, parks, winery, cafes all within short driving distance. Our house was left spotless which was lovely to come home to. Communication throughout was excellent and we were all on the same page. -
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