South Katikati, Bay of Plenty
25th July 2025
(Review Requested)
5+ week assignment, June-July 2025 - 4.5 hectares, quality home, lake, avocado orchards, outbuildings. Including pool care, upkeep of extensive gardens, inc ride-on mowing & other general weeding and maintenance. Care and feeding of 5 chickens. Overseeing various tradesmen onsite finishing-off project in main house.
Also previous assignment of 3 weeks, Feb 2025
Lauren & Nick, Glendowie, Auckland
3rd May 2025
12 -day assignment, April 2025
Duties: Everything! Dog walking, pet feeding, house maintenance, pool care and garden work
How Did I Handle That?: Five stars!
This is the third time Martin has house sat for us.
We trust him with everything, our animals are well cared for.
We are kept up dated on things at home while we’re away, and the house is immaculate when we arrive home.
We completely trust Martin with our precious pets and our home!
See previous review (April 2022) further down this page
Simona, Dion & Family, Kauri, Whangarei
2nd February 2025
Duties: Look after & feed pets: 2 dogs & 3 cats & 6 chickens. Look after property.
Martin looked after our property and animals for 3 weeks while we were overseas (January).
Our usually very grumpy two dachshunds fell in love with Martin straight away!! Our kittens enjoyed Martin's lap from day 1 !!!
Property was very well looked after and house remained spotless. Our usual cleaner said "I had nothing to do as your house sitter kept the house perfectly cleaned!" :-)
Our biggest worry was that our pets will not want us back and will want to stay with Martin LOL !!
I can't recommend his services more and will definitely use him again!
All our pets miss him deeply!! :-)))
Woodcocks Road, Warkworth
30th November 2024
(Review Requested)
5 week assignment, October-November 2024 - care of large rural property, home, pool, driveways: extensive mowing and grounds upkeep, keeping lake clear; care of chickens, ducks, geese, sheep (low maintenance)
Jo & Irvine, Mangawhai Heads
25th March 2024
Looking after dog (Bear) plus home & section (March 2024).
Awesome job! Will definitely use again (already booked in) and would recommend him very highly for looking after your pet and your property.
Went above and beyond by washing our windows and our car which was a lovely treat to come home to after 3 weeks overseas.
Also went to the shops and got milk and bread so we didn’t have to pick anything up on our way home which was lovely.
Repeat Sit: 2 weeks June 2024
Reta & John, Katikati, Bay of Plenty
8th March 2024
2-weeks feb-March.
Duties: Martin was only required to feed and care for the 2 cats plus 1 very elderly dog and 1 very hypo active pup this time.
Previously we have also had cattle that he has had to manage in our absence, checking electric fences and water troughs.
Bring in the mail and keep our home safe and loved.
As per usual Martin went above and beyond his basic duties.
We love having Martin as our home sitter. He is our go to man for our yearly breakaways and any other long breaks we take.
We know our home,land and pets are in kind and capable hands so we have no worries leaving Martin in charge at all.
As per usual we returned to a home that was spotless and in immaculate condition, way better than how it was left im guilty to say 🤦
This magical man has worked so hard while we were lazing around on our holiday.
Check out this impressive list:
Vacuumed and mopped floors
Total clean of bathroom, shower doors and mirrors.
Cleaned windows inside and out as well as sills.
Wiped down and left the ovens, microwave, dishwasher, fridge n freezer, benches and sinks sparkly clean.
Martin even managed to safely remove a large super glue stain off my bench top 🫶❤️
Our gardens were weeded and lawns were mowed. My grubby looking car was very spick and span as Martin had washed it for me 👌
We're so happy that we have found our perfect home sitter and we are looking forward to welcoming him back later this year for our big seven week OE.
Bonus, our pets love having Martin around, especially our elderly dog Pippi who is thrilled that shes allowed to sneak into bed with him 😍
See 4 other assignments further down this page.
Jack & Julie, Mangawhai Heads
15th February 2024
Caring for and exercising Shirley (German Wire Haired Pointer) over a long weekend.
Shirley took to Martin well and was happy and relaxed when we returned.
Martin provided regular updates and photos that we found very reassuring.
This was Martin's first time caring for Shirley and we will have no hesitation in enlisting his services again.
Meg & Bob, St Heliers, Auckland
31st January 2024
(1 week in Jan 2024)
Duties: Walking & feeding 2 dogs. Keeping house in good order. Feeding fish. Contacting us with updates.
Amazing.
Thanks so much Martin. We felt very safe with you looking after our beloved dogs and our house.
We were very impressed that you catered to our older dog (lower energy level and feeding needs) and our younger, more active dog (two walks a day, initially nervous around new people).
The yard work a bonus!
Just the right amount of contact (letting us know our pets were happy without too many messages, pictures of our happy dogs included).
We hope you’ll house sit for us again.
Nicole, Pukekohe, North Island
15th January 2024
(3 weeks Dec 2023 / Jan 2024)
Martin was a fantastic house sitter. The house was spotless and the animals happy. He did a fantastic job of the lawns and keeping everything running. Communication was great and dealt with any problems that needed dealing with before we got home.
We had a major delay of 3 days and he stayed on (since he didn’t have any other bookings) which took a major weight off our minds and helped communicate with anyone we needed to since handover details kept changing due to the situation.
Couldn’t ask for anyone better and he is a nice guy.
Diane & Ron, Mangawhai Heads
23rd October 2023
1 week assignment for young dog (Ebony) and 2 yearling heifers.
The animals were all healthy and contented when we arrived home.
The house was tidy and clean.
Beatriz & Hezekia, Morrinsville
15th October 2023
2 weeks in Sep/Oct
Martin was very professional and efficient. He went the extra mile to make sure he understood what we expected of him, by coming in a day earlier and to see our routine. He is a great communicator as he kept us in the loop very frequently. This gave us a great peace of mind.
We were happy to come back to happy pets and a very clean house.
We highly recommend him and we hope to reach out to him in the future.
Thanks, Martin
Simon Withers, Matakana
31st July 2023
5 weeks 6th June to 12th July
Duties: Home care, cleaning, vacuuming, feed and care for pet cat (Hugo); upkeep of extensive gardens, weeding, trimming, removing tree branches, lawns and general upkeep.
Additional (Paid) Duties:
Shifting and feeding silage to cattle using quad bike; keep on top of weeds, water repairs (troughs), adjust security gate when needed; bark-mulch applied to banks behind house for weed control; windows kept clean, inside and out; planting new grasses & shrubs; clearing driveway after heavy rains/flooding; weed control/spray to paddock drainage ditches and around yards; Assist farm manager at yards loading cattle onto truck.
Martin is reliable and very versatile. I always have confidence my property is kept in good hands while I am absent. As I increasingly find physical activity more difficult, he has been invaluable with completing a variety of tasks which I find very difficult now. He has a mature and responsible attitude while minding my property.
Simon Withers
Location: 630 Matakana Road (9.9 hectares)
Additional House-Sits on a regular basis since 2020
Sarah, Rural Whangarei, Northland
31st May 2023
19th May to 26th May 2023.
Duties: Daily grooming, covers on and off, mucking out shed & paddocks, feeding morning & night
Martin took great care to follow the same procedure with my two donkeys that I do.
This was my first time having a house-sitter and I was lucky to have Martin as he took great care of my two donkeys and my house and property. It was lovely to arrive home to a very clean house, mowed lawns and two relaxed and happy donkeys.
Sue & Selwyn, Kauri, Whangarei
24th April 2023
Care of 4 cats, 2 horses, 6 hens and 8 cattle + watering flower beds and hothouse plants. (3+ weeks in March)
Martin is amazing, keeps in touch with messages and photos of the animals while we are away and looks after our property extremely well.
He is very trustworthy and we highly recommend him as a house-sitter.
Martin is also competent with using the quad for feeding out hay to the cattle and using the ride on lawn mower.
He is now a part of our family!
Repeat assignment Aug 2023 (10 days)
See previous assignment (Oct 2020) next page
Alex & Angus, St Heliers, Auckland
5th February 2023
Caring for Scout (18 month old Border Collie) 21st Dec 2022 to 14th Jan 2023, lots of walks and love. House Minding. Extra Gardening, cleaning etc
Amazing! Martin, it was so great to know you were in charge while we were away for 4 weeks. We knew Scout was being very well cared for, plenty of walks and attention! We loved seeing photos of his activities and adventures. The house was amazing on our return - immaculate garden and windows too - such a bonus!
We will definitely recommend you to our friends (I already have), and we will definitely have you back (will need to book you in quickly though!!).
Stay in touch - we love to hear your adventures with your furry friends all over town!
Jo, St Heliers, Auckland
2nd February 2023
Caring for Winston the (rescue) dog and Gordy the Burmese cat (17th to 24th January)
Duties: Feeding Winston and Gordy, 2 dog walks a day, plus playtime and lots of attention with both pets...
Everything was amazing.
First time I’ve left my dog and young cat with someone other than my daughter. I was very anxious prior to leaving for my holiday but I felt very at ease once I saw how you interacted with both Winston and Gordy.
After a week away it was evident they were both well cared for and super happy/well adjusted to the change. House and garden were spotless.
I would highly recommend Martin. He took fabulous care of my very precious/much-loved dog and cat, as well as being highly trustworthy. I not only returned to happy pets, but also to an extremely clean house and garden.
I will definitely be using Martin again.
Kim and Pete DeJong, Waiau Pa, Franklin District
25th October 2022
We were fortunate to secure Martin for another housesitting/dog caring stint whilst we headed off on holiday. He organized to arrive with plenty of time to do a quick ‘refresher’ of our home and meet the newest addition to our family: Rosie (a Leonberger). He also kindly delivered us to the airport and collected us on our arrival home.
We jetted off with the peace of mind that our home, but more importantly Rosie would be well cared for. He made sure she got plenty of attention and 2 regular walks each day.
While we were away Martin kept in contact with us and sent regular photos/updates of Rosie.
We came home to a very clean and immaculate house, including washing his bedding/towels etc and hanging them out on the line.
Previously, Martin had taken care of our swimming pool and used the ride-on to mow the lawns. On this occasion as we were only gone for 1 week we said that this didn’t need doing. But Martin being Martin couldn’t do ‘nothing’, and we arrived home to find he had done a huge amount of weeding around our cobbled areas. This was a very welcome surprise.
We would highly recommend Martin and will definitely be using him again: he’s part of the family now!
Kim, Peter, Ruby, Harriet and Rosie
Repeat assignment of 28 days in April 2024
Repeat assignment of 10 days in November 2023
Plus 1 previous review from 2020 (next page)
James & Jean Hook, Mangawhai Heads
17th October 2022
Martin has now been our house sitter three times. Most recently for 4 weeks in August and 3 weeks in September/October.
We have a small shitzu/poodle (Emee) She loves him and he is amazing at looking after her- grooming, feeding, walking, cuddles etc.
Our property is 1ha and Martin mows the lawns using our ride on, weed eats, and weeds the gardens where needed.
The house is left spotless and he cleans better than we can- he is a whizz with glass!
He is an amazing house sitter and we feel fortunate to have him looking after our property.
We have already booked him for two trips of 6 weeks and 5 weeks next year!
Martin is totally reliable and relates well with the neighbours etc. He communicates clearly and sends photo updates as regularly as one requires.
We totally recommend him.
Jean and James Hook and Emee
See 1 previous review (next page)
Repeat assignment 5 weeks April 2023
Repeat assignment 7 weeks Jul-Aug 2023
Lisa & Stuart, Parnell, Auckland
5th August 2022
This is the third time that we’re used Martin to house/pet sit for us (this time in our new home in Parnell during June and July)...and we’ve already booked another sit with him (for 2023).
Martin is absolutely fantastic: our pets, Kora (dog) and Coco (cat) love him and I suspect they didn’t miss us one bit with all the attention that was lavished upon them.
We got regular pictures and updates during our 6 weeks away and even the odd video chat.
At the end of our travels we arrived back to a pristine house and 2 very happy, well cared for animals.
We cannot recommend Martin enough. He provided us with complete peace of mind while we were away and animals, well they just seem to instantly love him.
Lisa, Stuart, Kora & Coco
Repeat sit here, 2 weeks in February 2023
See also 2 previous reviews (below) for Eden Terrace location
Lauren and Nick, Glendowie, Auckland
9th May 2022
100% would recommend Martin for your house and pet sitting needs! We felt comfortable right from the get-go, Martin is super professional and we left our home and pets in his care for 3 weeks while we went overseas. He communicated regularly (and discussed frequency with us beforehand), he thinks of all the things you forget to think about, and we came back to everything in order, tidy, immaculate lawns and garden and vehicle. Plus he even cleaned the oven!! The animals were not stressed and they clearly enjoyed being with him.
I am trying to think of anything that I would want to do differently and there isn't a single thing! My only concern is that Martin books out quite quickly so we had better get our future travel plans organised and get Martin booked in again!
Repeat Sit: 3 weeks July 2024
Lisa and Stuart, Eden Terrace, Auckland
15th February 2022
Martin has just completed his second house sit for us (7th Dec 2021 to 9th Feb 2022). This was a long one of over two months. We received regular updates and photos of Kora (dog) and Coco (cat). Both were relaxed and happy which gave us peace of mind while away.
Martin is very conscientious so we didn't have any concerns while away. We knew he could handle anything that came up.
When we arrived home it was to find a sparkling clean house, tidy garden and happy animals. He'd even washed our car!
Martin is an absolute gem and I can't recommend him highly enough.
Cheers, Lisa, Stuart, Kora and Coco
Peter Crabb, Titirangi,
West Auckland
18th December 2021
Hi Martin, it was wonderful and astounding to arrive back to a tidy peaceful house after being away for four months. You adeptly managed to drop into a messy house left by the previous occupant and bring order to it all, well done.
Your clearing, gardening, and keeping in touch with the neighbourhood events, was delightful.
Happy to highly recommend you as a great house sitter and look forward to seeing you again soon as we take advantage of summer freedoms.
Thanks for making it easy,
Pete.
House sit duration: all of Sep, Oct and Nov 2021
Fiona McDonald, Kaipara Flats
21st August 2021
This is the first time we used a professional house sitter to look after our pets (rabbits, chickens and sheep) while we went away to the South Island for a week so I must admit I was a little nervous. I didn’t need to be though, as right from the start I found Martin’s communication open and thorough which made me feel more comfortable. He is a very organised person and even though I had sent notes on the house and pets prior to his arrival he took more notes while I was showing him around.
While we were away we had lovely updates and photos which the children really appreciated (and I must admit I did too), knowing that everything was going smoothly back home! I was stunned to arrive home to find our house spotless and cleaner than how I left it. Even the children said “wow, our house is SOOO clean, next time we go away, can we get Martin!”.
Honestly it was so nice to come home to our house the way it was, hand picked flowers on the table and a handwritten note. The animals were well looked after and didn’t even notice we were gone.
Would absolutely recommend and we will be using Martin’s services again for sure.
Thanks Martin!
Lisa and Stuart, Eden Terrace, Auckland
16th August 2021
Hi Martin,
Just wanted to say thank you again for taking such good care of Kora and Coco (10 days in August). When we spoke beforehand I could tell that you were extremely responsible and passionate about animal welfare.
This was the first time we had left the animals alone, but the frequent updates and photos while we were away put our minds at rest. They appeared to be having a lovely time and didn't miss us at all.
When we got home they were just as happy and relaxed as they normally are.
You were also very respectful of our house. We arrived home to find it very clean and tidy (possibly more so than we'd left it)
I'd have no hesitation in asking you to housesit again. Hopefully you'll be able to fit us in again.
Once again, thank you. All pet owners know how hard it is to go on holiday and leave them behind without stressing. You made it easy.
Cheers from Lisa, Stuart, Kora and Coco x
Josie and Graeme, Baylys Beach, Northland
24th July 2021
We are very happy to highly recommend Martin as a top rate house and pet sitter. Our dog Macy whilst calm and collected at home can be quite challenging when out and about as she gets triggered easily and is very strong. Martin dealt with her perfectly and she was very relaxed and happy when we returned from our time away, as was our bossy cat Mo!
Martin communicated with us well before he arrived and took time getting to know our needs so we felt really reassured on leaving. He also kept us posted while we were away with some updates and great photos.
We would definitely ask him back, although chances are he'll be booked already as we know he has many repeat sits - for good reason.
10 out of 10!
Mike and Marianne, Mangawhai
30th March 2021
We knew Martin had looked after our Wheaten Terrier, Annie exceptionally well because she told us in her own way on our return. Annie did not greet us excitedly and instead stayed close to Martin as if to say 'So you're home then, pfffft BUT I didn't miss you so there!' ... a sign of an excellent dog-sitter! Annie has only behaved this way with another fabulous dog/house sitter who sadly for us has changed her vocation. Furthermore, not only was Annie very happy and looking extremely well, the house was also clean and tidy.
During our absence Martin kept in contact and sent fabulous photos of Annie enjoying herself at the beach or around the farm.
Martin also did a few gardening jobs at our request. As he didn't finish one (voluntary) job namely trimming flax plants he said 'I'll be back!' Funnily enough on the 11 April he will be returning and we are very happy to see him again in every respect.
We have no hesitation in highly recommending Martin Gray to others.
Thank you Martin.
Marianne & Mike.
Also repeat-sit for 1 week, mid April 2021
Graham and Jenny, Matakana
20th February 2021
Graham and I would like to say thankyou very much for the 2 ½ weeks that you spent house sitting for us. We were absolutely confident that we would come back to find everything in perfect order, and we were not disappointed. Not only was Jack, the cat, looking plump, relaxed and in better condition than when we left, but the house was immaculate. Floors washed, vacuuming done, bathrooms cleaned, etc. And, although not requested by us, voluntary work done in our large garden, with taking away the vast quantities of fallen leaves, and deadheading plants that needed it. It was also great that you had brought a box of your own special foods, though you had been invited to help yourself to what you wanted from our stores.
We certainly hope to avail ourselves of your services again, so here is another thankyou,
Graham & Jenny Noakes
Repeat sit for 2 weeks, May 2021
John and Reta, Katikati, Bay of Plenty
7th December 2020
Martin was excellent in all categories - he took care of our pets and cows and sent photos of them during our South Island road trip. We were not anxious at any point thanks to the reassuring messages. He did some gardening and moved the cows that were being strip grazed. This required moving an electric fence regularly.
Martin left our house in a better condition than it was when left it. He also mastered the ride-on mower.
We can't recommend him more highly - he exceeded our expectations and we hope he will available to house sit for us again in the future.
Repeat Sit: 2 weeks end February/early March 2021
Repeat Sit: 10 days February 2022
Repeat Sit: 9 days February/early March 2023
