FAQs

The standard times are 10.00am for check-out and from 2.00pm for check-in. 

If you want a later checkout than 10am speak to the property’s managers. The owners sometimes come on Sunday. They do not normally arrive until  late in the day and when they are the next occupants the place is not serviced until Monday. Late checkouts on Sundays may be able to be arranged.

Guests are provided with a Code for the front door so they can check-in anytime after 2.00pm, no matter how late.

Yes. Omaio has ultra-fast broadband with unlimited data and guests are able to use it. 

There is a WiFi in the home theatre on the ground floor and another in the kitchen on the top floor. The network name  and password are provided in the house. The home theatre TV is supplied by ethernet connection from the modem.

Yes. There is a hotel-type security box in the walk-in robe in the Master bedroom suite. Guests are able to set the code for their own use.

It is large enough to hold most laptops comfortably.

The principal means of heating and cooling is heat pumps. There are 8 located in the house. These can be set as low as 17 degrees centigrade to provide cooling in summer.

They are set in winter at around 20-21 degrees and this provides good ambient temperature in the house, which is well insulated.

There is a Guide on how to use the heat pumps on the shelf in the family dining room. If you are. not familiar with the operation of heat pumps it is well worth reading this Guide.

Yes. However, there are some differences between a house lift and a lift in a commercial building or apartment block. 

The doors do not open automatically when the lift arrives at a floor. Whether you are inside or outside you have to press a door release button and then open the door.

The light in the lift operates  with a movement sensor. It should go on whenever anyone enters the lift and stay on for several minutes. If the sensor is not working call the property’s managers.

You must make sure the door is firmly shut when you get in or out. If a door is not properly shut the lift will not operate at all. This is for safety.

Electricity faults on the network are not common but should one happen there is a gas fire in the formal lounge and a gas BBQ on the deck. There are also torches, LED battery night lights cum torches, candles and matches. 

Water should remain hot and available for a quite lengthy period (there are several water heaters). If the freezer should thaw there may also be a minor issue with the ice maker. Call the property managers.

Yes. There is a fire extinguisher on the wall of the family lounge by the kitchen. There is another on the back wall of the garage.

There is a fire blanket on the wall behind the door into the kitchen from opposite the lift door and another on the wall outside the downstairs toilet next to the laundry.

There are two more fire blankets in the ensuite dressing room and two in the upstairs back bedroom wardrobe. Located with these are ladders, bolt cutters, heavy hammers and, in the ensuite, an enclosed crate attached to a rope  for lowering small children or pets from the top floor.

Not very likely. Even if someone stands in the shower for ages this will not effect the supply of hot water for the kitchen as the systems are independent.

There is an electric califont shower by the pool that will provide a hot shower even if the main water cylinder, which is supersized, has been used.

The washing machine heats its own water as do the swimming pool and spa.

Yes. The Bay Bar and Brasserie is within easy walking distance. Its in the Acacia Bay shopping centre on the left as you enter the built up area.

It is open from 12.30 pm until around 10.00 pm every day, except Mondays.

Dine-in menus, full bar with craft beer a specialty and take-aways (wood-fired pizzas and chips).

This is a link to Bay Bar’s website.

Phone 07-378-8886.

L’Arte Cafe & Gallery is about 2.5 km or 30 minutes walk uphill along Māpara Road from Omaio.

It is open Wednesday to Sunday from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm.

It has all day breakfast and lunch menus and a gallery shop that specialises in funky pottery. Alice’s Chair in Besley Park at the start of Māpara Road is a large example. Art works are a feature of the grounds.

Link to L’Arte Cafe & Gallery for menus and photos.

Phone 07-378-2962.

Acacia Bay North is set aside largely for swimming and kayaks. Acacia Bay South is mainly for motor boats.

The quickest way on foot to Acacia Bay North from Omaio is:

• go along Wakeman Road – the road that runs across the hill below Omaio –  to just before #77;  
• go down the hill using the signposted footpath. This comes out at Ewing Grove;
• go about 50m along Ewing Grove to the next downhill signposted footpath;
• walking down this brings you out at the bay next to Taupō Kayaking Adventures. 

The beach, changing sheds and toilet are over the road. There is a pontoon in the bay. The red and white 5 knot buoy is about 350 metres offshore. You can rent kayaks at the bay. 

Link to Taupō Kayaking Adventures

In summer the water temperature is around 20 degrees. Refreshing but not cold.

There are two main public boat ramps in Acacia Bay. Both are only a short drive from Omaio.

One is at Acacia Bay South. The quickest route is:

• go right at the end of the drive into Māpara Road
• turn right into Wakeman Road
• proceed for about 1.5 km then turn left downhill into Acacia Bay Road
• the park for boat trailers and the boat ramp are a short distance downhill. 

The other, which is closer to Omaio, is at the end of  Alberta Street that runs down to the lake beside the Acacia Bay shopping centre.

The quickest route is:

• go right at the end of the drive into Māpara Road
• turn left into Wakeman Road
• proceed down hill until you approach the shopping centre
• turn right into Alberta Street just before the shopping centre
• the boat ramp and parking are at the end of this street.

A permit is required to use public boat ramps in Taupō. Apart from the ramp at Kinloch, which is privately owned and requires a separate permit, the ramps are owned by the Crown.

You can buy a permit from many agents around the lake or on-line. There is an instant fine for using a Crown ramp without a permit.

This links to the webpage about ramp permits and how to get an ePermit.

Yes. There is a collection of board games  on the bookcase in the home theatre: chess; draughts; monopoly; scrabble;  snakes and ladders; backgammon; dominoes; cards and others. There are also a number of jigsaw puzzles, including some for young children.

Omaio has a large nearly flat lawn overlooked by both the ground floor and upstairs patios.

In addition, Besley Park is a couple of minutes walk away. It has two children’s playgrounds, two tennis courts, a basketball half court and a pétanque area. There is also a large flat area for football, touch or cricket.

One of the two playgrounds has been rated by a survey of kids as the best in Taupō by a big margin. It’s designed as a pirate ship. The other has old style equipment, including a long slide and swings. Not very “pc” and a nostalgic experience for the aged.

Yes. There are several balls – rugby, basketball, netball, football, and a ball for playing tapuae –  a backyard cricket set, a croquet set, pétanque boules, tennis equipment, badminton equipment, a frisbee and some other items. There are also several cones  for marking out fields of play and two small folding football goals.

The sports equipment is stored on a rack in the garage.

If you are not familiar with the Māori game tapuae you will find a video to watch by searching on Youtube.

Tapuae means footsteps. The large bay in front of Omaio is called Tapuaeharuru or echoing footsteps.

No. A wide range of kayaks can be hired from Taupō Kayaking Adventures. Their base is opposite the beach in Acacia Bay North. 

Link to Taupō Kayaking Adventures.

Phone 027 -480-1231 or 07 376-8981. They provide life jackets etc.

For instructions on how to walk from Omaio to Taupō Kayaking Adventures in Acacia Bay North see the answer to the FAQ about where to swim in the lake close to Omaio.

No. There are several places offer bikes to rent in Taupō. There is a wide range of road, mountain and e-bikes available.

There are several plugs in the garage for charging e-bikes. 

The council has recently completed a bike path down Acacia Bay Road to the town. This links to the path along the lake edge to Five Mile Bay. Its nearly 40km round trip virtually all on smooth paved bike path.

Link to bike rentals on Love Taupō website.

The Māori rock carvings at Ngatoroirangi or Mine Bay are among the most visited features around Taupō. They are only accessible by water. There are a number of vessels that take people to see them. These leave from the marina at the mouth of the Waikato River  close to the centre of town. See https://lovetaupo.com

However, you can also paddle to see them by kayak from the hire place as Acacia Bay North. https://tka.co.nz .

Another way is to swim there. To do this, drive along aWakeman Road and then Acacia Bay Road until it becomes a private road. Park in the area provided. Take the Rangitira Point Walking Track that starts at the carpark and when you get to the first branch turn to go west. Continue  until you get to a boat ramp.

If you enter the water here you have about a 1 km swim towards the west to reach the carvings. Use a swim buoy and stay close to shore to avoid vessels.

You can walk further along the track and reduce the swim to the carvings to about 450 m but entry and exit from the water is over slippery rocks and not great fun.

Yes. The main kitchen and scullery are upstairs but there is a kitchenette on the ground floor opposite the home theatre and between the bedrooms. 

It is set up for preparing hot and cold drinks, continental breakfast and snacks. There is a microwave, a dishwasher, a small fridge, toaster, Nespresso machine, cutlery, crockery, beverage ware and a sink.

Yes. The washing machine and dryer are on the ground floor in the same area as the kitchenette.

All linen and towels etc are professionally laundered and so the washing machine is only medium sized for dealing with clothes.

The dryer is a heat pump. It is plumbed to the waste water pipes, super energy efficient and needs no outside venting. It has a rack that inserts inside so you can use it to dry boots and shoes. Fantastic. You’ll probably want to take it home.

There is also a special stand for drying boots, gloves and  helmets against the back wall in the garage. It can dry 4 items at a time using heated or unheated airflow.

The ironing board is built into the lakeside end of the island in the upstairs kitchen. You open a draw and pull it out. There is an iron in the cupboard below.

The ironing board is built into the lakeside end of the island in the kitchen. 

You open the draw at the top and carefully pull out the ironing board. It folds back into the draw.

The steam iron is kept in the cupboard below.

Yes. The formal lounge has a gas fireplace at one end.

This is operated by switches on the wall to the left of the fireplace as you look at it. 

Most of the heating of the house is provided by 8 heat pumps. The fire is more for  sitting around but it does provide good heat in the lounge.

Yes. There is a Weber gas BBQ on the upstairs patio. This is easily accessed from the kitchen area.

There is a Optoma Laser  projector, a large screen and surround sound. The basic TV service is  Vodafone TV with the main Sky packages – general. sport, movies, news. There is also Netflix.

There is a CD player, a DVD player and an Xbox One S with headphones.

A collection of approximately 150 classic and children’s DVDs are on a shelf.

The Xbox has an Ultimate Game Pass that provides access to most poplar games – Fortnite, Need for Speed, Minecraft, etc – and many many others. About 200 in total.

There are simple to follow instructions in the Guide folder in the family dining room and also in the home theatre itself. 

Vodafone TV, Sky packages and Netflix, plus other online services, are also available on a smart TV in the formal lounge.

Yes. There is a DVD player in the home theatre along with approximately 150 classic and children’s DVDs.

Plenty of scope for nostalgia. Lots of chick flicks. Not many horror or war movies.

There is also Netflix.

Yes. There is an Xbox One S in the home theatre. It has an Ultimate Game Pass subscription that provides access to most of the poplar games and many more. 

Yes. In the main kitchen there are three Miele ovens – microwave combination, steam and conventional – and a Panasonic microwave. There is also a cake mixer, a blender, a slow cooker, a rice cooker, a sandwich toaster, and a built in plate warmer.

Depending on what the previous guests have used there are basic baking ingredients in the pantry cupboard and the oils, sauces and flavourings etc used by cooks in the cupboard beside the dishwasher under the sink. These are there for guests to use. Often there are packets of cake mix and microwave pop-corn. Great fun for children.

Yes. There are two travelling cots and mattress in a cupboard in the laundry. One cot can also be used as a basinet. There is a highchair in the same cupboard. Additional cots and high chairs are available on request from the property manager. 

It is 11 m by 3 m and 1.3 m deep.

There is an endless pool machine at one end. This creates a current against which to swim. The speed of the current is controlled by a remote. So the length of the pool does not mean you have to do lots of turns.

There are also a couple of  light weight 1 m x 1 m x 0.3 m swimming platforms. These can be placed in the pool for children to stand on when learning to swim.

The pool and spa are regularly valeted by Taupō Poolworld, usually on a Tuesday or Wednesday.

The pool temperature is set to 28.0 degrees. However, it automatically refills with cold water to the set level. If you splash lots of water out of the pool by, for example, “bombing” expect it to be colder, and potentially quite a bit colder on the surface.

Yes. These are in a purple folder on the sideboard in the family dinning area. There is more information than in the compendium provided by the property’s managers. 

The is a Guide for most of the things guests may be unfamiliar with – the ovens, elevator, gas fire, folding doors, pool, spa, fire equipment, audio-visual equipment and heat pumps.