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3.5
#2 of 2 hostels in National Park Village
Location
Rooms
Value
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Sleep Quality
Magnificent view of volcanoes right from our doorstep. Closest hostel to start of TONGARIRO ALPINE CROSSING with own bus - $ 45 per person return. Most rooms with ensuite bathrooms, off-street parking, internet/Wi-Fi, DOC hut passes. INDOOR CLIMBING HALL 8m high, 55 top rope climbs, beginners - advanced. Transport to Tongariro Northern Circuit, 42 Traverse and other mountain bike trails, free pick up from Intercity bus stop and train station. Whanganui River trips. Bar/restaurant next door.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Qualmark.
HOTEL STYLE
Budget
Family
Languages Spoken
English, German
Location
4 Findlay Street, National Park Village 3948 New Zealand
National Park Backpackers
173 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
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We stayed here for 3 nights before doing the Tongariro Crossing. Very pleasant stay and friendly and excellent staff. The bus pick up for the Crossing was arranged by the hostel which was really easy. Communal kitchen and fridge which was very handy. Excellent pub right near by to enjoy a drink and dinner
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Anna Whitehead, General Manager at National Park Backpackers
Responded 22 Aug 2022
Hi there, thank you for leaving us a review, we are happy to hear you enjoyed your stay. We hope to have you back soon.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Great accommodation at a great price. Shower pressure awesome, room clean and tidy. Good location with bar & restaurant next door. Lots of activities within the complex along with being central to great activities in the National Park region.
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Date of stay: February 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We have booked one family room. Once we reached there we got the bus on site for Whakapapa village. The room is ok. Having all the basic facilities. The location is very good. You can have gas station and foursquare near the Backpackers.
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Date of stay: August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Anna Whitehead, General Manager at National Park Backpackers
Responded 22 Aug 2022
We appreciate the positive words you had for National Park Backpackers and hope to see you again soon!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We came down to stay a couple of nights to do the Tongariro Crossing. The pickup point for the crossing is conveniently just outside the hostel. A friend booked the 10 person room for us with 7 people. It wasn't busy so we were the only ones in the room. The room itself was tidy and the bunks were fairly comfortable. There were a couple of bunks which led to the third set of beds which was interesting. The room also had a fair amount of power sockets and had a storage area for each person. The bathrooms were shared and they were quite clean. The kitchen is quite big and has quite a lot of space. There were three large tables for communal dining. There were also a fridge, freezer and shelf space for the food, just make sure to label it properly. It also looked like they had a drying room which we didn't use but useful in the winter. The accommodation was quite nice. They also had a climbing wall attached to the building. The lounge, laundry and a few rooms were located in the climbing area. There are climbing discounts if you are a guest there. It was quite a nice place to stay in National Park. Just turn at the wooden kiwi to get on the right street. We arrived quite late at night but the doors were still open so it was easy to get into the room. There wasn't any parking left though so we ended up just parking on the street.
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Date of stay: April 2021
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Anna Whitehead, General Manager at National Park Backpackers
Responded 22 Aug 2022
We appreciate you taking the time to leave us a review about your recent stay. It's great to hear that you enjoyed your stay. We would love to have you back soon!
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Great location and price, and the kitchen is reasonably well set up, but either someone forgot to buy more dish detergent, or they routinely water it down so much that you may as well wash your dishes with just tap water. This is really unhygienic, considering everyone is sharing dishes and there is no steriliser. We had a family room with an ensuite. It was dated but fine; the beds were average, and the pillows were really thin, but acceptable considering the price. The rooms could really use some hooks to hang up towels, ski gear, and bags. I had booked for three nights but only stayed for two. Our toilet started leaking, and I found cockroaches in the bathroom. I had my six-year-old with me, and it was all a bit much after that, so we decided to leave and go somewhere else. I informed reception of the issues, and they told me I needed to speak to the manager. She was very short with me and tried to blame me for the cockroaches, saying I had taken food into the room, which I hadn’t. She said it must have been the people before me. Interesting, however, that the cockroaches were in the bathroom. I asked for a refund, and she refused, offering to move us to another room, which I declined. This place is probably fine if you’re backpacking and just need a bed for the night, but for families, it’s a dump, and I wouldn’t stay there again or recommend it to anyone.
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Date of stay: October 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â Take your own dish detergent
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed in a room for 3 with a private bathroom and the room was clean and its size appropriate. Simple but comfortable. The real perks are the location and ease with which you can do walks in National Park including the famous Tongariro Crossing (which is more than a walk!!!). Staff is really helpful and friendly - Anna made the crossing possible for us and it was one of the best experiences we have ever done. Will book again when back in National Park for skiing or tramping.
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Date of stay: May 2022
Value
Location
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Anna Whitehead, General Manager at National Park Backpackers
Responded 22 Aug 2022
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We are very pleased to hear that you had a great time and hope to see you again soon at National Park Backpackers!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I stayed in this friendly backpackers whilst walking the northern circuit . I got a twin bed with ensuite shower and a small forest outside my bedroom window for good measure. It was very close to the general store which was run by a kind fatherly Indian gentleman who new the area well and had walked some of the local tracks some of which had not been maintained. It was also right next door to the kiwi adventure tour company that offered a range of experiences not least of which was a cycle tour of the local converted tramway track and old coach road which is part of the mountains to sea cycle tour.
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Date of stay: April 2022Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip: Try to get a room that isn’t facing the state highway. I was lucky with room 6. The washer and...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Anna Whitehead, General Manager at National Park Backpackers
Responded 22 Aug 2022
Thank you for the lovely words about National Park Backpackers, we are glad to hear that you had a pleasant visit and hope you will return soon!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The lady behind reception was rude and very unhelpful. As someone that works in hospitality this really grinds on me, there is no excuse. The hostel itself was okay, facilities were decent and the beds were comfy. It was a decent enough place to stay the night before hiking the crossing.
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Anna Whitehead, General Manager at National Park Backpackers
Responded 22 Aug 2022
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review as it helps us improve the customer experience. We will take this into consideration moving forward and hope to see you back at National Park Backpackers soon.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Very friendly staff that are willing to help out folks in need. The accommodations are simple and clean. Their shuttle service is great as well. Overall a pleasant experience and would recommend to anyone looking for budget lodging.
It also has a large kitchen
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â Try for a room on backside of building
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
So we booked the night to do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing the next day. This morning I found out that the Crossing Shuttle isn't working so we are unable to do the walk. I immediately contacted the Backpackers. I got a terse email back saying that because I cancelled on the day I would be charged for the booking and have been. Poor customer service. They must be aware that this happens regularly. I would have thought that credit for a future booking would be in order. Will never stay here and obviously tell anyone else not to stay here.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â Stay somewhere else.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the National Park Village area.
PRICE RANGE
AU$31 - AU$74 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
New ZealandNorth IslandManawatu-Wanganui RegionNational Park Village
NUMBER OF ROOMS
28
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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