We did not get off to a good start. Booking.com had not notified our hosts we had booked. Fortunately, we rang the hosts before arriving, they rushed home and were there to greet us. They might have refused the booking had they known about it as they had an electrical problem that meant no lighting in our bathroom while they waited for the long weekend to be over and an electrician to be available. However, they were able to hook up a desk light in the bathroom and it worked just fine. We arrived complete strangers but left feeling like good friends. We had a wonderful time. Great conversations over breakfast while watching the doves and other wildlife flying past. Lovely walk around the garden. Penny and Andrew are fantastic hosts and Shurinji felt like a home away from home.

Accommodation and hosts could not be faulted. Booking.com dropped the ball big time.

Welcoming hosts: showed us around their garden AT LENGTH! Very knowledgeable about the huge variety of plants and so willing to share. Thanks, Penny! The best breakfast we have had in New Zealand: a home cooked BIG BREAKFAST! Thanks, Andrew! Friendly dogs (unless you're a cat!). Great location not far out of Whanganui. Whanganui has a great array of restaurants, a cinema, cafes, and op shops, open on weekends even! Not a sleepy town at all!

Communication from host could have been better as we were not expected when we arrived (despite messaging several hours before). He was very apologetic. A homely stay but could have been a bit cleaner (drains in bathtub, sink, showerheads). The entry room smelled of animals: those allergic to cats or dogs may need to consider this. Note: "spa and wellness centre" was a spa bath. We certainly didn't see a hot tub.

You couldn't find a more welcoming and hospitable B&B. Andy and Penny treated us like best friends/family and it was lovely to share a delicious breakfast and conversation with them. A guided tour of their beautiful garden will be a highlight and the views across it from the accomodation are superb. Thanks for the stay - it was all too brief and thanks also for the hint about Paloma Gardens - well worth the visit for the gardens (obviously!) and the motorcycle collection.

Andrew and Penny were wonderful hosts, welcoming us very warmly like friends. The place is truly exceptional, a perfect place for garden and animal lovers, with 2 rescued dogs, 3 cats, many ducks and pigeons, living on a wonderful estate with an incredible garden with ponds, little bridges, gazebo and plants and trees of all kinds.

The breakfasts were very nice each morning and it was a real treat for me, as i didn't have to cook it. Andrew and Penny are lovely people, very knowledgeable on a lot of varied topics, great to listen to about all sorts of things. They went above and beyond expectations.

Nothing could have been better, the place/location and the reason for being there was exactly spot on.

The hosts were absolutely wonderful. So accommodating and went above and beyond to welcome me into their home. Such a calm and relaxing place to stay. Bed was very comfortable and the views from the room were so beautiful. Could not recommend this place enough, will definitely be back!

Our stay at Shuringi was simply delightful! Andrew and Penny were the perfect hosts, warmly welcoming us and providing us with an enjoyable and memorable experience. We had originally planned to explore Whanganui during our stay, but were so taken by the stunning views from the property and the delightful company of our hosts, that we ended up spending most of our time at the property. It was an experience that far exceeded our expectations!

Amazing Hosts - Andrew & Penny, Beautiful gardens - I picked my own fruit - grapefruit, apple & pear for breakfast while Andrew cooked breakfast with fresh eggs from the henhouse. Penny’s remarkable 5yr transformation of the the gardens - flowers galore, doves en masse protecting their territory from hawks wanting to go fishing in their replica Claude Monet Giverney Garden. Spectacular.

All perfect

Andrew made a lovely breakfast each morning & lots of options offered. Felt quite spoilt with our cooked eggs (scrambled with herbs; poached) & beautiful mushrooms, toast, coffee & fresh fruit. Must try Andrew’s kombucha, it’s fantastic too

We couldn’t stay longer & talk Eventing with Penny and we also didn’t bring our little doggie to meet Rocco, Alfie & Marley

Andrew puts a lot of effort into providing a great breakfast to start the day with. There is a great range of food options available and Andrew is a pretty decent cook. The location of Shurinji is very convenient being only a few kilometres outside of Whanganui and being surrounded by countryside, it is a very quiet location.

Can't think of anything...very happy with our stay at Shurinji.