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The Grumpy Trout Lodge; let the adventure begin!

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Terrace/patio
Exterior detail
Miscellaneous
Room
Interior

Reviews

9.8 out of 10, Loved by Guests
Top 10% of guest reviews in this area
3 bedrooms2 bathroomsSleeps 5140 sq m

Popular amenities

  • Kitchen
  • Washing machine
  • Dryer
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Air-conditioning

Explore the area

View map
Rangipo, Turangi
  • Place, Mount Ruapehu
  • Place, Tongariro National Trout Centre
    ‪2 min drive‬
  • Place, Tongariro National Park
    ‪9 min drive‬
  • Airport, Taupō Airport (TUO)
    ‪46 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

3 bedrooms (sleeps 5)

Bedroom 1

1 King Bed

Bedroom 2

1 King Bed

‘Lobby’, entrance

1 Large Single Sofa Bed

2 bathrooms

Bathroom 1

Soap · Towels provided · Toilet · Shower only · Shampoo · Hair dryer

Bathroom 2

Soap · Towels provided · Bathtub · Toilet · Shower only · Shampoo

Spaces

Deck or patio
Porch or lanai
Kitchen
Outdoor play area
Garden
Dining area

About this property

The Grumpy Trout Lodge; let the adventure begin!

Welcome to the ‘Grumpy Trout Lodge’! Your cosy, modern home away from home on State Highway One, 5 minutes driving distance South of Turangi where you will find all amenities, cafes and restaurants. This is a high quality accommodation, specifically built for your ultimate comfort and experience. The #outdoors is on our #doorstep. Choose your activity. We are in the midst of it!

Featuring underfloor heating in the entrance way and both bathrooms. Open plan living with modern, quality kitchen and dining, as well as a cosy lounge area with fire place. Two bedrooms with king size beds that can be converted into comfortable singles and a sofa bed in the entrance area for the extra person or guest. Whatever your activity, The ‘Grumpy Trout’ is only minutes away from the action; fly fishing, mountain biking or tramping. Red Hut Bridge Pool and the Tongariro River walking and biking trail are within walking distance. A mere 45 minutes’ drive to Tongariro National Park with walking tracks catering for all capabilities, and the same distance to Whakapapa Ski Field for all those winter activities. For the more adventuresome, the beginning of the Tongariro Alpine crossing is 20 minutes from the front gate. To make your experience extra special there will always be plenty of firewood. Outside is a covered fish cleaning and fish smoking area. Wifi is provided by Starlink. In the lounge, a TV-monitor and a DVD-player for movie nights with a generous DVD librarywhere. Chrome casting and TV is not available.

We are happy to welcome your pets (as in dogs), but as a courtesy, please consult with us beforehand. We do have a dog ourselves, Ziggy, a huntaway x. There is no kennel available for outdoor dogs. Our property has got a 30 meter deer fence towards State HighwayOne. Surrounding the rest of the property is a stock-standard wire-fence 90cm high with gaps of 25x33 cm. A very agile dog could jump it. Small, slim and curious dogs could get through it. When vehicles enter or leave the property, any pet needs to be managed.

During long weekends, we prefer a booking of a minimum of 3 days, and during Christmas and New Year, 4 days.

Add dates for prices

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House Rules

Check in after 2:00 PM
Check out before 11:00 AM
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Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17
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Events

No events allowed
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Pets

Pets allowed: dogs less than 10 kg per pet (limit 2 pets total)
Please se property information.
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Smoking

Smoking allowed: in designated areas

Check-out instructions

The host requires you to complete the following before checking out:
Load and start the dishwasher
Remove personal items, remove leftover food and drinks and take out the rubbish
Turn off the lights, lock the doors and return the keys
Failure to complete these may result in a negative review from the host.
No shoes inside please.
Please lock gate when leaving the property.

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited
This property uses solar energy
Host has not indicated whether there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property; consider bringing a portable detector with you on the trip
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher

We should mention

A car is required for transport to and from this property

Frequently asked questions

Is The Grumpy Trout Lodge; let the adventure begin! pet-friendly?

Yes, this property allows dogs (limit 2 total) with a maximum weight of up to 10 kg per pet. Some restrictions may apply, so please contact the property for more details.

How much does it cost to stay at The Grumpy Trout Lodge; let the adventure begin!?

As of 1 April 2026, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at The Grumpy Trout Lodge; let the adventure begin! on 20 April 2026 start from NZ$205, including taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.

How much is parking at The Grumpy Trout Lodge; let the adventure begin!?

On-site parking is available at the property.

What time is check-in at The Grumpy Trout Lodge; let the adventure begin!?

Check-in begins at 2:00 PM.

What time is check-out at The Grumpy Trout Lodge; let the adventure begin!?

Checkout is at 11:00 AM.

Where is The Grumpy Trout Lodge; let the adventure begin! located?

This family-friendly Rangipo holiday home is located on a river, 1.5 mi (2.4 km) from Tongariro National Trout Centre, and within 6 mi (10 km) of Tokaanu Thermal Pools and Turangi i-SITE Visitor Centre. Lake Taupō and Tongariro National Park are also within 9 miles (15 km).

Reviews

9.8

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window
Rating 10 - Excellent. 27 out of 31 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 4 out of 31 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 0 out of 31 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 31 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 31 reviews

10/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Check-in

9.8/10

Communication

9.4/10

Location

10/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

Verified

10/10 Excellent

Saleena H.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
We loved and very much enjoyed our 2 weeks fishing, accommodated at this property. Terrific helpful hosts, ease and comfort in a convenient location.
Stayed 13 nights in Feb 2026
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Heather R.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
This is a beautiful cottage with everything you need! They even loaned my husband waders and fishing gear so that he could fish the Tongariro river! They also provided milk, coffee, etc. and a lovely fruit bowl and chocolate! Highly recommend this place!
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2026
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Joan H.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

10/10 Great stay

Great property! Very clean, private and hosts are wonderful. Good location a close drive to lots of good walks and fishing spots. Definitely would recommend!
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Jennifer W.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Wonderful stay

Gorgeous property with absolutely everything you need and close to all the amazing attractions surrounding the area. Host very helpful and friendly but not intrusive, dogs well catered for safe ❤️
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2023
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Suzie C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Grumpy Trout Lodge - Christmas 2024

Great accommodation, to have seperate bedrooms and bathrooms was fantastic and safe for dogs.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2024
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Louise H.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Wonderful

Wonderful stay. Lovely hosts. Great for the dogs
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 12 July 2022
Fabulous guests! We loved hosting Louise, Paul and their two well-behaved dogs. Highly recommend.
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Lynsey C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Perfect Christmas amongst nature

This is our second Christmas staying here, our third visit overall. We just love it here. Happy children, happy dogs, happy parents. We wouldn’t change a thing.
Stayed 9 nights in Dec 2022
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Michele M.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
This is a warm, dry and comfortable house and perfect for our winter break. The house is spotless and has all the mod cons in near new condition. It was lovely to arrive to the fire set and some treats laid out. As others have mentioned there are a lot of basic pantry items provided and all sorts of entertainment options (fishing gear, bikes, indoor games, books, info about activities in area). There was good wifi in all rooms and excellent communication with the hosts at all stages.We had a great stay and fantastic weather for walks around the area.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2025
Verified

8/10 Good

Philip S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Short stop in Turangi

We had a short but pleasant stay here. The owners were very friendly and helpful. The property is well kept and comfortable, but situated very close to a busy road. Traffic noise is the only drawback to staying here. Otherwise it is a nice rental, and the owners are very accommodating. We enjoyed our time here.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2019
Response from VrboOwner on 26 March 2020
We enjoyed hving Philip and family staying with us. Good communication throughout. The place was left nice and clean.
Verified

8/10 Good

Sapp O.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

good place

Generally a pretty positive experience. Nice place, hosts were excellent, both communication and helpfulness. We liked the location being the quieter end of Tapoe and a bit out more rural, but not all would. Probably the only negative is the accommodation is near the road so you hear (and feel) the cars and especially trucks passing even at night. The hosts try their best to limit the local traffic noise but its there. We were okay with it, but i imagine some people would find it difficult.
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Wendy B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

A great spot for accessing all the wonderful walks in this region

A last minute decision to travel north,and a need to accommodate the 2 elderly dogs travelling with us, led us to this wonderful holiday home. It's a fantastically appointed property with everything you could possibly need for a great stay. The hosts are brilliant, ready to help in any way they can and with heaps of local knowledge to point you in the right direction. From here it is easy to access the mountains and lakes of the region. There are plenty of potential walks, our group did 2 of them. Alternatively you can kick back and read from the collection on the bookshelf. Turangi has good choices for eat in and takeaway, we got takeaway burgers from Rust, which were fab. Alternatively the supermarket can be used to stock up for cooking your own using the well supplied kitchen. We'll definitely stay here again if the opportunity arises.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2023
Verified

10/10 Excellent

STEPHEN G.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

No Grumpiness Here!

All 5 of the baches/VRBOs we stayed in during our NZ trip were very nice, but this one was definitely the best. It was a lot bigger than we needed (2 good size bedrooms and bathrooms when we needed only one of each), hence more expensive than most of the other places, but still reasonably priced even for just the two of us. The kitchen was great, with lots of room and very well stocked with everything you need to cook whatever you want. The adjoining living room was also spacious and comfortable. And it was great talking with Jono, who is the director of the Hillary Outdoors Education Centre and knew Sir Edmund well! Our only disappointment was that the weather was too bad for us to do the Tongariro Crossing, but I guess that just means we will need to return to the Grumpy Trout Lodge--and stay longer next time!
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2022
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Tony S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Grumpy Trout Lodge

Nice & modern, warm and comfortable with a great open plan kitchen - lounge space. Highly reccomended.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2022
Verified

8/10 Good

Meagan B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Immaculate property

We just had a wonderful 4 night stay at the Grumpy Trout Lodge. The property is immaculate as per all the other reviews, Ilva was excellent to deal with and we loved all the little extras. The road noise was intrusive on our first night, but once we'd relaxed we barely noticed it for the rest of the stay (my partner has hyperacousis so this is saying something!). An excellent location with so many activities on your doorstep, a very special part of the country!
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2022
Verified

10/10 Excellent

ADAM W.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Super cosy

Great place to stay, very warm and comfortable , well equiped and great hosts, who have put a lot of thought into the property. Short walk to the river. 5 minutes from town.
Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2022
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Lynsey C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

A wonderful place in beautiful surroundings

As always, our stay was magnificent. This is our second time. The property really suits our family, it’s spotless, extremely well equiped, in a lovely spot away from the hustle and bustle and we can take our dogs. The hosts are fabulous and we couldn’t have asked for any more. We’ve already booked to return 😃
Stayed 5 nights in Apr 2022
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Lynsey C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

The best Bach we’ve ever stayed in

It’s hard to summarise how wonderful this accommodation is. We stayed for Christmas with our two children (6 and 4) and our two dogs. It was just fabulous. The place is so clean and better equiped than my own home! The hosts Ylva and John were kind, generous and friendly. So welcoming and kind to the children, showing them around the wonderful gardens, letting them help! There was even a Christmas tree, much to the delight of my children. The location is just perfect, zero phone reception so no one to disturb you and the perfect distance back into town. There was easy biking, swimming, hiking and exploring for our whole family. We loved it so much we’ve already booked two further trips. We can’t recommend this place enough.
Stayed 8 nights in Dec 2021
Response from VrboOwner on 15 January 2022
Now and then you just have these exeptional guests that become more extended family than so. The Colemans are such guests and we really look forward to hosting them again. To any future hosts: Lucky you!
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Deep P.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great

We really enjoyed the batch. Very classy
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Jay M.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Nothing more than perfect would describe our stay!

What a wonderful property. This is the warmest and cosiest home we have stayed in, since arriving in NZ, 5 years ago. Immaculately clean and every conceivable item available in the house (if it’s not there - you won’t need it)! The attention to detail will blow you away - it’s not often you get the chance to stay in such a well thought out property. We tried to book back in April 2019 but it didn’t eventuate. We have waited 2 years for the planet’s to align & it was well worth the wait! Jono was the consummate host, very friendly and so reassuring to know he was just a stone’s throw away. He has excellent local knowledge and whether you are here to fish, cycle, walk, kayak or just take in the local sites - he is your man to advise! Oh....and did I mention dog friendly to boot?!! I won’t say anymore....I don’t want to spoil your experience- just book!!! Surely one of the best Bookabach’s in NZ!!
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2021
Verified

8/10 Good

Grant B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, listing accuracy

Great long weekend stay

Neat and modern with super hosts. Very helpful and looked after us better than any others we have experienced in NZ. Road is noisy but you get used to it.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2021
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Morgan B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Peaceful spot on the river

Thank you for hosting us. We really enjoyed our stay at your place. We loved all the fruit you provided and being able to fish, relax and bake our hearts out. Thank you for your hopspitality - we look forward to being able to stay with you again when we come back out that way. Best Regards, The Blixt’s
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2020
Response from VrboOwner on 6 January 2021
Thank you for staying with us. We are so pleased you enjoyed your stay. All the best and might see you in the future. Kind Regards, Ylva and Jon
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Sian S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

River Getaway

Beautiful home right by the river. Close for walks, fishing and not too far from Taupō.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2020
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Ali W.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

First class accommodation, home away from home, a fantastic find, a fisherman's paradise.

Thank you to our wonderful hosts Ylva and Jono for their fabulous cottage and friendly welcome. A home away from home, cottage has everything you need and is superb! Some road noise but you get used to it. Great location to a number of fishing pools and the Tongariro river trail. An enjoyable stay, I'm sure we will be back.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2020
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Stacey C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

AMAZING!! CLEAN!! EVERYTHING & MORE!!

This property is awesome! So fresh, so clean, has honestly been so well thought out and had everything we needed. From condiments, coffee & tea to fruit! Lovely and warm with a fireplace and underfloor heating. Beautiful surroundings. Friendly Hosts. Awesome that we got to bring our dog with, they were so accommodating with him, they even provided a dog bowl. We had our 20 month old with us and we were pleasantly surprised to see that they had provided us with a box of toys for him and a highchair!! Would 100% stay here again and will be recommending you to everyone we know :)
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2020
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Denise M.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great house on the river

We loved our stay at Rangipo. The house is perfect. Everything you might in the kitchen has been considered. It is clean and nicely furnished. The house interiors looks much better than the pictures on the site indicate. The fire is so good and makes the whole house toasty warm along with the pleasure of underfloor heating. The beds are super comfortable and the bedding is of a good quality. Obviously the house is near the main road but you can't really hear the traffic down by the river and the house's double glazing is very effective. We stayed with our dog and he loved the safe and fenced section and forest walk to the river. We really enjoyed the fishing. No luck this time but there were trout to be caught in the pool. Thank you!!
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2020

About the host

Hosted by Ylva Maxwell

Host profile image
Hi I am Ylva! Sailed into Opua in the early morning of December 3rd, 1993, greeted by a pod of Orcas. I never left! Married to Jonathan, and we are currently residing outside Turangi where we run The Grumpy Trout Lodge. I am a teacher, teaching Food Technology and Nutrition. Some of my interests and passions naturally centers around food; growing, cooking, and eating. I am also an artist with fibre art and painting being my specialty areas.

Why they chose this property

We both love this area for everything it has got to offer; fishing, hunting, rafting, mountain biking, hiking. The Grumpy Trout sits in the midst of it with the Tongariro River just a 'stone's throw' away, Turangi 'central' a short drive, and every other activity in the neighbourhood.

What makes this property unique

The only neighbour is us! Easy acces from SH1, and every other activity or amenity within a short drive (or walk - Red Hut Bridge) from us.

Languages:

English, Swedish
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