Matai Lodge

I really enjoyed my stay here. The hostel was bright and clean, staff were friendly. It has a tv room with lots of dvds so its sociable and friendly. Heating is always on so its very cozy, but the best part was the powerful hot shower (very much needed after a day on mt ruapehu!).

Possibly the worst place I have ever had the misfortune of staying. Rude staff, tiny rooms, no character, no fun, and possibly New Zealand's worst toilets. Very few toilets per person means the toilets are rarely free, and when they are, they are invariably dirty, smelly, and unpleasant. The staff are rude and unpleasant. The location is ok in the fact that it has a few eateries nearby, but the real life is the other end of Ohakune. To stay at the Matai is simply a last resort in desperate times. We stayed but ended up cutting short our stay due to the unpleasant atmosphere, small rooms, dirty toilets, and the bad attitude of the appaling staff. A real shame when YHAs in New Zealand are generally excellent.