Reviews
New Zealand (continued) Page 2
Sue & Selwyn, Kauri, Whangarei
27th October 2020
We found Martin to be a terrific house-sitter in all that we asked of him (17 days in October).
We have a lifestyle block with horses and cattle plus a few hens and 4 cats.
He diligently moved the cattle to new paddocks and made friends with my Arabian horses, feeding them carrots for a treat and looking after our hens even cleaning out their house much to our surprise!
My flower beds and veggie patch watered daily too. We came home to a very clean and tidy house, amazing as i didn't have to do anything, so good when you arrive home tired after being away nearly three weeks! He took us to the airport very early and collected us on our arrival home and even cooked us dinner once home!
Martin comes very highly commended by us and we certainly would love to have him house sit for us whenever we go away.
Thanks Martin
David & Maggie Quinlan, Ararimu
30th September 2020
We used Martins’ house sitting services for the first time for seven weeks during August/September 2020 as a result of a referral from a previous house sitter who was otherwise engaged this time.
Within days of our ‘escape’ to New Zealand’s South Island, Martin found himself ‘locked down’ thanks to Auckland’s second outbreak of Covid 19. Principle responsibilities included looking after two lively Wheaten Terrier dogs, eight Wiltshire ewes which had just begun lambing, 17 alpacas, 3 Dexter cows (+ new calf) and two donkeys.
During the 24 hours we had together before our departure Martin took copious notes on the specific requirements for each animal type and spent time getting to know them.
Our time away wasn’t without incident. At different times both the alpaca herd and one of the our dogs needed vet attention. Martin liaised in detail with us, engaged the vet as instructed and rounded the alpacas a couple of times into the pen with the help of our farmer neighbour. The dog needed a visit to the vet which Martin arranged. It was amazing and very reassuring to know that Martin was taking all of this in his stride.
We arrived home to an immaculate house with dinner about to be prepared, two very happy dogs and donkeys and alpacas who had learned to eat their feed out of his hands.
As a side note, our farmer neighbour commented later on what a great guy Martin had been.
We would definitely use Martin again. It would be difficult to imagine anyone providing a better service, and would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending him to others.
Mila & Kai, Ahuroa, Warkworth
12th July 2020
Martin looked after our rural life-style property & animals for 1 week (end of June) while we traveled within NZ. We were super happy to have our first experience with a house-sitter like him! He took care of our sheep, geese, chickens and 2 mini-donkeys. He was very patient and spent time to get close with the donkeys and gain their trust so he could even clean out their hooves. We were very impressed. We saw on the photos which he sent us during our time away, that our animals were very well looked after and very happy. Upon return we found the house in immaculate condition.
We would be happy to engage Martin again any time.
​Repeat sit for 1 week, mid August 2021
Repeat sit for 3 weeks, May-June 2022
Repeat sit for 1 week, May 2023
Simon Withers. Matakana
12th February 2020
After doing a short house at the end of January, Martin was again booked to house sit my 10 hectares, 15 heifers and 1 cat, Hugo while I was on a planned overseas trip. I cancelled it due to a bad knee at the same time as the 19 March lock-down. So we ended up with two happy months together!
I could shift the quiet heifers but little else. Martin did a super job of property garden maintenance while I sat on ride on mower.
He is also really good with computer and helped me here and taught me extras.
I describe him as a 'clean freak' in the house.
The ideal house sitter.
Simon Withers
​Repeat Sits: various & ongoing (upto & inc. April 2023)
Jean and James Hook, Mangawhai Heads
19th March 2020
Martin was a fantastic house sitter. Very easy to communicate with and he even came and visited beforehand. Our house was spotless on our return and our dog, Emee, very well looked after.
We would highly recommend Martin and we will use him again.
James and Jean
Darwin Linthicum, Te Kopuru, Northland
10th March 2020
I am very pleased to highly recommend Martin Gray for professional house and pet sitting. Martin came to my home at the Ripiro Coast of Northland for two weeks in late Feb 2020 to take care of my home and two Siberian Huskies. He was so fantastic with my ‘girls’ and they liked him as well. He made sure they got plenty of attention and daily exercise, which is a “big deal” if you know huskies. I am sure he would be excellent with any of your pets.
He was excellent in email communication about daily activities, questions that he had, and news about my ‘girls.’ When I came home the house was spotless and clean; he was very attentive to appliances in the kitchen and great care was given to the home overall. I really enjoyed his company and conversations with him during the over-lap time at the beginning and end of the house sit, and I have welcomed him to come back later this year for a longer house/dog sit. I can recommend him without any reservation whatsoever.
Thank you Martin, and look forward to seeing you again....
Kim, Pete and Ruby, Waiau Pa, Franklin District
26th February 2020
As 'newbies' to this house sitting game, we certainly struck the jackpot with Martin. Right from the outset, Martin's prompt, confident communication style put us at ease and was excellent. His professionalism, care and respect for us, our home, and pets (Stan an elderly large dog, Steve the cat) was VERY much appreciated. It was also lovely to have met Martin a day prior to departure - this made us feel much more at ease knowing we had someone taking care of everything while we were abroad (2 weeks in Feb 2020).
Martin sent regular 'pet' updates/photos while we were away. Besides being a wonderful and competent pet carer, Martin was similarly at ease with household tasks (inside and out) which included using the ride on lawnmower and swimming pool maintenance.
​Highly recommend Martin-he truly is THE BEST !!!!!
Kevin and Sue, Morrinsville, Waikato
7th February 2020
We "hired" Martin to take care of our house and animals (cows, sheep, chickens and cat) while we went overseas for a trip for 7 weeks (Dec 2019/Jan 2020). As we were new to the house sitting concept, Martin put us at ease and answered all our questions thoroughly. Martin looked after our animals and house very well and we have recommended him to our friends, and, if he is available in the future we will "hire" Martin again.
​Repeat Sit: January 2021 for one week
Repeat Sit: October 2022 for one week
Barbara and Mike, Matakana / Warkworth
30th December 2019
Martin has been a friend for nearly twenty years and lately he came to housesit for us near Matakana while we were overseas. He was looking after our rural property and our temperamental cat Molly.
I would recommend Martin as a competent and respectful person to take care of your house, land and animals if you are contemplating going away for a while and need to know that everything will be taken care of. Martin is intelligent, mature, environmentally conscious, leaves a small footprint, and capable of handling any unusual situations should they occur.
​Repeat Sits: various and ongoing (upto July 2022)
