Editor's Note: Wildlife House has been renamed Wellywood Backpackers.

As the big backpacker places in the city center go, this was my favorite by far. Location is its biggest asset, as it's located only blocks from Courtenay Place, Te Papa Museum, and the supermarket. The kitchen, while not extremely well equipped, was large and spacious. It gave us plenty of room to prepare our meal and plenty of space to store our food.

The beds were comfy and the noise level was relatively low. None of the rooms are en-suite, but each shower has its own room. Some of the perks include was free, 24-hour Internet access, and they give you 2-for-1 drink tickets to Sports Café. Off-street parking is hard to come by, but the hostel does a deal with one of the nearby garages for all-night discounts.