It was my first time travelling to Auckland, New Zealand and as always, I wanted to have a good experience even when I am on a tight budget. First things first, I needed a place to stay for a couple of days in Auckland to open a local bank account and apply for an IRD number – the two most important things needed besides having a valid working holiday visa to successfully apply for work in New Zealand. 😀
A quick search online via Booking.com revealed a handful of backpacker hostels strategically located in Auckland Central Business District (CBD). The one that offers the best panoramic view of the city, not to mention the cheapest rent too from as low as $25 a night in a dormitory room is Nomads Auckland Backpackers Hostel located on Fort Street, Auckland.
Nomads Auckland Backpackers in Auckland Central Business District (CBD)
What attracted me to Nomads Auckland Backpackers Hostel is its strategic location – smacked right in the city centre, in the bustling Britomart district of Auckland Central Business District (CBD). The 7-storey building is a short walk away from Britomart Transport Centre and several places of interests such as the Vector Arena, Sky Tower and Viaduct Harbour to name a few. 🙂
The backpacker hostel is surrounded by a variety of shops, cafes, restaurants, pubs, banks, shopping centres, pharmacies, and convenience stores. The bustling Queen Street is just around the corner and getting from one place to another is convenient on foot or by public transport.
The backpacker hostel boasts a 24-hour reception, a rooftop sundeck with panoramic view of the city and harbour, free sauna and spa, free WiFi, an internet café, a guest lounge with Sky TV, and a communal kitchen. Free daily activities offered include walking tours, pub crawls and barbecue events.
Do take note that the free WiFi is only available in the on-site travel shop between 9am and 7pm daily. Otherwise, it is $4 a day, $12 a week for unlimited WiFi throughout the hostel. Luggage storage facility is available for free during check-in/check-out or is priced at $3 a day and $12 a week.
Mixed Dormitory Rooms & Private Rooms
Nomads Auckland Backpackers offers both shared dormitory rooms with shared bathrooms and private rooms with ensuite bathrooms. Female-only dormitory rooms are also available.
The rooms are divided into 6, 8, 10 and 12-bed mixed dormitory, 6 and 8-bed female dormitory, 4-bed dormitory with ensuite, budget twin with shared bathroom and budget double, budget twin, twin, double and king room with ensuite.
The price for a bed in the dormitory rooms is as low as $25 to $39 a night, whereas the price for a private room ranges from $89 to $128 a night. Please note that there is a maximum stay of 14 nights in 12-bed shared dormitory room and weekly/long term rates for the rooms are much cheaper than daily rates.
A Hit & Miss Affair in the 12-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room with Shared Bathroom
I booked a bed in the 12-bed mixed dormitory room at Nomads Auckland Backpackers for 2 nights via Booking.com before further extending my stay for another 5 days thanks to a delay in my bank appointment date. I will share my experience and valuable tips on how to open a local bank account and apply for an IRD number in New Zealand in another blog post – stay tune for it! 😉
The check-in process was a breeze and I was given room number 411 located on the 4th floor of the 7-storey building. The beds in the 12-bed mixed dormitory room are not numbered and are taken up on a first come, first serve basis. The first two nights I spent on the upper deck of the bunk bed. After that, I secured myself a spot on the lower deck of a bunk bed in the same room. 🙂
In general, the 12-bed mixed dormitory room was spacious and clean. The bed was comfortable too – I like the room. However I have to say, the room reeked an awful stench of mildew-sweat-dampness combo due to the poor air circulation in the room. Thankfully, there is a window in the room and the problem disappeared after we opened the window despite the blistering cold outside and used air fresheners. 😛
Besides that, the dormitory room’s door lock was faulty. Our key cards cannot open the door for some unknown reasons and some of us had to replace our key cards countless of times – talk about inconvenience! 🙁 Good news for all, rest assured that the dormitory room is free of bed bugs.
The shared bathroom and toilet facility located on the same floor was pretty good and was clean most of the time. Occasionally, the hand dryer and hairdryer does not work though. Overall, I really enjoyed my week-long stay at Nomads Auckland Backpackers despite the minor hiccups here and there.
Address: 16-20 Fort Street, 1010 Auckland, New Zealand
Phone: +64 9 300 9999
Email: info@nomadsauckland.com
Up next: Exploring Nomads Auckland Backpackers hostel – the communal kitchen on the 7th floor, roftoop sundeck, sauna and spa, and a fun night out with my dormmates at Fort Street Union Bar & Restaurant