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The Best New Zealand Backpackers Hostels 2023

The best New Zealand hostels for 2023:

1. Adventure Queenstown Hostel

An alpine style building on a roadside with people waving from the upstairs terrace and a mountain in the distance.
The best New Zealand hostel via Adventure Hostels New Zealand

Location: Queenstown city centre
Type of Rooms: Dorms and private rooms
Make a booking: https://adventurehostels.co.nz/hostel/adventure-queenstown/
Hostel Vibe: Adventure Hostel Queenstown is the best New Zealand hostel. The budget-friendly backpackers offers activities every day of the week. Also, they offer free hire of GoPros and mountain bikes.

2. Finlay Jack’s Backpackers

A group of people eating and socialising on an outdoor grassy area on tables and beanbags with fairy lights and buildings around it.
People eating a meal around a rectangular wooden dining table with long benches.
Hostel group bbqs and chills in Lake Taupo via Finlay Jack’s

Location: Lake Taupo
Type of Rooms: Dorms, pods and private rooms
Make a booking: https://finlayjacks.co.nz/
Hostel Vibe: A really cool backpackers hostel with free morning yoga, group BBQs and backyard gigs in the summer.

3. The Marion Hostel

A stylish kitchen with wooden and ceramic features behind a black marble kitchen island with a light fitting over the top.
2 bathroom sinks with industrial copper piping and black bowls on top of a wooden shelf.

Location: Wellington
Type of Rooms: Shared dorms and private rooms
Make a booking: https://www.themarionhostel.com/
Hostel Vibe: Probably the best New Zealand hostel for cleanliness and luxury. The newly renovated Marion Hostel is found in the centre of the capital just a block from busy Cuba St. The place is stylish and cleaned several times a day. It’s slightly more pricey than your average hostel, but it’s so worth it.

4. YHA Lake Tekapo

A stone Anglican church surrounded by long grass plants and big rocks perched on the shores of a lake with snow-capped mountains in the distance.
The shores of Lake Tekapo, which is home to one of the best New Zealand hostels

Location: Lake Tekapo
Type of Rooms: Dorms, twin rooms and doubles
Make a booking: https://app.mews.com/yhalaketekapo
Hostel Vibe: An alpine style hostel on the shores of Lake Tekapo. The common area has full length windows overlooking the lake.

5. Haka Lodge Auckland

Three people sitting on wooden benches drinking tea at a long wooden table in a communal kitchen with industrial piping and white cabinets.
The best hostel in Auckland via Haka Lodge

Location: Auckland City Centre (CBD)
Type of Rooms: Shared dorms or private rooms
Make a booking: https://hakalodges.com/auckland/
Hostel Vibe: The best backpackers hostel in Auckland. Chilled but sociable and really clean.

6. Wanaka Bakpaka Hostel

Two people relaxing on a table on an outdoor terrace with paving stones, grass and trees overlooking a blue lake.
The best hostel in Lake Wanaka via Wanaka Bakpaka Hostel

Location: Lake Wanaka
Type of Rooms: Bunk dorms and private rooms
Make a booking: https://www.wanakabakpaka.co.nz/
Hostel Vibe: A charming hostel by Lake Wanaka. The old 1920s hunting lodge has a lot of character with views of the glacial water from the common areas and the sunny terrace.

7. YHA Waitomo (Juno Hall)

Four people floating in a cave of water in black rubber rings with black wetsuits and blue helmets on looking up at glow worms on the roof.
Black Water Rafting via Waitomo Glowworm Caves on TripAdvisor

Location: Waitomo (North Island)
Type of Rooms: Shared dorms, private rooms and campervan pitches
Make a booking: https://www.junowaitomo.co.nz/book-online/
Hostel Vibe: A chilled youth hostel with an outdoor swimming pool just down the road from Waitomo Caves (glow worm caves). A great spot to stay to do a Glowworm Caving Adventure, a Black Water Rafting Experience, or a Budget-Friendly Boat Tour

8. Haka Lodge Paihia (Bay of Islands)

A dolphin diving out of the water next to a white boat where people take photos of it.
Sailing with dolphins in the Bay of Islands

Location: Paihia (beachside town in the Bay of Islands area)
Type of Rooms: Shared dorms or private rooms
Make a booking: https://hakalodges.com/paihia/
Hostel Vibe: A beachside hostel with brilliant views of the ocean from the common area. Relaxed vibes with the option to rent kayaks and paddleboards.

9. Hot Water Beach Top 10 Holiday Park

A steaming pool of water on a beach with a shovel stuck in the sand. Waves crash on rocks and the sun rises in the distance.
Digging for thermal water on Hot Water Beach via The Coromandel

Location: Hot Water Beach (Coromandel Peninsula)
Type of Rooms: Shared dorms in cosy cabins, private rooms and glamping pods.
Make a booking: https://www.hotwaterbeachtop10.co.nz/
Hostel vibe: A chilled coastal holiday park with dorm rooms located by the famous Hot Water Beach (where you can dig for thermal water at low tide).

10. Glow Worm Accommodation

A timber building with a metal roof in front of snow capped mountains.
The outdoor reception area of a hostel with a yellow sign saying 'reception' and wooden high tables and chairs.
A hostel by the glaciers via Glow Worm Accommodation

Location: Franz Josef Glacier
Type of Rooms: Shared dorms and private rooms
Make a booking: https://www.glowwormfranz.co.nz/index.html
Hostel Vibe: A cool backpackers hostel in Glacier Country. Set amongst lush rainforest, the hostel has a hot tub and offers free breakfast along with free soup in the evenings and unlimited popcorn. You can also see Franz Josef Glacier from the kitchen, which is pretty spectacular.

11. The Old Countryhouse

A street lined with colourful regent-style buildings with outdoor tables, benches and parasols out front.
New Regent St in Queenstown

Location: Christchurch
Type of Rooms: Shared dorms and double rooms.
Make a booking: https://www.oldcountryhousenz.com/
Hostel vibe: A friendly hostel near the city centre with a hot tub for guests to use.

12. Mount Backpackers

The viewpoint from the top of a mountain overlooking a peninsula town by the ocean with a white beach, gentle waves and small islands in the distance.
Mount Maunganui from the top of the extinct volcano

Location: Mount Maunganui (Bay of Plenty)
Type of Rooms: Shared dorm rooms
Make a booking: https://www.mountbackpackers.com/
Hostel vibe: A fun backpackers hostel in downtown Mount Maunganui. The hostel is just around the corner from the surf beach, and offers group dinners as well as trips to the buzzing local bars.

13. YHA National Park Backpackers

A rocky volcanic landscape of dark brown peaks and green lakes shown from a high viewpoint.
The iconic Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Location: Tongariro National Park
Type of Rooms: Shared dorm rooms and private rooms
Make a booking: https://npbp.co.nz/book-online/
Hostel vibe: A backpackers hostel built around an 8 metre high indoor climbing wall! Located close to the famous Tongariro Alpine Crossing, group shuttles are offered to guests wanting to complete the full day hike.

14. Rock Solid Backpackers Rotorua

The communal area of a hostel with orange graffiti paintings on the walls, green sofas, an orange bean bag and a beige rug.
The common area via Rock Solid Backpackers

Location: Rotorua city centre
Type of Rooms: Shared dorm rooms and private rooms
Make a booking: https://www.rocksolidrotorua.co.nz/
Hostel vibe: A basic but sociable backpackers hostel located right in the heart of Rotorua. It’s found on ‘Eat Street’, Rotorua’s bustling street filled with eateries, bars and a nightclub. The city centre location is also an ideal base to explore all of Rotorua’s geothermal attractions. Fancy a spot of climbing? There’s a 20 metre high climbing wall below the hostel too!

I hope you enjoyed this guide to the best New Zealand hostels. Don’t miss the Ultimate New Zealand Road Trip Itinerary and the Best Viewpoints in New Zealand.

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