An English fan has been inundated by offers after initially struggling to find accommodation during Rugby World Cup matches in Dunedin.
Tom Tomlin said he received 36 replies to an advertisement he placed in the Otago Daily Times after failing to find accommodation in the city, particularly around the England and Argentina game on September 10.
Those offers ranged from a 67-year-old grandmother to a young family, with 21 of those offers mentioning the availability of electric blankets.
"Seemingly you Kiwis think we Brits can't take the cold, and one lady seemed to think my ad was in the personals section and made it quite clear that the one bedroom in the flat 'would be shared'."
Mr Tomlin said, on average, the asking price was $100, but four respondents declined to charge anything. Another offered to pick him up from the airport, drop him off at games, and cook for him.
One contact even helped him secure accommodation in Invercargill.
"I'd suggest there is no shortage [of accommodation].
"The people of Dunedin have opened their hearts and doors to anybody struggling to find suitable accommodation.
"I was already very excited at the prospect of visiting Dunedin for the rugby. This has been heightened off the scale by the extraordinary generosity the people of Dunedin have shown me."
