We arrived on Intercity Bus and walked to this hostel which was about an hour from the National Park. We knew this before booking and it wasn't an issue. We really enjoyed this place because it was spacious, had a cozy feel, the pool table in the lounge was awesome and the secret Narnia tv room was cool. We found it clean and met the owner which was nice. We did the Tongariro Crossing and it was too far to walk to so the owner suggested Dempsey Bus service and it worked out great! They picked us up and dropped us off back at the hostel. For the price you can't beat this place.

I loved the friendly, laid-back vibe—everyone was chill and welcoming. The facilities were perfect: clean, warm, and super cozy for winter. The Narnia movie room was such a cool, creative touch! The kitchen was well-equipped, and the lounge spaces made it easy to relax and meet people. Honestly, no issues at all. Would definitely stay again!

I didn’t realise the beds were assigned, so I accidentally took the wrong one and had a slightly awkward moment with another guest on my last night. I’m more used to a first-in, first-served setup—but still really enjoyed the stay!

This was an intriguing place to stay , it felt like an adventure! Extremely well organised from a tech point of view. We appreciated all the groovy decor extras and lots of thoughtful touches everywhere. Very easy place to stay overnight (we arrived at approx 9.45pm). Clean.

With such a well equipped kitchen ( modern fridges , air fryer, sandwich press, rice cooker etc), it was surprising there was only one kettle in the kitchen for boiling water. Men of our party reported less than perfect men's bathroom, but the women's was pristine! 😉Can't comment on the staff as we didn't have any contact with them that we are aware of! (Maybe some of the other guests were staff)

It was good proximity to the Tongiraro Crossing and had all the facilities we needed for a short stay. The kitchen was spacious and clean, the games room was great and our room was clean and comfortable. The shower and toliet facilities were large as well.

The drains in the ladies shower/bathroom were dirty and the toliets/shower block was also far away from our room, so we had to walk through the kitchen to use them. It would be nice if there was just a singular toliet installed on the other side of the kitchen so we didn’t need to walk through to use it in the night :)

The Crossing Lodge is a hostel, after accepting this, it is great for its price. The description and photos correspond to reality, so examine them carefully to see if they meet your requirements. The directions for self-check-in were straightforward, those guests who reported difficulties did not read them carefully. I recommend you give time to read so you have no problems! There is a lounge with a pool to play in, a large dining area, and a fully equipped kitchen. The heating is central and hot enough, but we could control it manually through the blinds on the floor. WiFi was OK. Although we had an annoying isolated incident of bedbugs which can happen anywhere, the owner's behavior was immediate and responsible.

Although I know it is a budget hostel, it would be convenient to offer towels. Some guests do not respect quiet hours and make noise.

Too great for its price. This is the cheapest place I had spent time in NZ, despite the fact that I got a bed with sheets, a pillowcase, and a blanket. Some hostels and backpackers do not provide this. The self-check-in process is really simple and smooth, some of those who checked in at the same time as me had difficulties since they did not read the sign, so I recommend you give time to read so you do not get lost! They have an awesome secret movie room in a wardrobe, a pool to play in, a large dining area, and a kitchen fully equipped for cooking. I don't mind not having someone greet me at the reception or show me to my room because I'm getting more than I paid for. Will definitely comeback.

This is the perfect place to stay if you’re exploring Tongariro, close drive from the main hikes and very cool place to stay with a huge kitchen, a big tv room and a lot of sofa to relax after a long hike and share stories with the other people staying there. Only negative point is the smell of the heating that smells like gas or something. Would recommend tho if you’re not too sensitive about smell ;it occurs like a few times a day when the place is warming up but you can easily get the freshest air by stepping outside.

Clean. Felt safe. Smaller room, but great for the price. Easy parking. Had blanket and pillow, no towel (which was fine but hard to find that information on the site). Electronic code to get in to doors to outside and room.

The walls were really thin so you could here everything any time anyone else talked or moved. Check in information was sent the day after we checked in, it was relatively easy, but would have been nice to have the information ahead of time.

I was pleasantly surprised with this lodge so I've taken time to wrte this review. I booked a dorm because it was a good price, but felt like i got so much more than just a bed, it was warm and cozy when it was zero degrees outside, it has a great kitchen with gas ovens water filters and an airfryer, a big dinning room, 2 big TV rooms (one is a hidden room, I loved it 😆) and and free pool table, great bathrooms, and showers worked perfectly, check-in is done easily with a touch screen tv, that was impressive, the doors are all security doors and i felt safe and secure which was a concern for me from some previous reviews i had read. Im already planing to come back with friends when there's more snow.

The place was beautiful—the landscape, the sunset! The kitchen was massive, and everything was really clean and tidy. The best part was the secret cinema room; we ended up there watching Mulan after the Tongariro Crossing. Best place in terms of price vs. quality. Super easy access with the codes!

Not much shops or restaurants to go close by so make sure you buy everything you need before you arrive to the Whakapapa/National park area.