Home » Hostels in New Zealand

There are loads of hostels in New Zealand, including at least one in nearly every town that holds any appeal to travelers. Overall the country is a paradise for backpackers and wanderers, and fortunately the many New Zealand hostels located all over both islands tend to be quite affordable, especially compared to the hotels in this country.

Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand by quite a bit, and it’s also where most people begin and end their trip around the islands. Auckland is home to more New Zealand hostels than anywhere else, and that really comes in handy because it’s a pretty expensive city for budget travelers and backpackers.

Wellington and Christchurch also have plenty of hostels to choose from since they are both major stopping points for the tens of thousands of people circling around the country at any given time. And of course Queenstown and Rotorua have plenty of hostels as well as they are major destinations for outdoor types and anyone coming to see the natural beauty of the country.

If you aren’t from New Zealand or Australia you should be aware that most of the hostels in this part of the world call themselves “backpackers” instead. So when you are searching for hostels in New Zealand most of them will be backpackers and many of them are actually called lodges as well. But don’t let these names throw you off. By any name most every place in these listings will offer cheap dorm beds and usually private rooms as well.

The name “backpackers” might lead you to believe that these places are only aimed at students and confirmed outdoors-people, but in reality virtually every hostel in New Zealand is open to everyone. Age limits and curfews are extremely rare these days, and in fact it’s very common to see older travelers staying at the hostels in New Zealand as a way to save money and get all the other benefits of this form of lodging.

New Zealand is quite unusual in the sense that nearly everyone who visits this country will be visiting many destinations along the way, with various stops and attractions mixed in between. So an added benefit of staying at a New Zealand hostel is that it’s very easy to meet people who’ve just come from the direction you are heading so you can get up to the minute travel advice on things to see and also things to avoid.

Prices

Unlike most other countries, the prices of hostels in New Zealand don’t tend to vary much. The dorm beds are always cheapest and they almost always start around $US15 to $US20 per night in nearly every city. A few places have deluxe facilities and might charge a bit more than that, but the vast majority of places will fall into this range.

Private rooms are extremely common, being found at perhaps three quarters of the hostels in New Zealand. Prices for the private rooms usually start between $US20 and $US25 per person, and of course places that have hotel-style rooms with TVs and coffeemakers will usually charge a bit more per night.

• Home
• Countries