WELCOME TO THE ROTTEN APPLE BACKPACKERS
Welcome to The Rotten Apple Backpackers, your friendly home away from home in the heart of Hastings. Whether you're travelling around New Zealand, arriving on a working holiday, or looking for comfortable accommodation while you earn in the Hawke's Bay region, our backpackers hostel offers an affordable, welcoming place to stay with everything you need under one roof.
Choose from private rooms or shared dormitories and enjoy free WiFi, a fully equipped communal kitchen, shared lounge, laundry facilities, and a relaxed social atmosphere where it's easy to meet fellow travellers. With shops, cafés, banks, transport, and seasonal work opportunities all close by, The Rotten Apple Backpackers is the perfect base for exploring Hawke's Bay while making the most of your time in Hastings.
Hastings Backpacker Accommodation
Choose from affordable private single and double rooms or shared mixed and female dormitories, offering comfortable accommodation for every type of traveller.
About Us
The Rotten Apple Backpackers is more than just a place to sleep – it's a welcoming base where travellers can settle in, make friends, and feel at home while exploring Hawke's Bay or working in the region. Guests have access to a fully equipped shared kitchen, comfortable lounge and TV area, shared laundry, free WiFi, and outdoor spaces including a picnic area and sunny terrace, making it easy to relax after a day of work or sightseeing.
Our friendly team is always happy to help you get started, whether you need advice on finding seasonal work, setting up a bank account and IRD number, or discovering the best attractions around Hastings. Regular social events such as movie nights, pool games, themed parties, and Soccer Sunday create a fun, welcoming atmosphere where backpackers from around the world can connect and enjoy their New Zealand adventure together.
Working Holidays
Hastings is recognised as the work capital of New Zealand, attracting thousands of working holiday travellers each year with its abundance of seasonal jobs. From October through to June, orchards across the Hawke's Bay region need workers for apple, kiwifruit, grape, and berry harvests, creating excellent opportunities to earn while experiencing one of New Zealand's most productive growing regions.
The Rotten Apple Backpackers is an ideal base for seasonal workers, with established relationships with local orchard owners and contractors helping many guests find employment throughout the year. Whether you're picking fruit outdoors, packing produce indoors, or joining vineyard teams for pruning work outside the main harvest season, our friendly staff can also assist with setting up your bank account, obtaining your IRD number, and helping you settle into life and work in Hastings.
