Guest Reviews
Welcoming Hosts. Perfectly placed half way along the trail.
Delighted to find this respite half way along the Pou Herenga Trail. Given the lack of accommodation around this area this was a “find”. Bruce and Sherill were very welcoming, lovely touches like biscuits and fruit. Bruce went above and beyond in terms of our very last minute decision to drive up and complete the trail. Highly recommend the Tucker Box option for dinner. Thoughtful touches and easy to cook. Thank you for a delightful stay.
Fantastic stopover for cyclists.
Great Kaikohe B&B location. Thrilled to have access to the pool. Well stocked house with all the amenities you need & lots you don’t! Super clean house, Friendly hosts. Mid-range accommodation at top-range pricing which isn’t surprising given theres no local alternatives really. Priced per person, so definitely worth it for just a couple or solo cyclist. Recommended.
Friendly, local and flexible place to stay.
Bruce and Sherill are lovely, warm hosts. They went above and beyond to be accommodating to all our needs including a special diet. We loved all the little extra treats like fejoia compote and digestive bikkies that were provided. The location is warm, cozy and peaceful after a long day on the trail. They also checked in on us when our arrival was delayed which was appreciated from a safety perspective. I couldn’t recommend it more highly!!
Kia ora Bruce,
I wanted to thank you and Shirley for your hospitality at Mulga Bills. It was exceptional. We could tell that you had thought of many little details, such as something to eat on arrival, that made the experience even more comfortable. It was much appreciated. Thank you.
Hi there Bruce & Sherill
By now I’m sure you’ve found the keys to the cottage on your outside table. At least I hope so!
We had such a lovely overnight stay at your place. Thank you. We enjoyed meeting you both and the chats we had. The tucker box was absolutely delicious and very generous. Thank you.
We are heading back to Auckland now (somewhat reluctantly). The far north is a very special part of Aotearoa New Zealand. Thanks for sharing it.
Best,
My granddaughter and I had a wonderful overnight stay at Mulga Bill’s after a strenuous day of biking against the wind.
Everything was super comfortable. It is very spacious with a lovely outlook. I was impressed that the hosts were able to cater to my granddaughter’s dietary requirements (she is vegan) – no hassle. Highly recommended for relaxing after enjoying the Coast to Coast cycleway. Local history and information freely offered too!
Great stopover at the Twin Coast Trail half way point.
The Twin Coast Cycle Trail is a fantastic new coast-to-coast 87k trail from Opua (in the Bay of Islands) to Horeke on the West Coast, where it ends at a fantastic historic pub. Its a fairly new trail opened in 2017 and at first accommodation was limited – but Mulga Bill’s (named after a classic Australian children’s book) is just off the trail at the half-way mark, so is a perfect option for those who like to start at one end and finish at the other (various bike hire places can ferry you back to the start/end.) Mulga Bill’s is an official partner to the trail, which is great.
Pretty much you are getting a two-bedroom house (with additional sleeping in the lounge) with kitchen, bathroom, deck, heat pump etc in the farm of your warm local hosts Bruce and Sherril, who built it. Bikes can be stored securely in a shed. With more bedding possible in the lounge this is a flexible great value options for couples to groups. Local options for food are limited, but your hosts can provide food for you to cook – and we got fantastic farm and local produce with homemade sauces (gluten free as requested) and excellent steaks. We also took the breakfast option eating with our hosts in their main family home, which was great.
Bruce and Sherril have travelled widely and are great company as well as making a great breakfast. We did our coast to coast ride in September 2018, and this was a great part of the ride. We hope to do it in the other direction later next year!
Wanted to say thank you again for the great accommodations at Mulga Bill’s. We felt very lucky to have chosen to stay at your special biker’s oasis on our Twin Coast cycle trip. It would not have been as comfortable without your TLC that your and Sherril provide along the trail. We have told many cruisers that if they should consider a stay at Mulga Bill’s along their bike journey.
We survived day two thanks to the amazing dinner and the equally amazing breakfast spread. Loved every minute of our stay with you. Thank you for sharing your stories and the history of the area. Wish we could have stayed for hours, but the bike trail was calling us.
Again we want to thank you and Sherril for a wonderful place you have created for visitors to stop along the Twin Coast Bike Trail.
This is a great, relaxing place to stay with everything you need. The location is rural, convenient and very close to the trail. The cottage has 2 bedrooms with very comfortable beds. The lounge, and fully equipped kitchen area are spacious. Everything is new and extremely clean. There is even a swimming pool to cool off in. The hosts – Bruce and Sherril are extremely hospitable, helpful and provide a very fortifying breakfast. We really appreciated the attention to detail, such as the snacks that greeted us on our arrival. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and highly recommend it. Shona.
I’m writing on behalf of my parents who stayed during their cycling trip (David Watson). The hosts were so friendly and helpful. Swimming pool was fantastic. Just what was needed after a long ride.
Highly recommend this place!!
Definitely value for money and we highly recommend it.
We had a wonderful 3 night stay at Mulga Bill’s. Bruce and Sherril are warm, welcoming hosts who pay attention to every detail. The accommodation was spotlessly clean and extremely comfortable. We were fortunate that Bruce knows a local Kaumatua, Wallace, who came and gave us a talk on the local area and its history on the night we arrived. We opted for Mulgar Bill’s Tuckerbox for 2 nights and really recommend this option. The meats were lovely and tender and there was a huge variety of vegetables. We also opted for the cooked breakfast which Bruce cooked and it was so nice to spend time chatting with him while we ate our breakfast. Definitely value for money and we highly recommend it.
The personal touch really added to our stay.
The 4 of us had a fabulous 2 nights at Mulga Bill’s. The personal touch really added to our stay – things like the Easter eggs, chocolate biscuits, bottles of water in the fridge and…… thanks for letting us use your stunning pool. We ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND MULGA BILL’S AS GREAT VALUE FOR MONEY. Starting in the middle of the track and going out to the coast each day is a great way to ride the Twin Coasts. This is a perfect bike trail for families or for relatively inexperienced cyclists and we are spreading the word rapidly in the South Island.
Wonderfully located stopover… healthy dinner.
I would like to highly recommend the accommodation provided at Mulga Bill’s Stopover.
The accommodation is located at a very good half way point if cyclists wish to do the Pou Herenga Tai Twin Coast Cycle Trail over two days.
Besides it being a wonderfully located stopover after 46kms of riding on your first day from Opua to Kaikohe, hosts, Bruce and Sherill, are very friendly, helpful and provide you will all the home comforts you need to stay overnight. Sherill prepared us the ingredients for a healthy dinner which we enjoyed preparing and cooking ourselves. We were invited to the McNabb’s residence the next morning for a very filling, wholesome breakfast which provided us with all the ‘goodies’ we needed for the final day of the cycle trail.
Thank you Bruce and Sherril. Janine and I enjoyed our stay at Mulga Bill’s Stopover very much and have already mentioned your accommodation to a number of our friends who are keen to follow suit in the future! All the best.
Warm regards
We recently stayed two nights at Mulga Bill’s. We thought the cottage was delightful. The lounge and well-equipped kitchen are large and airy. There is plenty of crockery and cutlery and even ‘little extras’ in the fridge. The beds have high-quality bedding and electric blankets. Bruce and Sherril have thought of everything (even torches in the bedroom drawers).
We breakfasted with our gracious hosts on delicious wholemeal porridge and homemade bread and jam!
Highly recommended. Thank you Bruce and Sherril.