Hello all,
I am planning a trip to NZ for a month in 2008. I will be arriving in Feb. I have not heard a lot about the hostels and was wondering if anyone had any experience with any of them. I plan on seeing as much as possible and will be going to both islands. Flying from the US will prove to be a bit expensive and am looking to budget as much as possible. Clean and safe is the key.Other ammenities not too important. I will be flying in and out of Auckland. Thanks for any tips you can send my way.

Some of the large hostels in cities like Auckland, Christchurch, or Queenstown have a party atmosphere. For mature travelers of all ages, the YHA hostels which are run to a high standard and well managed. Private rooms are available, in Feruary you may need to book ahead. The BBH hostel guide is free at the airport info center, and has a handy rating system. (Online at bbh.co.nz) Stick with ratings in the 80's and above and you will be clean and safe. There is also an independent rating site, hostelz.com. Guides like Lonely Planet that cater to backpacking travelers are useful for research and seemed to be accurate from my recent experience.

I was able to find private rooms from $30NZ to $60NZ per night. Backpacker beds run about $25 per night.

Thanks for the tips. I went to both sites and they'll be extremely helpful. I'm sure I'l be back to pick your brain a bit more. Happy Holidays!
annie

Don't spend too much time in Auckland. Get down to the south island as you are going in February. Check out www.bookhostels.com and www.bugaustralia.com for hostels. www.bookhostels.com also has a spot to book tours.

I'll second mlgb's recommendations. We stayed in three hostels (Lloyd's Lodge in Whakatane, the Missing Leg in Egmont Village, and the YHA in Waitomo) in 2004 and were very pleased with them all.

The BBH hostels were best because they were smaller and more homelike; the YHA was new and very nice, but felt a little more institutional.

Lee Ann

I just returned from NZ and can recommend the following hostels (I had a single room in all of them): Coachman Backpackers in Christchurch is very clean. A supervisor even checked behind the cleaning staff to make sure they did a good job. It also has friendly staff and a cozy common room. In addition, it's extremely quiet (almost spookily so for a hostel). Adelphi Lodge in Kaikoura has a nice double room with a comfortable bed and was clean. The decor of the room was old, but since it was clean, it wasn't an issue for me. The YHA Central in Queenstown is clean, but again, the room decor needed updating. I stayed on other places on the South Island, but these were the best of the lot. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Just back, and I agree about getting down to the south island or at least away from the cities to explore. I didn't stay in hostels but noticed some in Queenstown and Christchurch. Also I can recommend some of the walking tracks such as the Routeburn.

Thanks all for the help. I am not sure yet how much time to spend on each island. The only thing I'm sure I want to do is raft the Kaituna. I still have a lot of research to do but at least now I have an answer to the lodging questions and that is a big issue out of the way.

annw, I'll take any advice on the walking tracks you can send my way. I plan to do a lot of hiking while I am there. thanks

Hi bythecee521
I have recently returned from walking the milford track, and it was just fantastic.I was on a guided trip,so got to stay in the lodges each night and had the luxury of hot showers and 3 course meals. the company running these guided walks is a very slick operation, very organised, great guides etc. The walk itself was tougher than I anticipated, I was really glad I got my fitness levels up beforehand.It rained (lightly) on all the days we walked and the day we climbed Mackinnon Pass it was really windy and snowy and cloudy and freezing at the top! Consequently we didn't get any of the fabulous views from the top of the pass down the river valleys, but that didn't detract from the trip at all. I would recommend this walk to anyone not quite up to doing the independant hikers version (carrying a full load of food etc)or not experienced in mountain hiking. This was my first time doing anything like this but it certainly won't be my last.

Verandahs Backpackers in Ponsonby, Auckland is the best I have stayed in. Friendly people, great part of town, fun place.

Hi! I second the Coachman experience in Christchurch. Really helpful people.

I also recommend Accents on the Park in Nelson. It's by the cathedral - very friendly and helpful.

If you are doing any of the walks around Abel Tasman or doing Farewell Spit try Somerset House in Collingwood. The guy who owns it is a bit quirky but helpful enough.