Whanganui
Riverside, calamine-coloured Braemar brings together an 1895 Victorian B&B guesthouse and a reliable YHA backpackers, with separate lounge areas…
Must-see hotels in North Island
Fitzroy Beach Motel Apartments
New Plymouth
This quiet motel is just 200m from Fitzroy Beach and has been thoroughly redeemed with a major overhaul and extension. Highlights include a calming colour…
Wellington
Visiting diplomats and corporate types flock to the Bolton (139 rooms, 19 floors), spreading their paperwork across rooms of all shapes and sizes, united…
The Wairarapa
This lush camping option spreads itself through bird-filled Soldiers Memorial Park, 650m from Greytown's main drag. As well as redwood-shaded sites,…
Wellington
Author Jane Tolerton's elegant, book-filled B&B has four queen guest rooms (one with an extra single bed). A bus service runs past the front gate to…
Martinborough Top 10 Holiday Park
The Wairarapa
Just five minutes' walk from town, this appealing campsite has grapevine views, shady trees and the town pool over the back fence. Cabins are simple but…
Rotorua
From the outside, it looks as though you might have to share your room with office workers, but this modern four-storey block provides spacious units and…
Hauraki Gulf Islands
A well-tended, sunny garden surrounds these reasonably priced units, perched on the hill just above Tryphena. They range from a two-bedroom house to an…
Napier
The conversion of this 1932 Ahuriri pub into a ritzy apartment-style hotel must have broken a few fishers' hearts. The new wing features muted tones, nice…
The Wairarapa
A stand of gracious roadside oaks and pretty gardens shield this smart complex of red-roofed units at the southern end of town. Choose from studio, one-…
Bay of Plenty
Exuding a hostel vibe – communal kitchen, lounge, travel info – without hostel noise levels, Seagulls is an upmarket backpackers' gem, even if the…
Taupo & the Ruapehu Region
LKNZ is a sprawling village of its own, with rooms spread across four lodges. Tidy doubles with wooden bed-frames are a bargain and there's a drying room,…
Gisborne
The wandering business traveller's hotel of choice in Gisborne, Portside offers three levels of sassy two-bedroom apartments, right by the river mouth…
Rotorua
Major renovations were underway when we last visited this friendly B&B, run by the well-humoured Sandi, who offers continental breakfasts and local advice…
Hastings & Around
Not so much off the beaten track as just beside it, these three woody self-contained cottages are handy to Havelock North and a good option if you're…
Auckland Region
Cosy cabins with bunks and a simple Kiwiana vibe stand amid regenerating native trees at this good-value option. Cabins have a fridge, toaster and kettle,…
Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula
Self-contained chalet accommodation and shuttle transport for the Timber Trail is available at Pa Harakeke, an interesting Māori-operated initiative near…
Taranaki & Whanganui
All stone-clad columns, jaunty roof angles, timber louvres and muted cave-colours, Amity Court Motel ups the town’s accommodation standings. The two…
On the Beach Backpackers Lodge
Coromandel Peninsula
Brightly painted and beachside, this large YHA-affiliate has a wide range of rooms, including some with sea views and en suites. It provides free kayaks,…
The Wairarapa
Sleepy Friar Tucks should book a bed at this trim little motel complex, right in the middle of town. There are seven free-standing units here, fronted by…
Taupo
The Beechtree offers classy rooms, fresh and modern in design with neutral-toned decor, large windows, ground-floor patios and upstairs balconies…
Whangārei Falls Holiday Park & Backpackers
Bay of Islands & Northland
Located 5km from central Whangārei, but a short walk from Whangārei Falls, this holiday park has good-value cabins, some with small kitchenettes but none…
Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula
This lovely holiday park in the heart of the village has spotless facilities, modern cabins and plenty of outdoor distractions to keep the kids busy. The…
Bay of Islands
Located in an orange grove, 4km out of town, this quiet rural retreat has tidy backpacker rooms in the main house (bathrooms are shared) and attractive…
The Wairarapa
Martinborough's ritziest accommodation comprises 28 free-standing cottages scattered around an ornamental lake surrounded by vines. All have fully…
Bay of Plenty
If you're craving simple sandy times, Westhaven delivers, with its prime position on Pilot Bay. The basic furnishings of the one- and two-bedroom units…
Palmerston North
It looks unapologetically like a Tudor castle from the outside, but inside it’s more like an intimate hotel. Offers 14 immaculate rooms with cork-tiled…
Bay of Plenty
Away from the town centre, among a small scrum of motels on Landing Road, 37 is the standout and a general step up in motel comfort. The slate pillars on…
Tauranga
This slick two-storey motel, 3.5km south of the city centre, has modern, self-contained apartments, ranging from studios to two-bedroom units with spa…
Hamilton
Our pick as the best of the motels along Hamilton's Ulster St strip, slightly north of the central city. Studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments all…
Bay of Islands & Northland
This B&B inhabits a pretty villa near the Kauri Museum. The simply furnished rooms open onto a wraparound veranda and offer winning touches, such as…
Criterion Art Deco Backpackers
Napier
The owners have spent a lot of money sprucing up this 1st-floor, ruby-red city-centre hostel – Napier’s best Spanish Mission specimen – which has a beaut…
Hamilton
Well-run hostel with dorms and singles on one floor, doubles and family rooms on another – some with en-suite bathrooms and all with access to a shared…
Wellington
About as central as you can get, Liberty opened its doors just a few years ago and has been winning over corporate fans with its tidy, stylish…
Taranaki & Whanganui
With 18 stylish rooms (black, white, charcoal and a dash of scarlet) across the road from King Edward Park, this place is our pick of Hāwera's motels…
Tauranga
Spruced up with splashes of lime-green paint, slat-style beds and smart TVs, this sweet, old-style motel is in a central but leafy and quiet location near…
Whanganui
Tamara is a photogenic, mazelike, two-storey heritage house (1904) with a wide balcony, lofty ceilings, a TV lounge, a rambling back garden and helpful…
Taupo & the Ruapehu Region
This well-kept motel offers spacious rooms with good bathrooms and full kitchens. Communal facilities include grassy lawns, a basic gym, large outdoor spa…
Bay of Islands
Located by the little headland that breaks up the Paihia strip, this older motel has been renovated within an inch of its life. The units are tidy and…
Russell-Orongo Bay Holiday Park
Bay of Islands
Surrounded by 14 acres studded with bird-filled native forest, this relaxed holiday park is around 3km from Russell in the direction of Okiato. The wide…
