Wallys Backpackers

"I lived in this hostel from late May 21- Feb 22. So just expressing my personal experience. I came to Hawkes Bay only for a seasonal(SSE enlisted) full-time pruning job, normally arranged by then hostel manager as part of stay & work arrangement. I was staying in female only dorm. I spent my August 21 lockdown here. A young lady arrived late evening from Auckland (later not Auckland) same day as the lockdown was announced, was put in the same dorm as me. Provided covid-delta in the community was a bit of a scare at that point in time. And if not all most people generally were not vaccinated. Also few other issues. I made multiple requests to (then) manager to be moved into a different dorm as there were so many dorms that were completely vacant in both the buildings,(especially since late June 2021). Despite that I was pushed to stay in the same dorm as the other person(did not act on it, all sorts of excuses were given but I was made to stay in the same dorm) this lasted for few months. How? & Why? From my end there was nothing personal. Apart from this, seemed very uncooperative to allot me the vacant single room. And when I managed to secure it & moved in, checking with the owner instead & manager was aware of this. The manager later tried to move me back into another dorm. Especially since late June 2021 there were very few backpackers left in the entire hostel anyways. But for some reason few people (otherwise from different background) who lived here(then) where very supportive of such & similar bizarre attitude on numerous occasions. Sometimes there were issues like strangers walking into the room I stayed, entry outdoor-seating camera was not working( as per my knowledge takes close-ups shots), it was not damaged. Thou, it was resolved later under owners management. The manager was out of the picture and Owners took charge later in the year and started directly managing the place. Irrespective of the owners & past manager(irrespective of any one specific person) for some reason(not in my control). I had to give explanations, few times that I do not have or had any form of taboo night-life/non-decent profession. Due transport-bubble issues during lockdown. I was unable to continue the pruning job(essential service). I did not qualify for the support . Soon, I ended up finding myself a full-time office job, legal & later also started working as a part-time cafe-assistant, legal. Me expressing all this was not at all believed. From my end I was not involved in any or this kind of inappropriate profession or act. Rumours?? Early Feb 2022 Fire alarm went-off, it was not a drill & someone who lived here tried blaming on accidental toxic(CO) gas leak. No fire. Smoking in the dorm??This happened when most people who lived here around Christmas & before had vacated. Owners did not live on the property(then) and so were not present when this happened but helped to resolve it. I have lived in NZ for many years but I was new to Hawkes Bay. I had nothing to do with any matter at all from my end. Normally, the hostel is booked by individual, small groups etc. It reached a point. The entire hostel (otherwise mostly empty due to pandemic) was booked by someone and the owners gave enough notice to vacate by February 2022 at the latest & hostel was shut for individual bookings for a period of time. Overall, At that point in time, there were few positive changes in the hostel under owners direct management ."

"Have tried contacting to stay via email and phone. Initially had a good recommendation, but never received any communication back for more than a week. Seems to me like management/workers are fairly unreliable."

"Best working hostel in NZ! Rob (manager) goes well out of his way to get you a job and makes you feel at home. I ended up staying for around 7 months and during lockdown! It is a working hostel so everyone stays long term and has a job. Made friends for life here and have so many amazing memories."

"I stayed here for about a month and it was pretty nice - wifi was generally really reliable and the kitchen has all the utensils and appliances you might want (blenders, food processors, etc.). They also have bikes that you can use for free, which was great. It can get noisy sometimes but beside that it's an excellent place to stay."

"Most of the people staying here are working in napier or staying for a long period, but every one is really nice and helpful. It has some parking spots, some dining tables on the garden, and nice kitchen facilities, but sometimes it's a bit small for the amount of people staying there. You can either stay in dorms or in private rooms."