Very comfortable and well-equipped hostel at an unbeatable price. Its position is very convenient, being equally close to Tongariro and Ruapehu. Rooms are simple, but equipped with everything you need to feel warm and sleep soundly, communal areas are spacious and the kitchen is complete with any tool one might need. The facility also includes a really nice pub and a minimarket. The host is very friendly and helpful. Overall great value for money, considering the super-cheap price, I visited twice recently and was very satisfied both times.

Some of the toilets weren't clean, but there are many toilets around the hostel and it's possible to use a different one if the one next to your room isn't clean enough for you.

It had a bar attached to the establishment with a wonderfully out of tune piano, but sensible hours and no noise coming through at all as it is in a different wing with reception and the shop betwixt. I liked that the owner had painted/stencilled beautiful quotes adorning the walls.. The room was spotless, had a sink, was warm, comfortable bed and electric blanket. The communal area was super warm via a well-stacked fire. Certainly higher standard toilets and showers than many other places. Thank you, Joy, you truly care.

Cold kitchen

I stayed 3 nights there, travelling by train. Very neat single bed bedroom, with a small sink, very handy.. Place was super clean, very quiet (no noisy backpackers), great kitchen with plenty of equipment. Very clean bathroom. Nice big comfy main lounge, plenty of windows. Small shop at the front. Restaurant next door (great fried noodles). Joy was very helpful and I really appreciated the time she took to drop me off and pick me up from a couple of nearby places (for a fee of course, acting as a shuttle). Loved staying there!

Rooms are basic but are clean and cosy with everything you need including a heater, and are dark and quiet at night. Great value for money! Bathroom was modern and clean, kitchen has everything you need and is handy to have a small dairy on site stocking all the basics. Staff were lovely and friendly and were happy to store my luggage for me while I did some hiking. Wifi and to have laundry facilities on site was ideal. Around a 10 min walk to bar/restaurants and 7 min walk to train/bus station

Joy and Josh are very friendly and helpful. There are electric blankets on the beds.

The heaters in the kitchen and lounge room don't work and I had to wrap myself in a blanket. The TV doesn't work and neither does the washing machine. Flies are a problem and there's no flywire on the windows in the bedrooms.The kitchen door doesn't close properly and flies are easily entering the cooking area. A small draught beer in their bar cost $12.50!

We liked the lodge very much: it was simple but very functional. The shared toilets and separate showers were all very close to the room and very accessible. They were clean and so was the room. The common room was conducive to meeting other travellers and having enjoyable exchanges. Laundry room was a big plus too. The small shop had a selection of many basic necessities, and the owner was nice enough to even sell us some onion and garlic from her own supply to help spice up our evening meal 😊. She was friendly and helped us organise the Alpine Crossing hike. Thank you Joy!

For the cost of the accommodation, we could not expect more. Very happy with our choice.

Host is very lovely and welcoming. We were firstly located in a room close to the bar and reception area on a NY eve. The host asked us if we wanted to change room as there's going to be a party till midnight; we said yes and she moved us to another room outside (closer to the kitchen and dining area) and even refunded us $30 NZD. The 2nd room that we stayed in is much bigger and comfortable. The reception area sells a bunch of food (like a simple grocery store) so if you're hungry or need something, you can just go there and buy the stuff; quite convenient. Shower's good, has hot water and good pressure. There's also multiple bathrooms throughout the accommodation.

N/A

Very simple lodge, but well kept, very clean, comfortable, with modern showers and a large, well equipped kitchen, $4 to do laundry, and very friendly and helpful staff. Of course also a fantastic location close to all the beautiful hikes in the Tongariro area. I stayed two nights longer than planned and my stay was so restorative, as both the lodge and the landscapes just feel peaceful and remote in the best way.

Very nice lodge, super clean, well organized, big kitchen for use, cozy common area. We stayed in a deluxe double room (comfortable bed), with shared toilets and bathrooms in the hallway, and this was very manageable: no waiting times, all very hygienic and tidy. Our room was small but perfect for one night. However, the walls are thin, so you have to be a bit lucky with your neighbors. And things start early in the morning - the first shuttle for the Tongariro Crossing leaves just after sunrise - with quite a buzz in the corridors. So then your night's sleep is over. Please note that reception and the adjacent shop are not open all evening (and only again from 8 am the next morning). We did not realize this and therefore missed useful information regarding the trek.

I was really impressed with this place! Great location, clean and well-stocked kitchen. Bathrooms were clean and water pressure good in the shower. Great value for money. Staff friendly when I checked in. Wi-Fi was decent given remote location. Would stay again!!

Not much! Was a little noisy at night on our final night but to be expected with a lot of people getting up early to hike etc.