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Elegant 1-Bdr self-contained Guest-Wing at the 150-year-old Aratapu School House

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Dining
Smart TV, books
Fridge, microwave, oven, electric kettle
1 bedroom, desk, iron/ironing board, free WiFi
Smart TV, books

Reviews

8.8 out of 10
Excellent

Entire apartment

1 bedroom1 bathroomSleeps 3

Popular amenities

  • Kitchen
  • Washing machine
  • Dryer
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Air-conditioning
  • Parking available

Explore the area

View in a map
Aratapu, Northland
  • Place, Dargaville Museum
    ‪8 min drive‬
  • Place, The Woodturners Kauri Gallery and Studio
    ‪8 min drive‬
  • Place, Taha Awa Riverside Gardens
    ‪10 min drive‬
  • Airport, Whangarei (WRE)
    ‪70 min drive‬

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About this property

Entire place

You'll have the entire apartment to yourself and will only share it with other guests in your party.

Elegant 1-Bdr self-contained Guest-Wing at the 150-year-old Aratapu School House

This STUNNING fully self-contained Guest-Wing is located in one of the most historic buildings in the region: WHARE KURA the 150-yr-old Aratapu School House!

The decor is gorgeous and lavish - nicknamed "Ponsonby Chic" style of embracing the Victorian era with a funky edge ... a truly bespoke and roomy "apartment".

Amenities Include:
> Elegant open-plan lounge-office-dining-kitchen
> Bathroom with toilet, shower, washing-machine & tumble-dryer
> Fabulous mezzanine bedroom with Queen, and SofaBed (wide Single / small Double - may not be comfortable for tall adults)
> Small front-door deck porch with Table+Chairs
> Generous free parking
> Rural setting

WHARE KURA is a huge 150-yr-old School House, and this fully self-contained Guest-Wing (with its own entrance) is roughly one-quarter of the large historic building.

The decor is STUNNING and fabulous for a Single or Couple wanting quality accommodation in a truly bespoke and authentically unique setting.
Also with the SofaBed, this means the apartment can also accommodate two Singles, or Couple+Single, or Parents with 1-2 children.

LOCATION: POUTO PENINSULA by the KAIPARA HARBOUR
> 1-min to Superette in Te Kopuru
> 5-mins to Dargaville town
> 10-mins to Supermarket
> 10-mins to Glinks Gully Beach
> 20-mins to Baylys Beach
> 30-mins to Kai Iwi Lakes
> 1-Hour to Tane Mahuta in Waipoua Forest on the Kauri Coast

POINTS TO NOTE:
> Excellent discounts available here online for stays of 28+ nights.
> Nightly rate is based on two guests sharing the Queen Bed as a couple.
If two single guests require both the Queen and Sofa beds, then an additional one-off $50 Extra Bed fee is payable.
> For stays of 3-Months-plus, an additional standard Rental Hire form is required to be signed.
During your stay at this apartment building, you'll be close to Zizania Hand Made Papers. Enjoy features like laundry facilities. Enjoy your stay with amenities like free WiFi and a kitchen in the apartment.
  • Air-conditioned apartment with kitchen, washing machine, and sofa bed
  • Free WiFi
  • Amenities include laundry facilities
  • 8 minutes by car from Zizania Hand Made Papers and 8 minutes from The Woodturners Kauri Gallery and Studio
This apartment offers its guests laundry facilities. The front desk is open around the clock.

Smoking is allowed in designated areas at this Aratapu apartment.

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in the apartment: Free WiFi

Parking and transport

  • Parking on site

Kitchen

  • Electric kettle
  • Microwave
  • Oven
  • Paper towels
  • Refrigerator
  • Toaster

Dining

  • Dining table

Bedrooms

  • Bedroom
  • Bedsheets provided
  • Sofa bed

Bathroom

  • 1 bathroom
  • Hair dryer
  • Shower
  • Soap
  • Toilet paper
  • Towels provided

Living spaces

  • Dining table
  • Living room
  • Separate dining area

Entertainment

  • Books
  • Smart TV with cable/satellite channels

Outdoor areas

  • Outdoor furniture
  • Porch/lanai

Laundry

  • Laundry facilities
  • Washing machine

Work spaces

  • Desk
  • Desk chair

Comfort

  • Air conditioning
  • Heating

Pets

  • No pets allowed

Suitability/Accessibility

  • Designated smoking areas

Services and conveniences

  • Iron/ironing board

Location highlights

  • In a rural location
  • Near a hospital

Things to do

  • Cycling nearby
  • Ecotours nearby
  • Fishing nearby
  • Swimming nearby

Safety features

  • Carbon monoxide detector not reported (host has not indicated whether there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property; consider bringing a portable detector)
  • Smoke detector (host has indicated there is a smoke detector on the property)
  • First aid kit
  • Fire extinguisher
  • Deadbolt lock

General

  • At least 80% lighting from LEDs
  • Eco-friendly cleaning products used
  • Recycling

Policies

Check-in

Check-in time starts at 3:00 PM
Contactless check-in available

Check-out

Check-out before 11:00 AM
Contactless check-out available

Special check-in instructions

You will receive an email from the host with check-in and check-out instructions
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools

Pets

  • No pets allowed

Children and extra beds

  • Children are welcome.

Events

No events allowed

Smoking

Smoking allowed: in designated areas

Important information

You need to know

This property is managed by a professional host. The provision of housing is linked to their trade, business, or profession.
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Onsite parties or group events are strictly prohibited
This property uses eco-friendly cleaning products
Host has not indicated whether there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property; consider bringing a portable detector with you on the trip
Host has indicated there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit, and a deadbolt lock
This property is managed through our partner, Vrbo. You will receive an email from Vrbo with a link to a Vrbo account, where you can change or cancel your reservation
You will receive an email from the host with check-in and check-out instructions. You will also receive an email from Vrbo with a link to a Vrbo account which will enable you to manage your booking.
If you cancel your booking, you'll be subject to the host's cancellation policy. In accordance with EU regulations about consumer rights, property booking services are not subject to the right of withdrawal.

Elegant 1-Bdr self-contained Guest-Wing at the 150-year-old Aratapu School House Reviews

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 10 out of 16 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 3 out of 16 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 1 out of 16 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 16 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 16 reviews

9.2/10

Cleanliness

9.0/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

4/10 Poor

Vera S., Sonoma

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2026

10/10 Excellent

Hamish G.

Liked: Cleanliness
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2025

6/10 Okay

annabel C.

Liked: Cleanliness
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Dion M.

Liked: Cleanliness
Classy and tasteful wing of the building done with period style touches.
Stayed 18 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Dion M.

Liked: Cleanliness
Awesome place to stay. Tastefully decorated and unique history.
Stayed 22 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Horst F.

Liked: Cleanliness

What a ool place

Such a cool place. We absolutely loved our stay at the old school house. Lovely and stylishly renovated and close to Dargaville and beaches.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

Janette

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is a beautiful property - fantastic decor - so many detailed touches. Whoever designed this is VERY talented! Absolutely everything you could need including a full kitchen. Only drawback was road noise - especially logging trucks at speed in early pre-dawn hours - which takes a little to get used to. Hopefully this will reduce as the road hedge thickens.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2025

8/10 Good

Michael D.

Liked: Cleanliness

Aratapu

Excellent in many ways, clean and tidy and well appointed. It would have been better if there was a toilet on the mezzanine as my wife has to use a walking stick and the bannister did not go all the way to the ground floor. Inconvenient at night if you wished to use the toilet.The road was noisy at times.The booking agency did not provide entry details before we arrived. The neighbours were very helpful.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2025

10/10 Excellent

Craig

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We very much enjoyed our stay at this property. It was very comfortable and spacious, with a lot of things provided (laundry, extensive kitchen items, TV, etc.). We found the place nicer than the photos and the reviews suggested it would be. The owners obviously take pride in the unit, as it was very nicely appointed and clean. We would definitely stay here again.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2025

8/10 Good

Pyt S.

Liked: Cleanliness

Nice stay in old skool

A very nice place to be.
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2024

10/10 Excellent

Richard V.

Liked: Cleanliness

Lots of Character !

We very much enjoyed our stay here. The schoolhouse has tons of charm. It is very well equipped. We would highly Recommend staying here. There is some traffic noise, So if you are a light sleeper, you might want to bring earplugs. The character Of this house far outweighs, the minor noise.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2024

10/10 Excellent

Ash H., Hastings

Liked: Cleanliness

Aratapu apartment

Well appointed unit. A bit of road noise, but nothing too bad. Would happily stay there again
Stayed 4 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Ash H., Hastings

Liked: Cleanliness

Whare Kura

Neat well appointed unit. Stayed for 8 nights while working in the area and would happily book again
Stayed 8 nights in May 2024

8/10 Good

Romitesh N.

Liked: Cleanliness

decent accommodation

nice place to stay
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023

4/10 Poor

Rex and Sheryl

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
The grounds were lovely, peaceful and private. The inside was shabby and grubby. Fridge and cupboards, dirty. We were aware and fully accepted that this was a work in progress but soap and water are cheap enough and elbow grease is free
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2023