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The Cell Block Backpackers

Top rated by guests

The Cell Block Backpackers Hostel in Whangārei

The Cell Block Backpackers Hostel in Whangārei

The Cell Block Backpackers Hostel in Whangārei

The Cell Block Backpackers Hostel in Whangārei

The Cell Block Backpackers Hostel in Whangārei

8.0Excellent

(38 Ratings)

"Nive chat with Rian, through the phone. Very welcoming."

Verified guest

Don't miss out! Price and availability may change

8.0 / 10.0

Excellent(38 Ratings)

Hostel in Whangārei

Reasons to book

Great price for your budgetOne of the lowest cost properties in the area

Book with confidenceWe partner with the top travel sites so you know you're getting a great deal on the perfect rental

Includes essentialsKitchen or Kitchenette, Internet / Wifi, Parking and more

About this hostel

The Cell Block Backpackers hostel is a refurbished 1960's jailhouse, converted in to colorful accommodations. The property is in a central location, around 1312 feet from Town Basin Marina, the main intercity bus stop and Whangarei Art Museum.

Amenities at The Cell Block Backpackers

Kitchen or Kitchenette

Internet / Wifi

Smoking allowed

Parking

Balcony or Patio

TV

Wheelchair accessible

Garden

Free parking

Map of Whangārei

city location on map

Nearby attractions

Whangarei Falls

Mangawhai Cliff Walk

Te Kōngahu Museum of Waitangi

Available Rooms

Things to know

Additional fees to expect

Cleaning & other feesWe include all stay related fees in the Cleaning Fee line, which may include cleaning, property manager, resort, tourism and other stay related fees. All Booking.com properties are professionally cleaned after each stay.

Booking feeNo booking fees, easy credit card payments.

Service feeThis helps Booking.com provide a safer and more secure booking experience.

TaxesTaxes on accommodation such as Occupancy Tax, VAT, or GST. May also include tourism fees.

Customer support

Customer support is handled by our partner Booking.com

$$$$

Top rated by guests

8.0Excellent

(38 Ratings)

"Nive chat with Rian, through the phone. Very welcoming."

Verified guest

Don't miss out! Price and availability may change

$$$$

8.0 / 10.0

Excellent(38 Ratings)

Hostel in Whangārei

Reasons to book

Great price for your budgetOne of the lowest cost properties in the area

Book with confidenceWe partner with the top travel sites so you know you're getting a great deal on the perfect rental

Includes essentialsKitchen or Kitchenette, Internet / Wifi, Parking and more

Map of Whangārei

city location on map

Nearby attractions

Whangarei Falls

Mangawhai Cliff Walk

Te Kōngahu Museum of Waitangi

Available Rooms

About this hostel

The Cell Block Backpackers hostel is a refurbished 1960's jailhouse, converted in to colorful accommodations. The property is in a central location, around 1312 feet from Town Basin Marina, the main intercity bus stop and Whangarei Art Museum.

Amenities

Kitchen or Kitchenette

Internet / Wifi

Smoking allowed

Parking

Balcony or Patio

TV

Wheelchair accessible

Garden

Free parking

Things to know

Additional fees to expect

Cleaning & other feesWe include all stay related fees in the Cleaning Fee line, which may include cleaning, property manager, resort, tourism and other stay related fees. All Booking.com properties are professionally cleaned after each stay.

Booking feeNo booking fees, easy credit card payments.

Service feeThis helps Booking.com provide a safer and more secure booking experience.

TaxesTaxes on accommodation such as Occupancy Tax, VAT, or GST. May also include tourism fees.

Customer support

Customer support is handled by our partner Booking.com

Ratings and reviews

8.0 / 10.0

Excellent(38 Ratings)

100% verified reviews

7.0 / 10.0

Good

Manager could be more helpful. Parking is a nightmare!

8.0 / 10.0

My mother always told me I’d end up in jail but I think she had something more punitive in mind.

Very quirky, unique accommodation.

Bed was quite hard.

8.0 / 10.0

Great value for money, comfy bed, close to shops, well stocked kitchen and friendly staff.

Nice location, close to shops and restaurants, friendly staff and easy check in. Staff made sure I got a park for my car upon check-in. Very comfy bed and nice room! Would stay again.

Parking is limited, once leaving your spot you are unlikely to get it back. Paid street parking available. Very patchy wifi in room.

8.0 / 10.0

A night in jail.

The bed was cozy and comfortable but on the upper level. It is a unique place. Now I can tell my friends that I spend a night in jail. There is much to explore. Taking the stairs up you will find a terrace and a game room.

It was strange to be entering by phone. I did miss a towel. Apparently you have to bring that with you.

10.0 / 10.0

I recommend, very friendly space

Nive chat with Rian, through the phone. Very welcoming.

Do not forget your hearplug because it can get pretty noisy at night, from the kitchen and the street

1.0 / 10.0

Discriminatory and Unprofessional Treatment

I booked a stay at the "Cell Block" hostel for my father, who had already paid in advance. What followed was one of the most uncomfortable and discriminatory experiences I’ve witnessed in hospitality. Upon arrival, I called the owner to get the entry code on behalf of my father, who isn’t confident speaking English. The owner immediately questioned why my father didn’t call himself, and once he learned about the language barrier, began interrogating my father’s reasons for staying in a mixed dorm. He implied that someone shy or quiet—especially someone older—would make other guests uncomfortable and suggested my father should leave. The assumptions didn’t stop there. The owner stated his hostel “isn’t a daycare or hospital” and made it clear he didn’t want to “take care of someone older.” He then shifted his concern to female guests possibly feeling uneasy with a male in the dorm—despite it being a mixed dorm, which guests knowingly book. He threatened to call the police to forcibly remove us, despite no issue having occurred. Only after being challenged on the payment (which he initially denied had been processed) did he reluctantly allow my father to stay. But the harassment continued via text, where he questioned why my father would choose the cheapest accommodation and claimed the dorm was for “young, international travelers”, not for someone like my father. It became painfully clear: the owner discriminates against guests based on age and language ability. My father was subjected to a 20-minute interrogation just to be deemed “worthy” of staying in a dorm he had already paid for. If you’re not young, fluent in English, and ready to socialize, this hostel may not welcome you. Hospitality should be inclusive. This was anything but.

10.0 / 10.0

Everything about the place felt safe and it was really enjoyable

Loved that it was unique! Loved the people and the owners, super friendly and everything was easy and accessible, they also had cats so it was nice cuddling up with them especially with me being away from home and missing my own.

NA

8.0 / 10.0

It’s quite nice

Two cats; Hot water for good shower and private parking

Kitchen light was broken (?

7.0 / 10.0

Locked up in Whangarei

Colourful, trendy ....still looked and felt like a cell block. I E It had character. Neat little set up. I checked in late....and with a text message before it was painless.

Smell of food....some doors on the kitchen area would help

10.0 / 10.0

Exceptional

Lovely outside garden and walk to city

8.0 / 10.0

Very good

The hostel has its own category and therfore incomparable. Happy to stay there again.

10.0 / 10.0

Its well secured for safety also meet new people daily staff are aproachable great landlords

Excellent

NOTHING

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