Bridge Backpackers

I’ve been staying here for years, but this was my best visit. Brad and Tom were great hosts and really looked after me. I left some bags behind while tramping, and they were waiting in my room when I got back. What great service!

There’s a pretty decent scribble on the wall outside, yikes! But Tom is a legend of epic proportions. Thanks so much, bro. Small acts of kindness really go a long way.

There’s lots of living space and a large kitchen with everything we needed. Abel Tasman is an hour’s drive away, so a day trip is doable.

I don’t usually leave negative reviews, but this was awful. I’d give zero stars, and the hostel still hasn’t apologised. The location is great, but the facilities were broken and the receptionist was rude and unhelpful. I stayed eight nights. On the first day, I reported that the washbasin in the female dorm was blocked. The receptionist didn’t try to fix it, shouted at me and blamed me for washing clothes. It stayed blocked for all eight days. The locker under my bed was broken too, and nobody fixed it, so I couldn’t use it during my stay. The stair to the upper bunk was awkward, and I even fell while climbing down. The shower room was dirty. Staff also entered my room with their own keys without knocking. The receptionist did this while I was in the room, and the housekeepers came in daily to clean. I know it was a shared room and they needed to clean, but that didn’t mean they could just let themselves in whenever they wanted. They even left the door open when they left. I felt I had no privacy and wasn’t secure. I raised the issue, but nothing changed during my eight days there. The hostel advertised free luggage storage, but when I checked out they wouldn’t hold even my one backpack for a few hours, although there was plenty of space. I had an afternoon flight and only wanted to go out, then come back to collect it. The receptionist said I couldn’t store it because I wasn’t staying at the hostel again, and told me to leave straight after checkout. After travelling all over the world, this was the first time I’d encountered a receptionist so rude and inconsiderate. I didn’t feel respected or welcome.