This is my current house sitting job. I arrived a couple days ago and will be here until May 10th, then it’s straight on to a new farm sit. This place is a really nice home situated near Lake Rotoehu, which is located between Rotorua and Whakatāne and is the smallest in a chain of three lakes to the northeast of Lake Rotorua. The nearest town for me is Kawerau, which is about 24kms away, where they have a New World.
There’re quite a few residences around Lake Rotoehu, but they are mostly baches, so they only really get used during the public and school holidays. Outside those times, the baches are vacant, except for the odd visit by their owners to give the lawns a trim etc. The place I’m house sitting in is one of the few homes that is permanently occupied. It was originally a holiday bach but the owners have given it a serious makeover over the years and they have made it into a stylish and cosy home with lots of mod cons, including remote controlled blinds. The owners for this place have taken off to Bali for a couple weeks.
It’s a nice quiet area, and about all you hear is tui, bellbirds, fantails, and some cattle in the paddock on the other side of the road. The back section is bordered by a big block of native bush, and apparently there’re supposed to be feral wallabies running around in it so I might see some of them while I’m here.
Pet-wise, I have two kitty cats. Jessie is 18 years old and really friendly. If there’s no sun to sleep in she’ll glue herself to your lap. Despite her age, she’s still surprisingly mobile. Meesha is 8 years old and is also nice and friendly. Apparently she has a tumour near her nasal passage and thus she is essentially on borrowed time. At the moment she seems happy and relaxed and she has a good appetite which is pleasing to see, so fingers crossed I won’t have any issues with her while I’m here, though the owners have forewarned me that she could go downhill anytime.
But overall, I’m really liking it here so far and I can see this place being a firm favourite.
Jess
Meesha
2 Comments
Sue Harbottle
May 3 2025 at 8:09 AMI was quite shocked to read about one of the cats having a tumour. Does it cause her much discomfort?
Craig MacThòmais
May 5 2025 at 10:52 AMMeesha sneezes a fair bit, which I’m told is down to the tumour creating pressure on her nasal passage, and she also gets a weepy eye when she wakes up from having a sleep. But apart from that, she is quite a happy, chatty, and purry kitty cat. She also has a good appetite which is pleasing to see. Overall she’s currently looking really good, and I’ve haven’t seen any signs of her going downhill since I’ve been here.