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YHA Oamaru
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About
#16 of 17 hotels in Oamaru
Location
Rooms
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
YHA Oamaru, Red Kettle is a small, traditional and homely hostel located close to the Bushy Beach Scenic Reserve and just minutes from the Oamaru town centre and attractive Historic District. Oamaru is a charming coastal town between Christchurch and Dunedin, famous for its Victorian white stone architecture and penguin colonies. Both the blue penguin and the yellow-eyed penguin colonies are within easy walking distance from the YHA Oamaru hostel.
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Property amenities
Non-smoking hotel
Laundry service
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Good to know
HOTEL STYLE
Budget
Location
Cnr Reed & Cross Streets, Oamaru 9400 New Zealand
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Grade: 78 out of 100
78
Dunedin Airport
109.7 km•
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Car Hire
40 Restaurants
within 1 kilometer
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We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
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Detailed Reviews
I had been here twice, first time I camped on the backyard and now they changed the manager and no more tent site. The bed is quite comfortable and the location is quiet, kitchen is okay, they have a tv room which is quite big and comfortable. Overall, this hostel is clean.
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Date of stay: March 2009Trip type: Travelled solo
Value
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Although Red Kettle is a small hostel but it offered me two very good nights here. The dorm room is very clean, it gave me a very good sleep on its comfortable bed. The host is very nice, that is a lovely place just as home. And the location is good, close to supermarket.
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Date of stay: April 2016Trip type: Travelled solo
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Â five people is really good enough for backpackers.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hostel is way too small. Stayed in a 5 bed shared. No room what-so-ever for backpacks unless shoved under the bed. Otherwise your stuff is ever where. Check in is at 4pm which is ridiculous considering there isn't that much to do while you wait. Kitchen way too small, have to eat in shifts.Trash and recyclables containers removed in morning so if you arrive before 4pm and want to eat something or put something away there is no place to throw away empty containers or unwanted trash, say from the bus ride. Not impressed at all. No staff between noon and 4pm and after 8pm. Enough said.
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Date of stay: March 2016Trip type: Travelled solo
Rooms
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What a bad experience I had at YHA OAMARU. We paid everything for today and the booking was confirmed, but when we arrived there, it is closed for annual holidays. Well done, you have leave me a bad impression and I would not recommend my friends and family to stay at your hostel.
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Date of stay: June 2017Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Horrible service. I booked my stay well in advance and included my arrival time of 11:30am. I was shocked when I arrived to find the office closed with a sign that said "open at 4pm". If you are going to Oamaru, chances are you are going there to see the penguins and view begins at 3:30pm so this was completely unacceptable. A couple guys pulled up when i was waiting and told me their friend lived there. One guy finally came out of the office and said his friend worked there (and was in the office at the time) but that he "would sort me at 4pm". With no where to store my luggage, I left and found a great hostel down the road that was staffed and open for business and I ended up viewing yellow eyed and blue penguins that day :)
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Date of stay: April 2012Trip type: Travelled solo
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The YHA in Oamaru is a cosy hostel with a comfy lounge area and normal house sized kitchen. The owner was very lovely and gave us a room by ourselves because they were expected groups of people for the weekend. Very pleased that we stayed here!
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Date of stay: November 2013Trip type: Travelled with friends
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I always try and stay at YHAs if I can because of previous good experiences. I initially had booked to stay here for one night but then attempted to move my booking to another night due to plans changing. 3 phone calls and 1 email later I still had not managed to get confirmation that the booking could be changed despite it still being a couple of weeks before my trip. Ended up cancelling the booking and finding somewhere else to stay.
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Date of stay: June 2019Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I have stayed at YHA hostels across the world and this was a disappointment. We arrived and the lady on reception was initially late back - 4 plus guests were sitting outside waiting to be checked in.
Then over the course of our 2 night stay the lady on reception was extremely rude and unhelpful. If I thought it would have made a difference I would have complained and maybe even asked for a refund. It genuinely was poor and set the tone for the stay.
The hostel is old fashioned and cold. The bunks are are uncomfortable and bathroom is small and weird (there is only one shower).
Oamaru is beautiful and a bit of a hidden gem, worth a day visit at least. That said I would (and I don’t like saying this) avoid this YHA.
Positives - the location isn’t bad.
Then over the course of our 2 night stay the lady on reception was extremely rude and unhelpful. If I thought it would have made a difference I would have complained and maybe even asked for a refund. It genuinely was poor and set the tone for the stay.
The hostel is old fashioned and cold. The bunks are are uncomfortable and bathroom is small and weird (there is only one shower).
Oamaru is beautiful and a bit of a hidden gem, worth a day visit at least. That said I would (and I don’t like saying this) avoid this YHA.
Positives - the location isn’t bad.
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Date of stay: December 2017Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We booked our stay here for a second time after car problems left us in Oamaru on our way back down south.
After staying the first time, we knew this was where we would stay if we were in the area again.
The hostel is small enough that it feels homely but large enough that you can meet and chat to plenty of people over the course of the day. There is more than enough space in the living room and kitchen to accommodate all guests and everything is clean too.
The check in time is 4, but isn't a problem as you can take all your bags into the living room and make use of the tv and kitchen (or visit the historic town) while you wait.
Both host and cat are lovely too
After staying the first time, we knew this was where we would stay if we were in the area again.
The hostel is small enough that it feels homely but large enough that you can meet and chat to plenty of people over the course of the day. There is more than enough space in the living room and kitchen to accommodate all guests and everything is clean too.
The check in time is 4, but isn't a problem as you can take all your bags into the living room and make use of the tv and kitchen (or visit the historic town) while you wait.
Both host and cat are lovely too
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Date of stay: January 2015Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We were on our way to visit the Moeraki Boulders. Our guide, Phillip Bartlett, had chosen this place as the closer you got to the Boulders, the higher the prices become. It's a nice cottage, clean, a refrigerator, a microwave and something you must get used to - a shower with a slanted hole for the drain in the middle of the bathroom. It's nicely accommodating with a cottages feel because it is a cottage. It's basic and yet clean with that seaside feel that you can feel at home quickly. We ate at the Moeraki Tavern, (review, later) and retired for the evening. We were up quite early and out before 5:30 AM. Yes, this was a motel that became a blur, yet he had to review it positively as we felt we owed the place a positive review because the staff made the effort to have a clean, nicely appointed room that satisfied our needs. The =room cost us $68.00 NZ, good price with everything we required. If you are looking to get to the Moeraki Boulders, a rather unique place in the world, this is the place to stay. It has everything you need for a stay nearby.
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Date of stay: February 2014Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Â Get a room far away from the highway, it's a lot quieter. However all the rooms are clean and...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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LOCATION
New ZealandSouth IslandOtago RegionOamaru
NUMBER OF ROOMS
1
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Frequently Asked Questions about YHA Oamaru
Which popular attractions are close to YHA Oamaru?
Nearby attractions include Oamaru Public Gardens (0.6 km), Oamaru's Victorian Precinct (0.7 km), and Steampunk HQ (0.6 km).
What are some restaurants close to YHA Oamaru?
Conveniently located restaurants include Scotts Brewing Co, Cucina, and The Last Post Pub & Restaurant.
Is YHA Oamaru located near the city centre?
Yes, it is 0.4 km away from the centre of Oamaru.
Are there any historical sites close to YHA Oamaru?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Totara Estate (5.5 km).