Tall Poppy Real Estate - Waikato - Verified Reviews & Real Estate For Sale

Our sales performance at a glance

See how Tall Poppy Real Estate - Waikato has performed in the last 12 months on RateMyAgent*

Reviews

Properties for sale

Sold properties

$107k

Average sale price

$8.7m

Total sales value

*Includes all properties sold (last 12 months) where the agent was a part of the transaction and published on ratemyagent.co.nz. It may not be complete and can exclude off-market, private sales and undisclosed pricing and sold dates. Contact agent for full sales history.

Meet the team

Get to know the 14 agents at Tall Poppy Real Estate - Waikato.

Tristy Vadnjal

Licensed Real Estate Agent

4.9

(149 reviews)

About Tristy

Shaun and Tristy are the powerhouse duo behind Tall Poppy Real Estate in Taupo/Turangi/Southern Lake, Rotorua District and Tokoroa . With a straight-up, no-nonsense approach to real estate, they have built a reputation for delivering exceptional service without the fluff. Tristy is the front-of-house communicator—approachable, solution-focused, and deeply connected to our community. With experience in real estate and working within multiple local agency boards, Tristy understands the emotional and practical complexities people face when buying or selling at different life stages. Her ability to truly listen, combined with a relentless drive to achieve great results, makes her a trusted advisor and advocate for clients. Shaun delivers a calm, practical energy to every transaction. With a background in real estate, construction and project management, Shaun is the behind-the-scenes engine room—handling contracts, compliance, and detail with precision. His ability to connect the moving parts of every deal ensures a smooth, seamless experience for all involved. Together, they lead a strong team of 12 Sales & Negotiating Specialists who are passionate about raising the bar in every aspect of the industry. As proud parents of four wonderful children, now growing into their own lives, Shaun and Tristy know the value of home and what it means at every stage. That’s what drives them to deliver a level of service that’s not just excellent—but genuinely personal.

View Profile

Joy Cains

Licensed Real Estate Agent

4.9

(43 reviews)

About Joy

Having lived in Waihi, and now residing in Thames, Joy has experienced life in the mining towns and knows what it's like to live and work in heartland New Zealand. As a mother, grandmother, wife and even a cafe owner, as a home owner and someone owning rental properties, Joy understands that any change in circumstances can be daunting and stressful. Buying or selling a home is one of the most challenging time in a family’s life. Joy comes to Tall Poppy with proven real estate experience, and is passionate about seeing that the whole journey is kept fair, and that it holds pleasant memories for all those involved.

View Profile

Kym Sheldon

Sales & Marketing Consultant

4.9

(39 reviews)

About Kym

I have a great passion for Real Estate. With 20+ years in the industry, I have refined my skills not only in listing and selling, but also roles in administration, marketing and negotiating. Accompanying my various skillset with exceptional service and fairer fees, Tall Poppy was the obvious choice when choosing who to continue my Real Estate career with. Exceptional service is the focal point of my work. I am able to quickly determine the needs of my clients and provide a service which is both personal and professional. I am committed to helping my clients achieve their goals, and doing so with a positive high energy while maintaining and respecting confidentiality. If you’re thinking of selling your property, have a chat with me today. Working throughout Rotorua and Taupo

View Profile

Helen Tobin

Sales Consultant

(30 reviews)

About Helen

Moving to Tall Poppy here in Taupo was a decision I considered and researched for some time and I have not been disappointed. I am proud to be part of this team and to be given the opportunity to work alongside experienced agents that share a unique work ethic which I know is changing the way we do real estate in this country. Being part of a healthy community is important to me. I love this town and it has been particularly good to me which is why I will always be searching to give back in some way that will benefit both individuals and groups. To be part of a healthy real estate ethos allows me to support clients towards what I see as one of the biggest decisions they will make. The financial and emotional implications that comes with that, requires getting it right. If I can ease that for my client then I consider that goes towards a job well done.

View Profile

Darnel Manu

Sales & Marketing Consultant

4.9

(25 reviews)

About Darnel

Going the extra mile is a key quality that Darnel possesses. Nothing is too big or too small when helping her vendors and buyers in their property journeys. Darnel also pays attention to detail, ensuring everything is carried out professionally and promptly. She is an excellent communicator and will keep you up-to-date every step of the way. Give Darnel a call today!

View ProfileRateMyAgent Achievements

Viv Attwell

Licensed Real Estate Agent

(5 reviews)

About Viv

I'm from a country living background in the Waikato, but for the last 20 years I've been proud to call Tairua home. I have a background in high end property development and lifestyle subdivisions and am able to bring these experiences to my real estate career. I am also big on community and have been involved with the local St John as a frontline officer for the last 10yrs.

View Profile

About us

In 2012, we established Tall Poppy, a home grown Kiwi business with a fresh take on Real Estate. We offer award winning customer service, and our sales consultants are specially trained in managing offers to guarantee they sell their vendors properties for the very best price. We do this by investing in people, not infrastructure and embracing technology, not the status quo. Our heritage is built on the foundation of fairness. Fairness in the way fees are charged, fairness in the exceptional service we provide our customers and fairness in the way we treat our people. Thinking of selling? Let’s talk!

Buyer review

3 months ago

Absolutely Amazing

About amazing lady kym She’s really amazing I can Never express in words 🫡 what she did with us, job is so beautiful perfect Coordinating , amazing I can Say one word How about This deal it is awesome❤️❤️❤️ Mahesh

Kym Sheldon

4.9

(39 reviews)

Buyer review

3 months ago

Happily recommended to anyone

As first home buyers Mikayla was amazing, walking through the process step by step, explaining everything and answering my dumb questions with ease and knowledge. Everything was so smooth and stress less, nothing was an issue. Fantastic real estate agent. Wishing Mikayla all the best for the future. Happily recommended to anyone

Mikayla Henry

Buyer review

3 months ago

Mikayla has been great to deal with

As first home buyers some things can be quite overwhelming and Mikayla made the whole process easy and was very easy to talk to. I highly recommend her. Thanks for your help Mikayla 🙂

Mikayla Henry

Seller review

5 months ago

Outstanding Home Sale Experience

Living overseas and navigating our home sale process was made extremely easy by working with Darnel Manu! This was my parents home, we lost my father in July of 2025 then my mother had a stroke in October forcing her into assisted living. Darnel was empathetic, kind and understanding during the sale process. She provided top notch market knowledge, maintained daily contact and provided concise updates on sale progress. I was completely satisfied with the all around service Darnel provided and would wholeheartedly recommend other potential vendors to seek her out and partner in a home sale or purchase.

Darnel Manu

4.9

(25 reviews)

Seller review

5 months ago

Awesome experience

Darnel made the process of selling my house stress free and easy. Her professional approach was warm and informative. I appreciated the regular updates of market actions, open home attendees and their interest, and her commitment to securing a buyer who paid very close to the price we wanted. I would not hesitate to use Darnel again and highly recommend her as an agent.

Darnel Manu

4.9

(25 reviews)

Seller review

5 months ago

A Real Partner

Darnel is everything you would want in a Real Estate agent. Excellent knowledge and communication delivered with honesty and clarity. A professional agent that walks closely beside you through the entire selling journey. As importantly, I never doubted for a moment that Darnel had my best interests at heart and was working to achieve that outcome. Highly recommended.

Darnel Manu

4.9

(25 reviews)

Our properties