Metro Adventurer Backpackers
by the TopOfHotel team
Metro Adventurer is the best CBD hostel in Auckland for backpackers - a rooftop garden, a full shared kitchen, and staff reviews keep calling genuinely friendly.
Metro Adventurer is the best CBD hostel in Auckland for backpackers - a rooftop garden, a full shared kitchen, and staff reviews keep calling genuinely friendly.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
Metro Adventurer Backpackers sits on Hobson Street in the heart of Auckland's CBD - a hostel taking both dorms and private rooms, with beds from around NZ$24 a night. Reviews on Booking.com and Hostelworld consistently call the staff friendly and professional, and the aggregate score lands near 8.0/10, above the usual city-hostel average and a sign of quality that beats the price.
There is a spread of dorm sizes, from 4-bed up to 10-bed for travellers chasing the lowest rate, plus private rooms for couples or anyone wanting more privacy. Every room has a locker for valuables. The shared bathrooms are clean and well kept by good hostel standards - reviews say cleaner than the average hostel - though at early mornings and busy evenings you may wait a few minutes, the normal trade-off anywhere like this.
Food and amenities
The best feature beyond the price is the rooftop garden - a small open-air space guests use to sit out, relax and trade travel stories. Reviews describe the atmosphere as easygoing and say it makes meeting other travellers easy, which is exactly what a lot of solo backpackers come for.
The shared kitchen is fully equipped with an electric hob, a microwave and cookware, and the Wi-Fi is free and decent. There are lockers and bag storage for late checkout. No gym or pool here, but the CBD location means you rarely need one.
Location and getting there
Hobson Street runs through the western CBD near Victoria Park Market. Sky Tower is an 8-minute walk, Queen Street about 10, and Viaduct Harbour around 12. The Ferry Terminal for boats to Waiheke Island is 15-18 minutes on foot, a little further than the other hotels on this list but still an easy stroll.
CBD buses run along Hobson Street, which makes getting out of the centre simple without leaning on Uber, and a nearby Countdown supermarket helps cut food costs on a longer stay. Auckland Airport is about 21 km, roughly 40-50 minutes by SkyBus or car.
Things to know before booking
This is a hostel, so set expectations accordingly. The cheapest beds are mixed dorms with little privacy and some noise - bring earplugs. Bathrooms and the kitchen are shared, so peak times mean a short wait. It also sits a touch further from the water than the harbourside picks, the Ferry Terminal a 15-18 minute walk, and there is no gym or pool.
Our take
Metro Adventurer is the best fit for solo backpackers and budget travellers who want a central CBD base and like a social hostel where you actually meet people. A bed from about NZ$24 in the CBD is a deal that is genuinely hard to find in Auckland.
Couples on a budget who want privacy will find the private rooms still cost a fraction of any hotel in the same area - you just have to accept hostel trade-offs like shared bathrooms and a more social, less private feel.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- Beds start around NZ$24 a night, the cheapest on this list and a genuinely rare price for a central CBD address in Auckland. For a long stay that gap adds up fast against any hotel nearby.
- The rooftop garden is the standout extra: a small open-air space guests use to sit out, swap travel notes and meet other backpackers, which reviews call out as the easiest social scene in the city.
- The shared kitchen is properly equipped with an electric hob, a microwave and cookware, and a Countdown supermarket sits about 5 minutes away, so cooking your own meals cuts real money off a longer trip.
- Staff earn steady praise across Booking.com and Hostelworld for being friendly and professional, and several reviews say the place feels cleaner than the average hostel they had stayed in.
- Every room, dorm or private, comes with a locker for valuables, and reviews report the hostel feels safe with staff keeping an eye on the place.
- The cheapest rooms are mixed dorms, so privacy is low and you should expect some noise - bring earplugs and an eye mask, as you would at any hostel.
- Bathrooms and the kitchen are shared, and early mornings or busy evenings can mean a short wait for a free shower or a hob. That is the normal trade-off here.
- It sits a touch further out than the other picks: the Ferry Terminal for Waiheke is a 15-18 minute walk, longer than the harbourside hotels, though still an easy stroll. There is no gym or pool either.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
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Insider Tips
- Head up to the rooftop garden in the early evening when the weather is good - the roof level stays open with no booking needed and it is the easiest spot in Auckland to fall in with other travellers.
- Use the shared kitchen: it has an electric hob, a microwave and cookware ready to go, and the Countdown supermarket 5 minutes away makes self-catering cheap if you cook even half your meals.
- Travelling as a couple on a budget? Book a private room rather than a dorm - it still costs a fraction of any hotel in the same area while giving you the privacy a dorm cannot.