Surviving at backpacker house

After a week in Christchurch, we had a long travel day from 7am to 4pm down to Motueka (where our apple pack house is) with total of 471km. 

Most of people will chose to stay at backpacker house (BBH) when backpacking because you’ll probably spend less on BBH than you would pay anywhere else. Happy Apple Backpackers is the BBH we have lived for 2 weeks in Motueka.

Nice garden they have and I'm sure it would be great in the summer but not winter!

Relax in the TV lounge to help you enjoy your free time. I particularly love the fireplace in TV lounge because it keeps me warm during the frosty night. TV lounge also the place where you’ll meet new people from all over the world. You are never really on your own there will always be someone outthere, but of course you'll be forced out of being shy as well.

Well equipped kitchen but with all sorts of regulation like well label all foods with name and room no. to prevent it to be stolen and to show that it isn't left over from guests who have moved on. If it isn't labelled and dated, they will throw it out because the fridges and freezers are being cleaned out twice weekly. Kitchen's peak hour is usually at 5pm where everyone is back from work, I'd said the kitchen is like a battlefield, you conquer the kitchen you win. 

The shared batheroom cleaniness is average and the restriction is worst. Because the showers is solar powered, so you'll need to press a button, then turn on the shower in order to have hot shower but there is a five minute limit on it's use and you'll need to wait for another 2 minutes to get another 5 minutes of hot water. Imagine yourself standing pause in the bathroom under zero degree Celsius for 2 minutes to wait for a hot shower. I found that's really ridiculous yet I can only say nothing in this world is free and you might not be comfortable with the consequences.

After 2 weeks staying with the same and different people here, I have to say staying here feels like living in a little home where everybody knows everybody and people that come and go. Although this place was by no means "clean" and tidy but I got very good vibes from the overall atmosphere. That could be due to the wonderful people who were  staying there at the time.

Unfortunately this has it’s cons as well. Having more people working and living or just staying for quite some time, make friends. However these friends will end up having to leave at a certain stage, continue their travels, visas run out… and you have to see a good friend go hoping you will someday meet them again. Of course you just earned yourself a place to visit when you will continue traveling which is always a good thing.

By the time I'm leaving the bbh I actually ask myself is there any reason for me to come back? The answer is absolutely yes but not during winter because I'd probably spend a little extra for a place with hot shower without limits first.