Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Budget Backpacker Hostels
(BBH;
www.bbh.co.nz
) NZ's biggest hostel group with around 275 hostels. Membership
costs $45 for 12 months and entitles you to stay at member hostels at rates listed in the annual (free)
BBH Backpacker
Accommodation
booklet. Nonmembers pay an extra $3 per night. Pick up a membership card from any member hostel
or order one online for $50; see the website for details.
YHA New Zealand
(Youth Hostels Association;
www.yha.co.nz
)
More than 50 hostels in prime NZ locations. The
YHA is part of the
Hostelling International
(HI;
www.hihostels.com
)
network, so if you're an HI member in your own
country, membership entitles you to use NZ hostels. If you don't already have a home membership, you can join at ma-
jor NZ YHA hostels or online for $42, valid for 12 months. Nonmembers pay an extra $3 per night.
Base Backpackers
(
www.stayatbase.com
)
Nationwide chain with seven hostels around NZ, including North Island loc-
ations in the Bay of Islands, Auckland, Rotorua and Taupo. Expect clean dorms, women-only areas and party opportun-
ities aplenty. Offers a 10-night 'Base Jumping' accommodation card for $239, bookable online.
VIP Backpackers
(
www.vipbackpackers.com
) International organisation affiliated with around 20 NZ hostels (not
BBH or YHA), mainly in the cities and tourist hot-spots. For around $61 (including postage) you'll receive a 12-month
membership entitling you to a $1 discount off nightly accommodation. Join online or at VIP hostels.
Nomads Backpackers
(
www.nomadsworld.com
) Seven franchises in NZ with North Island properties in Auckland, Ro-
torua, Taupo, Waitomo and Wellington. Membership costs $49 for 12 months and, like VIP, offers NZ$1 off the cost of
nightly accommodation. Join at participating hostels or online.
Pubs, Hotels & Motels
»
The least expensive form of North Island hotel accommodation is the humble pub. NZ's old pubs are often full of
character (and characters), while others are grotty, ramshackle places that are best avoided, especially by women travel-
ling solo. Check whether there's a band playing the night you're staying - you could be in for a sleepless night. In the
cheapest pubs, singles/doubles might cost as little as $30/60 (with a shared bathroom down the hall), though $50/80 is
more common.
»
At the top end of the hotel scale are five-star international chains, resort complexes and splendid boutique hotels, all
of which charge a hefty premium for their mod cons, snappy service and/or historic opulence. We quote 'rack rates' (of-
ficial advertised rates) for such places, but discounts and special deals often apply.
»
NZ's towns have a glut of nondescript, low-rise motels and motor lodges, charging between $80 and $180 for double
rooms. These tend to be squat structures skulking by highways on the edges of towns. Most are modernish (though de-
cor is often mired in the early 2000s) and have similar facilities, namely tea- and coffee-making equipment, fridge, and
TV - prices vary with standard.
Rental Accommodation
The basic Kiwi holiday home is called a 'bach' (short for 'bachelor', as they were historically used by single men as
hunting and fishing hideouts). These are simple self-contained cottages that can be rented in rural and coastal areas, of-
ten in isolated locations. Prices are typically $80 to $150 per night, which isn't bad for a whole house or self-contained
bungalow. For more upmarket holiday houses, expect to pay anything from $150 to $400.
Online resources include:
Baches and Holiday Homes To Rent
(
www.holidayhomes.co.nz
)
Bookabach
(
www.bookabach.co.nz
)
Holiday Houses
(
www.holidayhouses.co.nz
)
