Tipi & Bobs Waterfront Lodge

It was a very comfortable apartment with stunning views overlooking tryphena Bay and right out to the Coromandel Peninsula. We were two couples and one bedroom had a queen size bed and the other two single beds there's a reasonable size lounge and kitchen facilities and dining table. There was nothing about the accommodation we were disappointed at. Perhaps we should have been warned we had to take away all rubbish as we had to put it and they are cases intake back to Auckland. There is a nice restaurant down the road and we went there two nights because we loved the Thai food.

Well, we (2 couples) had a lovely time in this accommodation. Unit 1 is the pick of all units - we were the only ones staying... Why? Where were you???? The views were amazing the beds very comfortable. The unit was very clean and spacious. It was somewhat of a surprise that we had to take our rubbish back to Auckland with us. Just as well we had some room in our bags for it - perhaps we should have been warned. It seems there's nowhere to put it.

A short walk (7 minutes) to the shop and pub this is an ideal location to be close to the action yet tucked away in a peaceful spot over looking the bay. Our large 2 bedroom unit had everything we needed for our week on the island, a fridge, TV, a 2 ring gas cook top and a good shower. With the island being off the grid the power is solar / battery 24 / 7 running the lights & fridge and gas for cooking and hot water. Generator power to activate power points runs for a couple of hours each evening. The beach below the property overs a shallow water swimming option whilst a 10 min walk gets you to sandy Shoal Bay at Gooseberry Flat.

Pleasant spot just out of "town". Walked out for dinner each night.|View from deck.| Parking a bit tight but ok.|Clean and tidy, but would have prefered a bit more seating in the lounge area. Steps up to the unit.|Parts of the Lodge were setup for dining, but that is no longer offered.

We had a 2 bedroom unit which was spacious enough for us four women. Fresh comfortable single beds. Staff were very friendly and accommodating but was a drag about limited power supply which is only on when the restaurant is operating. One USB port is the only thing that works day long. Some maintenance particularly on windows also needed. The restaurant is leased to lovely Canadian couple which is currently only open Friday & Saturday nights. Beautiful food and super convenient to walk back upstairs for bed

We had a week in our spacious 2 bed room (sleeps 4) apartment with sea views. The generous lounge dining area meant we could spread out and relax. Our side facing deck got the morning sun and gave us sea views. The room had a fridge, TV, a 2 ring gas cook top and a good shower. The walk to the Stone store and Irish pub is ~ 7 mins. With the island being off the grid the power is solar / battery 24 / 7 running the lights, fridge and hot water. Generator power to activate power points runs for a couple of hours from 9am and again from 6pm (ironically times you will likely be out of the apartment) The set up is fairly self serviciant and there is an expectation that you takeaway your rubbish and recycling. The on site restaurant and bar is closed although they are doing dinner on Friday nights over the summer (booking essential). The beach below the property overs a shallow water swimming option whilst a 10 min walk gets you to sandy Shoal Bay at Gooseberry Flat.

The location is great as there is walking distance to store / cafe / irish pub / Barrier Social Club. The restaurant is currently closed, but they do Friday night meals which were good and well patronised. Room 1 is the pick of the bunch as it has deck views across the bay. The expectation that you have to take your own rubbish to the tip (13 km away) is a bit rough, all rubbish is generated on the island, we didn't bring it with us, if you didn't have a car (we did) how could you possibly get to the tip. I think the owners should just collect it (as would normally happen with a motel) and put it out with their own regular weekly rubbish collection. Rooms were good, beds comfortable, power didn't always go on and off at the stated times, probably needs to be on a timer, needs a bit of TLC. overall we enjoyed our stay tho'

I have stayed here three times. I was told that the generator would go on every morning at 10am. Every single time I've stayed here the generator was turned on at random times in the morning. Anything from 10am through to 12pm - clearly whenever they got around to it. Unfortunately this meant that I could not charge my phone or my laptop (which I need for work) as the generator is turned off at 9pm the previous night and none of the power points work when the generator is not operating. A usb plugin is available to charge your phone however my charger doesn't use that connection so my devices went flat until the generator went on - this massively affected my work. One time I had snorers on either side of my wall so I found it really hard to sleep - could do with a little maintenance with insulation. It is just so difficult to find anything that is reasonably priced (even around $200/night) that is comfortable, and has working wifi on Great Barrier Island. This place would be so ideal if there was some attention given to detail. Also: please bring back the food and bar! Such a shame to lose it! I realise that there is the expectation that tourists lower their standards on Great Barrier as resources are not the same as the mainland but when you are taking $200 per night from people (minimum), you should really be giving a higher standard of service.