Emma Shaw
South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Golden Bay ▷
2.5/5
The hostel area is above the local tavern and fish and chip shop (which is apparently pretty tasty food, we didn't try) so be prepared for the smell of deep fried food.
There looks to be a few people living on the property permanently. We pitched our tent on the back lawn of the neighboring house, which was actually a very nice flat grassy surface.
Both my partner and I didn't feel overly welcomed by the owners and locals drinking in the pub upon our arrival.
We were both tired as we got in late, so we were asleep in the tent by 9:30. Around 11:00pm, we were woken abruptly to what sounded like a man brutally abusing his dog. We didn't see what happened or who it was (we were the only campers) but we were both very disturbed by what we heard. After that, we both couldn't sleep and felt very uneasy and somewhat unsafe. Needless to say, we will definitely not be returning.