It’s pretty much a backpacker’s hostel. Once that’s realized, expectations are adjusted accordingly. Let’s get the negatives out of the way: - must check out by 10 AM - there’s no air conditioning. There are fans, but at night, in summer, the rooms are uncomfortably warm. Everything else is positive. The location I felt was excellent. 20 minutes walk to the CBD; 30 minutes to the ferry terminal. You are right at Ponsonby, which is a main street for restaurants and coffee shops. There is an excellent supermarket one block away ( 5 minutes walk ). The lodge is very clean, and there’s a good community kitchen, where you can store your food as well as cook. I opted to pay + $20 per night extra for a private bath, but the hostel offers many bathrooms with showers. There are 2 washing machines and 1 dryer, each requiring NZD 6. The airport shuttle - Skydrive - operates from the Sky tower, a 20 minute walk. Here are the directions from the Sky Tower, which is on Hobson Street. Take Hobson for about 3 blocks, to Pitt Street. Go left on Pitt. Just one block on Pitt, on your right, you see a big, blue sign that reads “BECA”. After only one block on Pitt, with Beca Company on the right, that is Hopetoun Street. Go to the right. You will go up a bridge, with the expressway beneath you. As soon as you cross the bridge, you pass a girl’s grammar school, and Verandahs Lodge is clearly marked on the right, about the 4th building. The airport shuttle runs every 30 minutes, costs NZD 18 ( 12.50 for seniors ), and you pay driver, but only credit cards are accepted.
