'It has gone absolutely ballistic' the artist behind the Ardern images

One customer recently bought Ardern prints for her daughters' 21st birthdays. They are currently toddlers

Today I followed up a story I wrote for my last newsletter, about the Dunedin accommodation provider charging up to $1000 a night via some third-party websites.

Late on Thursday, I got sent an email from a family of four who paid $600 to stay at Stafford Gables, discovering damp sheets, broken beds and a poo in the corner.

(Disclaimer: I once stayed there while doing work experience for The Star, it was okay - the accommodation that is).

You can read that story here.

What struck me was the comment from the manager: “In terms of the price, every other accommodation has raised their price when town is booked up”.

“The price fluctuates because of the market.”

Well, I think the market is about to decide the future of Stafford Gables.

This week I had a great chat with man-about-town, Sam Sharpe. You might remember Sam from stories such as these:

This man has pointed a 'dicks' sign at anti-abortion protesters for a decade. Why?

'Dicks guy' welcomes review of abortion protest hotspot

I got to know Sam when he was a barista at a cafe near where I used to work, and I would sometimes see him around town, often with some of his stencil art under his arms.

But I could always guarantee that I would see him if Jacinda Ardern was in town.