Built in the late 1800s and added to with much taste over the centuries, the impressive bluestone building once named "Rockmount" was home to Dunedin's top-rated backpacker hostel featuring 18 comfortable guest rooms as well as self-contained units not only for the weary traveler, but also for visitors to the Otago University, cyclists of the Otago Rail Trail or even business people who prefer the sociable, relaxed environment of a backpacker hostel to a sterile hotel room. Sadly, the hostel closed in March 2020 due to COVID-19, and the main building as well as the Coach House were sold in October 2020.
The Catholic bishop's residence since the 1870s, this beautiful old building has now been converted into a wonderfully complicated warren of comfortable rooms and 'projects', such as a mezzanine in the dining room and a bathroom in a corridor. The five-bed dorm, the bishop's old formal dining room, would almost certainly be the grandest dorm room you have ever stayed in...
The Lonely Planet - New Zealand
(14th & 15th edition)