I read articles to this effect this week and a handful of homes are actually being rented for these kind of rates.
You could consider that if there were 10 guests and you split the cost, it would be about $1000 for the week/guest. It is pretty comparable to hotel costs when translated like this. Although the home I heard of was but a 3 bedroom home. It would seam that some guests might be giving up comfort for a place to stay.
I am interested more in the adventure of seeing the country of New Zealand in between games. The Canada games are distributed between 3 host cities and over 3 weeks. We have tentative plans already for our first 14 days that crisscrosses us over the North Island like a child's scribblings.
For the savvy; there are still frugal alternatives and you should be able to hire rental cars/vans/campers at non inflated rates as well as accommodations. Bay of Islands Campervans is one such company that won't gouge you just for hiring during the RWC 2011.
Keep your fingers busy and do your homework online to get better rates. Let me know if you find any other fair businesses out there showing compassion during the Rugby World Cup.
