Really cosy hostel with a homey feel. Just one dorm room and some private rooms so you get to know other travellers staying there. It is a remote check in via an app which isn't ideal but as it’s such a small place it doesn’t really make sense for a host to be on site all the time. Well equipped kitchen and comfy beds with lights/charging ports etc. lovely view from the kitchen and living room in the morning, and good location close to town and the harbour, with plenty of free parking on the street outside.

The ladders aren’t secured to the beds which I thought was a bit of a hazard

The location was very good with easy walking access to the town and things to see and easy on street parking. Common areas were very spacious and very homey, lots of attention to detail. Room was also large and comfy

Bathrooms are small, one person at a time, and right next to room so you hear everything. People were very good about being quiet tho. Electric blanket did not work and room was chilly but that’s pretty standard for NZ in the winter it seems

I love the facility room where there is a huge TV to watch Netflix, a massage chair with the seaview and lots of games to play. The kitchen feels very much like home and the room was comfy. I love the concept of curtain bunk bed. It just makes such a huge difference! It was raining very heavily the day i checked in and thankfully, there were umbrellas provided.

I wish there was someone around for check-in but at the same time, the idea of being able to open the gate with the scan of a phone and the check-in was actually pretty seamless and hassle free since the instructions were sent prior to the arrival.

Amazingly cute little place with a penguin theme. Generous common areas, both inside and out to be used by all freely. I slept in the dorm room and it was big, fresh and the beds were very comfy. The service was great and they answered quickly when I had a small issue. I could even dry my laundry out in their garden! A place with everything you could possibly need from hairdryer and schampoo to borrow to even complimentary cookies to take with coffee.

Great location, super clean hostel. It take a few minutes to figure out how things work with no staff around but it's super easy. There's no staff around but you can contact the duty manager if you have any questions, I messaged her before checking out to ask for a storage room and she replied super quickly. Make sure you use the massage chair in the lounge while you admire the views!! Also, there's a veggie garden and you can pick some fresh fruits when in season. Overall my stay was very good and I will stay again if I go back to Oamaru 😀.

My room was good, with a comfortable bed but the walls are super thin and the first night was a bit noisy. But anyways, that's a problem related to people who don't know how to behave in a hostel or don't care about others... however, Sunday night was super quiet and I had a good rest.

The building and facilities is really quite nice and comfortable.

At sixty bucks a night (Aug '25), it's the highest rate I've paid for a DORM bed in NZ which I'm not sure is justified, seems overpriced. There are no staff on site and I had about ten email notifications before arriving - I only needed one thanks. There are notices everywhere telling you what not to do; most of those things are common sense.

So comfy, beautifully decorated, clean and warm. One of the best hostels I have stayed in. They provide a towel, and free cereal and spreads (jam, marmite, etc.) and there were so many games, books, a TV and a massage chair. Granted, it is very quiet, so you won't be encountering too many people. But I think that can be nice.

Nothing comes to mind apart from the fact it's about a 20 minute walk from the bus stop. But the walk is along the main road and you come across the old town, so you will already get a good impression of the town on your way there :)

I loved the beautiful design (lot of penguins) and the solid wooden beds. The kitchen is well equipped and there's a small garden with some vegetables for free. They also provide some breakfast stuff like musli, jam, coffee, you just need to have your milk and bread.

It's generally a 10/10 hostel. The minus for not letting people in before 3pm, so that you can't put your foot in the fridge nor wait for check-in in the common room if the weather is bad.

Amazing hostel - doesn't feel like one at all feels more like shared accommodation or a B&B. The 6 bed mixed dorm was spacious and clean. Sturdy bunk bed with each having their own light and usb charging point. The toilets and showers were clean. Free street parking right outside the accommodation. Free breakfast stuff, alongside tea, coffee etc as well as fruit juices. The view from the kitchen/living areas were beautiful. The location is perfect for Oamaru. I stayed for 2 nights and had the mixed dorm to myself the first night!

In terms of the accommodation itself - nothing! It was a brilliant place to stay. Guests on my last night were noisy/banging around until 1am which was annoying, but no fault of the accommodation.

It was a nice stay overall - the hostel house is spacious and very well equipped. I am usually reluctant to stay at hostels (even in private rooms) because things seem to feel overused and messy - but here everything was pretty well maintained and the bathrooms were great. (Kind of miraculous, since I never saw any staff :)) The laundry room was great, too and the electric blanket was a comfy bonus. The small garden in the back was sweet, especially since you are welcome to serve yourself with ripe veggies. There was also a nice assortment of hot drinks/cereal in the kitchen. All that gave a very welcoming, home-like feel. The view from the single room was nice and I enjoyed being able to see the sun rise over the ocean just from my window.

The wifi didn't work for me at all. Unfortunately there was no staff to ask for help. I'm very tech-savvy, but it just didn't have any connection for me to be able to log in. Also, the walls are quite thin so you may hear everything going on around you at night, people walking down the hallway or any conversation in the other room. Not so good if one has trouble falling asleep, or if your neighbors are loudly disputing in the evening (as mine were).