Royals welcome in remote haven

The underside of the cottage verandah is strung with cobwebs. Ducks wander about the lawn lamenting the departure of the French baker, and waiting for the next guest to arrive. Meanwhile, Tui the dog basks in the Hawke's Bay sunshine. Florence the cat is nowhere to be seen.
It's just another beautiful day at the Hawke's Bay bed and breakfast named the best remote wilderness hideaway in the world by British newspaper The Times.
Well, not quite, because Little Tom's Cottage in Matangi Rd out the back of Havelock North is now visualised, in the minds of many, as a little piece of paradise. And, nestled between the Tukituki River and Te Mata Peak, it certainly is that.
Since the announcement in last Saturday's edition of the famous newspaper, and the follow-ups in The New Zealand Herald and Hawke's Bay Today, the world of its owners Van and Linda Howard has gone mad.
A flood of email inquiries, bookings and messages of congratulations has kept Van away from his day job as a real estate agent for most of the last three days, while the phone has gone "crazy" with calls - including from friends as far away as Vancouver and Alice Springs.
"People I haven't talked to for five years have sent me messages," Van said.
The first the Howards knew of the impending storm of publicity and interest, which all came about because of a journalist's take on Prince William's recent marriage proposal to Kate Middleton at a remote location in Kenya, was last week.
Asked to provide photos of their property for the article, the couple still had no knowledge of what was to come. It was only when a friend of their daughter, Kate, rang from London to tell them that they were number one on the list that the value of the publicity began to dawn on them.
But the storm created by publication of articles in New Zealand was something else again.
"Overwhelmed," was how Van described his initial reaction.
"We just couldn't believe the reaction."
The English travel journalist responsible, Ian Belcher, had stayed at the property about three years ago.
He had shared a meal with the Howards, who live on the same 16-acre spread, which also features another luxury accommodation option, Big Tom's Cottage. Van laughed when he recalled filling the "fabulous alfresco bath", bought for $15 from the dump, with cold water in the middle of winter so the intrepid journo could be photographed in it.
The cottage was relocated to the property in 2001 from St Georges Rd, after it was gifted to Van by Tom Chambers. In fact, all the buildings on the property were relocated.
The building itself features one bedroom with ensuite - French doors opening to a view of the Peak, a lounge with comfortable sofas, and a kitchen with wooden benches. Rimu floorboards complete the authentic, if not unique, cottage feel.
While the exchange rate had put off some foreign visitors over the past three years, the two cottages ran at a 50 per cent occupancy rate, Van said.
"We're busy now, but of course we would like to get our occupancy up, especially in the winter."
It was the personal touches and the beauty of the area which impressed the majority of their guests, many of whom returned, he said.
Walking up the Peak, along the nearby river, on the nearby and often empty beaches - Waimarama and Ocean, dining at Craggy Range, other wineries and the unique Pipi's restaurant, and just hanging out at the cottage with the animals. As well as the home-made bread, the fresh eggs and the rose petals on the beds for honeymooners.
"Small businesses have to be personal," Van said, adding that customer satisfaction was evident in the fact they had "never had a bad debt, never lost one item and never washed a dish".
Peace and tranquillity are almost guaranteed at this idyllic $225 per night location. As for the cobwebs and the frogs in the dam, they were a nod to the retired orchardist's later-in-life dislike of spraying, and a natural way to fight flies.
Asked how he would protect the Royals' modesty should they take The Times' advice in the future, Van flashed a smile and said, "We haven't been talking to the palace yet. But it would be difficult in this valley."
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