Welcome to Tuatara Lodge at 32 Dee Street, Invercargill.
Our Art Hotel is both a way-station on your Te Araroa Journey (the 3000km Long Walkway) https://www.teararoa.org.nz/and a home base.
We offer a range of backpacker and room options to suit everyone from the budget traveller through to the luxury glam packer in central Invercargill.
Our deco bank building in the heart of the Invercargill CBD has free guest Wi-Fi and clean, comfortable rooms. We have both mixed and female-only dorms, as well as double and queen ensuites to suit your needs and your budget.
An elevator means all three floors are wheel chair accessible, and back packer buses drop you right to our front door.
Our double-glazed rooms are both warm and quiet, so you can get a great night’s sleep even while you are in the centre of the action.
Once settled, make yourself at home in one of two guest lounges, cook up a storm in our generous kitchen facilities and catch up on your laundry.
Or better yet, stroll downstairs to treat yourself to a barista coffee or maybe a locally brewed Craft Beer or brewed on site Cider at Tuatara Lodge Café.
We specialise in whole local foods, many of them made on site, and have a range of authentically-great craft beers on tap.
Your Hosts
Packing up and heading into the unknown is always an adventure and one we shared in our younger years.
Now our adventures come in the form of static challenges, with Tuatara Lodge our most recent endeavour.
This beautiful old building began its days as a bank full of treasure and is now a treasured 28-room hostel which can house 118 guests in a range of comfortable styles.
Since making the leap in 2016 we’ve converted the existing café into a whole foods, lounge experience, softened by the trees and plants (I couldn’t leave home without); and on the walls you will see many of my art works.
In the fixtures and fittings you will find the art of Chris’ engineering.
This is an adventure which is only just beginning and we are so pleased you could join us in it!
Nicola McGilvray & Chris Ellenden