The Budget Accommodation Guide to Hastings© Unsplash
The Budget Accommodation Guide to Hastings

Hastings: A Guide to Cheap Long-Term Accommodation [2024]

© Unsplash

A Guide to Cheap Weekly Accommodation in Hastings

With its Spanish Mission architecture, heaps of biking and cycling opportunities, and plenty of seasonal work, Hastings offers an easy go-to for backpackers. Whether it’s for an extended trip or to stay awhile for a picking job, you’re going to need to find cheap long-term accommodation in Hastings.

Hastings is not a huge city, but it is split into different suburbs. We’ve put together a quick list of the suburbs where you are likely to find some cheap weekly accommodation, as well as outlining how far away they are from Hastings’ city centre. This guide to cheap long-term accommodation in Hastings is also split into accommodation types, so you can just skip straight to short-term to long-term stays. If you can’t find what you’re looking for in Hastings, be sure to check out its neighbour, Napier, in our Cheap Long-Term Accommodation Guide to Napier.

So find a place to stay in Hastings using our nifty guide to cheap long-term accommodation in Hastings.

Which Hastings Suburb to Find Long-Term Accommodation?

There is accommodation found all over Hastings. Here’s a quick rundown on what to expect in each Hastings suburb in relation to Hastings’ city centre. For more about Hastings, check out Hawke’s Bay – Guide for Backpackers. Plus, for information on the nearby Napier area, check out the Cheap Long-Term Accommodation Guide to Napier.

Note: CBD refers to Central Business District i.e. Hastings city centre.

  • Hastings Central – Location: city centre. Distance from CBD: you’re in it. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$200.
  • Akina – Location: south of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 4min drive/21min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$180.
  • Camberley – Location: northwest of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 4min drive/34min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$180.
  • Flaxmere – Location: northwest of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 9min drive/1h30min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$190.
  • Frimley – Location: northwest of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 5min drive/33min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$190.
  • Mahora – Location: northeast of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 4min drive/25min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$180.
  • Mayfair – Location: east of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 4min drive/24min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$180.
  • Parkvale – Location: southeast of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 5min drive/32min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$180.
  • Raureka – Location: southwest of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 2min drive/15min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$180.
  • Saint Leonards – Location: north of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 3min drive/12min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$190.
  • Stortford Lodge – Location: northwest of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 4min drive/16min walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$180.
  • Tomoana – Location: northeast of the city centre. Distance from CBD: 7min drive/1hour walk. Average weekly rent for a room: NZ$180.

Note that prices are approximate and are subject to change.

Rotten Apple© Rotten Apple

Hostels in Hastings

Hostels are a good place to start when looking for cheap long-term accommodation in Hastings. Not only do they provide an affordable base for rental-hunting but many also offer weekly rates.

There are 3+ hostels in the city of Hastings, most of which are either within the city centre or in very close walking distance.

During the peak season (summer), the picking season in Hawke’s Bay, and especially for the hostels we mention in 6 Best Backpacker Hostels in Napier and Hastings, we recommend booking a room as far in advance as possible in Hastings.

Expect a night in a Napier hostel to be NZ$20-$30 per dorm-room bed. Most hostels in this city offer weekly rates for seasonal workers. You can always keep the cost of living down along with an extended stay by working for accommodation in a Hastings hostel. For tips, have a look at How to Find Work for Accommodation in New Zealand.

The Budget Accommodation Guide to Hastings© NZPocketGuide.com

Renting a Room in Hastings

Renting a room is common practice in Hastings to keep the price to a minimum when staying for the long term, usually done if you have landed a job in Hastings as part of a working holiday.

Rent prices in Hastings are pretty reasonable. Expect a room to rent in Hastings to be around NZ$180 per week. That’s a room to yourself in a flatshare or houseshare. Note that prices are approximate and are subject to change.

For advice on how to find a room to rent in Hastings, have a look at our 6 Resources to Find a Room to Rent in New Zealand. Renting a room involves a more complicated process than staying in short-term accommodation, so get clued up by reading The Paperwork Process of Renting or Flatting in New Zealand.

pxhere© pxhere

Airbnb in Hastings

Stay with a local Hastings-dweller! Airbnb, the online network of people’s spare rooms available for accommodation, is relatively popular in Hastings. You can find Airbnb rooms mostly in Mahora, Saint Leonards, Tomoana and Mayfair.

Like hostels, Airbnb stays can provide a cheap room while finding something long term. Alternatively, some Airbnb hosts offer weekly rates for cheap long-term accommodation in Hastings. Plus, consider using Airbnb for an alternative experience to hostels by spending time with locals and they may just be located in more convenient suburbs for your needs.

At an average of NZ$320 per room per night, you’ll struggle to find an Airbnb room in Hastings at an ultra-cheap price. There are limited NZ$50-$120 rooms in Saint Leonards, Raureka, Akina and Mahora. Note that prices are approximate and are subject to change.

For more information on Airbnb, check out Everything You Need to Know About Airbnb in New Zealand and 10 Tips to Make the Most of Airbnb in New Zealand.

The Budget Accommodation Guide to Hastings© Unsplash

Campgrounds and Holiday Parks in Hastings

There are limited options when it comes to camping in Hastings city. There is one commercial holiday park for campervans and tents, and one freedom camping car park for certified self-contained vehicles.

Hastings Top 10 Holiday Park in Parkvale has tent and powered sites starting from NZ$48 for two people. Note that prices are approximate and are subject to change.

Certified self-contained vehicles can freedom camp at Eastbourne Street Car Park in Hastings Central. Maximum stay is two nights and pay & display fees occur outside of the hours of 5pm to 9am. More freedom camping options for self-contained vehicles are outside of the city.

For information about camping, check out our guide to Camping in New Zealand and Accommodation Guide to Holiday Parks in New Zealand.

More About Hastings

That’s it for our guide to cheap long-term accommodation in Hastings. Here’s everything else you need to know about staying in Hastings:

Sources:

The information in this guide has been compiled from our extensive research, travel and experiences across New Zealand and the South Pacific, accumulated over more than a decade of numerous visits to each destination. Additional sources for this guide include the following:

Our editorial standards: At NZ Pocket Guide, we uphold strict editorial standards to ensure accurate and quality content.

About The Author

Laura S.

This article has been reviewed and published by Laura, the editor-in-chief and co-founder of NZ Pocket Guide. Laura is a first-class honours journalism graduate and a travel journalist with expertise in New Zealand and South Pacific tourism for over 10 years. She also runs travel guides for five of the top destinations in the South Pacific and is the co-host of over 250 episodes of the NZ Travel Show on YouTube.

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