A four bedroom house sleeping up to ten, room for a family or a group to spread out. Warm and sunny, double glazed throughout, with a big open plan living space that seats everyone and doors straight out to the deck. Seven minutes to Northlands for the shops, and a main route into the city the other way. Short walk to eateries, a pub, the off licence and a pharmacy. Two bathrooms, off street parking, BBQ, and a large fully fenced lawn. Stays of up to 90 days welcome. For longer, just ask.
✦ Arriving
You let yourselves in and the house is already warm, the double glazing and two heat pumps doing their work. A Nespresso machine and a plunger on the bench, the kettle and a box of teas alongside, with milk in the fridge and cookies to go with them, so the first cup is sorted the moment you walk in. Shampoo, conditioner and body wash in refillable pumps in the bathrooms, no little plastic bottles. Enough to get through the first evening without a supermarket run. There is a stand of local brochures by the door if you are still working out the week.
✦ The living space
The living room is where everyone ends up. A big grey sectional and a second blue sofa mean the whole group sits down at once, no one perched on an arm, with a couple of armchairs for the overflow. TV on the wall for when the day catches up with you. French doors open straight onto the deck and the lawn beyond, so on a good evening the inside and outside run together.
Built into the ottoman by the sofa there is a toy box. A little ukulele, a shape sorter, markers, a few board games. The kids find it in about thirty seconds, which buys you the time to get dinner on.
✦ The kitchen
Set up for cooking proper meals, not just reheating. Oven, hob, microwave and a full size fridge freezer, and the drawers are genuinely stocked: real crockery and glassware, sharp knives, pots and pans, a full set of utensils. A rice cooker if that is how you cook. The dining table seats the group with the living room right there, so whoever is cooking stays part of the conversation.
✦ Outdoor space
Out the back is where the house really spreads out. The deck comes first, a lounge setting for the afternoon and a table for dinner outside once the BBQ is going. Over summer a shade sail goes up above it, so you can sit out even when the sun is at full strength. Beyond the deck, a big flat lawn, fully fenced, with a bit of planting round the edges so you are not looking at a bare fence. It is the kind of space kids can actually use, for a ball game or just running off the day, while the adults stay put in the shade. Two spots really, so no one is on top of anyone, and with the fence right round you are not keeping half an eye on the gate.
✦ Configuration
Four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Two of the rooms have a queen plus an extra single each, which suits a family sharing or gives you somewhere to put an extra body without anyone drawing straws. The third is a queen, and the fourth has two singles, so the kids are sorted. Three queens and four singles in all, sleeping up to ten. There is also a sofa bed in the living room if you need to tuck a couple more children in. Both bathrooms have a corner shower and vanity, and one is an ensuite off the main bedroom, which keeps mornings moving when the house is full. Off street parking on the driveway, and the garage is available to guests as well.
✦ What is included
Crisp linen and towels, nothing to pack
Living room comfort, two heat pumps for warmth in winter and air conditioning through summer
Double glazing throughout, warm and quiet
Fast Wi-Fi, solid enough for video calls
TV with Netflix and the usual streaming apps
A kitchen set up for proper meals, oven, hob, microwave and a full-size fridge freezer
Dishwasher, no arguments about whose turn it is
Drawers properly stocked, real crockery and glassware, sharp knives, pots and pans
Coffee sorted, a Nespresso machine and a plunger, with milk and cookies to arrive to
Rice cooker, if that is how you cook
Refillable pump toiletries, no little plastic bottles
Washing machine, and a dryer in the garage, so you can unpack properly
BBQ on the deck, ready to go
A shade sail over the deck through summer
A toy box in the living room, found by the kids in seconds
A sofa bed for a couple more children if you need it
Portacot free to use, with a highchair and baby bath on request
Pets welcome on the fully fenced section
Off-street parking on a long driveway, plus a lockable double garage
EV charging from a standard outlet in the garage
Self check-in by lockbox, arrive when it suits you
✦ What guests love
Room to spread out, inside and out, for a big group or family without anyone on top of each other
A warm house, even arriving late on a cold night
Genuine quiet, no road noise despite being handy to town
A kitchen properly set up to cook real meals for a crowd
Comfortable beds and a spotless house on arrival
The fenced backyard and lawn, a hit with the kids and the dog
Easy off-street parking, the double garage, and a smooth self check-in
✦ Who this works well for
Families, with the fenced lawn, the toy box and the room to spread out, and the dog is welcome too since the section is fully fenced. Groups who want everyone under one roof. Business travellers and couples. And longer stays: relocating professionals, families between homes, visiting specialists and remote workers. With St George's Hospital five minutes down the road, we also see guests in for treatment or staying close to someone who is. The kitchen is set up for real cooking, with a washing machine and a dryer in the garage, so you can settle in properly. Stays of up to 90 days welcome. For longer, just ask.
✦ Guest access
The whole house is yours. No shared spaces and no one else on the property, so you come and go on your own schedule. That includes the garage, the deck, the fully fenced lawn and the off street parking on the driveway.
✦ Location
St Albans, north Christchurch. A quiet residential street, which guests comment on often, and yet you are right by a main route into the city with the northern motorway close by.
Northlands, the large shopping precinct, is seven minutes away: supermarkets, food court, restaurants, cinema and the public swimming pool. Merivale, with its cafes and Merivale Mall, is close too. A short walk gets you to a handful of eateries, a pub, the off licence, a pharmacy and a bakery round the corner, with a little further for Joe's Garage, Costa's Taverna for Greek, Burgers and Beer Inc, and the Tea Tavern. St George's Hospital is about five minutes away, handy if you are in for an appointment or visiting someone, and English Park is five minutes as well.
✦ Getting around
A car is the easiest way to get around from here. There is off street parking on the driveway and the garage as well, so there is room for a few vehicles. You are right by a main route into the city, with the northern motorway close for heading north or out to the airport, and buses run into town if you would rather not drive.
Rough drive times: seven minutes to Northlands, about twelve to Riverside Market and the central city, much the same out to the stadium and close enough for a game without paying to park in the middle of it, and around seventeen to the airport.
✦ Things to note
Self check in via a lockbox by the front door. The code comes through the day before, so you arrive when it suits you.
Please note there is a security camera with audio at the front door, for your safety and ours. It is outside the property and records entry and exit only.
Pets are welcome with a pet fee of $65 per pet, collected separately, so please contact us if you are planning to bring a pet.
A portacot is free to use, with a mattress and blanket supplied. Bring your own cot linen or hire ours for a small fee. A highchair and baby bath are available at extra cost as well. Just message us when you book and we will have everything ready at the house for your arrival.
✦ BookaHome
BookaHome has been managing Christchurch holiday homes for 14 years. We know the city, we know these properties, and we are contactable if anything needs sorting. We are available 8:30am to 10pm, seven days. Message through the platform or call the number in the welcome pack. Outside those hours, call us for anything urgent and someone will pick up.
Complimentary Planit travel planning service. A real person helps you plan your time in Christchurch: restaurant picks, day trips, what is on while you are here. Ask when you book. There is a brochure stand at the house to get you started.
✦ Book
Message us with your dates. Planning a longer stay? Tell us how long and we will sort the details.
