Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 06-343 3593, 0800 343 056;
www.anndionlodge.co.nz
;
143 Anzac Pde; s/d/f/ste from $75/88/105/135;
)
Hell-bent on constantly improving and expanding their fabulous hyper-hostel, hosts Ann
and Dion (Anndion, get it?) go to enormous lengths to make things homey: stereo sys-
tems, big TVs, spa, swimming pool, barbecue area, restaurant, bar, courtesy van etc. 'No
is not in our vocabulary', says super-helpful Ann.
Tamara Backpackers Lodge
MAP
HOSTEL
$
GOOGLE MAP
( 06-347 6300;
www.tamaralodge.com
; 24 Somme Pde; dm/s from $28/53, d & tw with/without bathroom $84/70;
)
Tamara is a photogenic, maze-like, two-storey heritage house with a wide balcony,
lofty ceilings (people weren't taller in 1904 were they?), kitchen, TV lounge, free bikes
and a leafy, hammock-hung back garden. Ask for one of the beaut doubles overlooking
the river.
Braemar House YHA
MAP
HOSTEL
$
GOOGLE MAP
( 06-348 2301;
www.braemarhouse.co.nz
;
2 Plymouth St; dm/s/d/tw $30/50/75/75, f $96-130, guesthouse incl
breakfast s/d $95/130; )
Riverside Braemar brings together an 1895 Victorian B&B guest-
house and a reliable YHA backpackers. Centrally heated guesthouse rooms are floral and
fancy; airy dorms conjure up a bit more fun out the back. Chooks patrol the back yard.
Whanganui River Top 10 Holiday Park
( 06-343 8402, 0800 272 664;
www.wrivertop10.co.nz
;
460 Somme Pde; campsites/cabins/units from $21/72/135;
)
This tidy Top 10 park sits on the Whanganui's west bank 6km north of Dublin
Bridge. Facilities (including pool, games room and jumping pillow) are prodigious. Kayak
hire also available: the owners shuttle you upriver then you paddle back to camp. The
budget cabins by the river have big-dollar views. Self-catering or dining in town is your
best bet foodwise. Horizons (
Click here
)
buses go past here.
HOLIDAY PARK
$
Aotea Motor Lodge
( 06-345 0303;
www.aoteamotorlodge.co.nz
;
390 Victoria Ave; d from $150, 1-bedroom ste from $190; )
It
gladdens the heart to see a job done well, and the owners of one of Whanganui's newest
motels have done just that. On the upper reaches of Victoria Ave, this flashy, two-storey
MOTEL
$$
