Our Home Stay - Learn English NZ

Let us tell you about our home. It is located in Plimmerton, a village around 25 minutes by train or motorway north of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. The village is beside the sea, looking out on Mana Island and the South Island of New Zealand, the perfect place for you to learn English on vacation. One side of our home looks onto a valley of native forest that abounds with NZ native birds including NZ owls (moreporks), tui and kereru. It is very nice to walk down the hill through the bush, drink coffee in one of the small cafés beside the seafront and then walk back by the sea. We live in a large 3 bedroom wooden house that has native timber interior. It is a 15 minute walk to the nearest shop and café, and a 10 minute train ride to the nearest shopping mall in Porirua. Wellington city, 25 minutes away, has many shops, cafes and other entertainment.

The house is around 45 minutes from Wellington airport, with bus and train connections to Plimmerton where we will meet you at the station. Alternatively, we can meet you at the airport to begin to learn English on holiday.

We have no pets in the house, but a lot of wildlife outside.

Your own private bedroom overlooks the bush. It is a bright and sunny, fully carpeted double room. It has a queen bed, a desk, plenty of shelving space for books, hanging space for your clothes and a chest of drawers. We also have a room with a double bed, desk and shelving space that is sometimes available. Between these rooms is a sitting area for your private use though we encourage you to sit with us in other parts of the house.

You won’t be in your room much of the time as the house is spacious and can easily accommodate everyone.

On the same floor as your room there is a shower, bath and toilet for your own use. There is also a utility room with shared washing machine.

One of the main living areas, the kitchen/dining area, is also on this floor and opens onto a wooden deck with all day sun. On fine days and evenings, we sit outside or take our meals on the deck. The lounge is also on this floor with a log burner that heats the whole house in winter.

On the second floor of the house is our room for our personal use.

On the third floor is the study where many of your lessons will take place. This room looks over the sea to the stunning mountains of the South Island of New Zealand. Here there is a range of books, worksheets, video/tv/dvd, computer, internet access, and writing materials for you to use. It is a stunning place to study or relax.

We don't allow smoking in our house and many places in New Zealand are smokefree.

You will see that we have exceptional natural and beautiful surroundings, with lots of trees, birds, sea and views. The street is quiet and there is a path that takes you to the beach in only 5 minutes. It is a cul-de-sac and therefore the only traffic is that of the people living here. Sometimes one of your classes may be with another teacher to give you practice in varying accents and ways of talking. New Zealanders are known for their clear pronunciation of British English. We make every effort for it to be enjoyable for you to learn English on holiday.