After being recommended this gorgeous property by several people I took time out to have a look for myself. This characteristic complex offered great hospitality; the host walked us up to the brand new suite, gave us the grand tour and was extremely accommodating. The view from our room was nothing short of breathe taking. This tastefully decorated room had absolutely everything you could possibly need and want, the bed was great haven't slept that well in a long time. The first night was spent mostly on the balcony which was big enough to invite a small party to, with a lovely big BBQ, coming from the South Island I hadn't spent a night on a balcony in a long time, the weather alone is worth a visit to the Bay of Islands. I could feel every fibre in my body relaxing with every minute I spent in these luxurious surroundings. Everything from the food and the service was good enough to write home about too. The only thing I wasn't happy about was that I had to leave...

We went camping here for Easter weekend, I emailed in advance to ask about facilities, i.e power points in bathrooms and was assured they were available. I then called to book and got offhandedly told not to worry about booking just turn up there were lots of spots with nice views. Once we arrived however it appeared its better to book as we ended up in a not so great spot. however we didnt let that get us down, as we still felt the scenery nice, and the pool area is great and handy when youre travelling with kids. However, I discovered there are no power points in ladies if you want to use a hair dryer, (there is in the mens? ) so that was also disappointing to be mislead. Decided to not let that ruin anything either, but found in general the shower/ toilet facilities really grubby. There was no hand soap for two days, so i went to mention it and got a rather cool reception as though I was asking for the world! the toilets also had number twos on seat and blowflies hovering. I know its camping but have stayed at other grounds that were way cleaner.
I also had friends of ours coming to join us the following day, they called to book and ended up having a major argument with staff member over the phone, and over heard this person whilst handing over the phone to the manager, "ive got this real [-] on the phone! I only found one person friendly, the gentleman owner. Just a bit disappointing when they have such a lovely spot. Cleaner toilets would be a start. It just grossed me out.

Our stay at the Haruru Falls Resort was the final leg of our summer holiday camping trip. We were impressed with the lovely setting; view of the Falls and water, pool, lovely trees...
Unfortunately, things seemed to not go so well from there. The climb to the kitchen and ablutions was either up a steep and uneven incline or via some narrow concrete stairs. Not good if one has a disability, and generally unsuitable for disabled and elderly persons. The laundry was in a run down building, even further up a steeper part of the uneven incline. When cooking in the kitchen we read the notice on the wall referring to campers who did not use a chopping board as being "ignorant". We were also somewhat put off by the "noises" that were filtering through the wall from the mens toilet and shower block. The only refuse disposal we were able to find was a bin in the kitchen which another note said was for "kitchen refuse" only. All other camp rubbish was to be taken to the large bin, behind a large gate, again and further "up the steep and uneven incline".
On checking the women's facilities two of the three toilets were in need of a clean. One was particularly "messy" (no 2 on seat), so I went to the office to let staff know this. My concerns were not met well; after being stared at in silence, I repeated my concerns (with more description) only to be told that staff would be in in the morning to clean the area. I again repeated my concern, using the word "unhygenic", unsure that the young (afternoon) receptionist understood the condition of the worst toilet and again was met with a look that left me wondering why I was not being "heard". I finally told the young woman I would leave the matter with her. Checking later that evening the "messy" toilet had been cleaned.
Day 2 the weather went downhill and rain set in. Alot of rain!!! I saw the morning receptionist about cancelling our booking, and receiving a refund. I was told that refunds were not given and that a number of people had been asking but the manager was definite that they would not refund monies paid in advance. I decided to stay on, we had pain for 4 nights on arrival. However, after further thought I decided to see the manager to discuss this. The manager was unavailable that afternoon so we slept the night again and I went to see her first thing in the morning. She was adamant that there would be no refund, it was policy. I requested a copy of that policy and was told that I should have been told this on arrival. I had not been and told her that I had not received a receipt either. Her response was that they did not give receipts, this was their contribution to tree conservation. There was considerable to'ing and fro'ing on this and the outcome was that a refund was agreed to and would be forwarded to me. I was pleased to receive a cheque a week or so later.
How management deals with issues is fundamental in any industry and it seemed to us that there were problems in this area. Notices calling campers "ignorant" didn't bode well, nor did the ablution/kitchen facilities, and staff attitude to sorting out "messy" problems. "Tree conservation" would be well served by providing recycling facilities and would embrace the commitment people have these days to saving the planet. Advising clients of policy regarding refunds would be wise as people are expected to pay in advance and do so. Often up to "weeks" in advance. Clear guidelines on this would be appreciated by potential cliental I am sure.
Whilst we will not be returning, I note that this is a lovely spot and with changes to at least some of the areas noted, and maybe more "smiles" from management and staff, staying here could be a great way to spend some time away from home. I would also note that there are areas around the "up the steep and uneven incline" and laundry area that are an accident waiting to happen; the ground is very uneven with potholes and paths with broken concrete.

On the occasion of the Waitangi Celebrations in early February, I and four others traveled to take part in the festivities with the intention of staying at this establishment. Unfortunately when we arrived in Kawawa having traveled from Whakatane , we found that our reservation had been cancelled and the resort was fully booked. We continued on to Haruru Falls anyhow, with nowhere else to go, five weary travelers and incessant rain, arriving about 10.30pm that night.

Henry, the manager/owner had by that time arranged to have us stay in another hotel, in Kaikohe- another 20 minutes further travel away, for which we were very appreciative under the circumstances.

Our booking had been cancelled because there was no record of there being a confirmation made thus rendering the reservation null and void. As PA I had made both the reservation and confirmation as well as authorizing credit card payment of the deposit for our room. But no record could be found of the transaction.
However although Henry was certain that the resort's systems were such that this type of error could not be made he promised us that if he found that the resort staff were in error, he would cover our accommodation costs for the two nights we were booked for.

We opted to return to Haruru Resort the following night anyhow, happy with the arrangements which we had agreed upon. The following morning we were to find that our accommodation in Kaikohe had been taken care of and upon arrival at Haruru Falls found that our accommodation was provided with an extra room added on for our further comfort. Our deposit had been found and the error discovered. As promised, the Resort covered the cost of our accommodation and our deposit was duly refunded.

We found the accommodation pleasant and the service we received to be excellent with the remedy to our particular situation providing us with a measure of service that we have all considered outstanding.

While it is easy to complain when things go wrong, it is also important to acknowledge the efforts of those who endeavor to make things right.
I would like to take this time to thank Henry and his staff for making our stay a pleasant one, which we hope to repeat when we again travel to the north on future occasions.

We have all taken the opportunities when presented to us to share our experience at this establishment with others we have come into contact with as we felt that such a positive experience was worth the sharing.