Wellington Rental Opportunity of the Week: Backpackers Forever

We've been focusing on the Auckland rental market over the past couple of weeks, but research shows people are leaving, or at least contemplating leaving, the big smoke to pursue their destiny elsewhere around Aotearoa.

The other cities and provinces have been given a lift thanks to Auckland's new rep as the most unaffordable place in the world, so this week, let's take a trip to the nation's capital for a long-term rental opportunity loaded with pizazz.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

"ABSOLUTE HASSLE FREE LIVING!" right next door to the hospital with more perks than you can shake a stick at.

What's in the area?

A lot.

Shops, hospital (right next door), a "drama & dance school", to name a few. And you're only five minutes from the bustling strip of Courtenay Place in case you feel like going on a shit-ballistic booze trawl between the hours of 1AM and 3AM on a Friday night.

We're aren't focusing on price this week, as this genuinely is a reasonable option. $169 per week for a private centrally heated room, plus expenses of $60, (which includes a daily dinner and breakfast). It's kind of terrifyingly affordable actually.

So let's take a walk around the property, and meet your new roomies.

THE BEDROOM

Let's be honest, this is basic. But you get sheets, pillows, pillow cases and duvet, bed, desk, dresser and wardrobe. And while the framed picture of a fine-dining setup on a faraway beach slightly obscures the frosted windows, it doesn't matter. Because you can't actually see anything out of them anyway.

Single bed? Yes, but that doesn't mean a sleepover is off the cards if you mention to that lucky lady or gent you have a tiger print pillowcase waiting in the boudoir. Cheque please!

THE DINING EXPERIENCE

I spy with my little eye something beginning with P.

That's right, pickled onions are on the menu for dinner tonight with two versions of carrots (super-steamed or raw), corned beef, and a tart and ice-cream. Sliced beetroot too, plucked directly from the hamburger of a coastal fish and chip shop circa 1988. Sure the naysayers might say, "moment on the lips, lifetime on the hips" but who's complaining? Our compliments to the chef—who we believe is someone's Aunty Sue, if this bounty of scone-laden platters are anything to go by.

Thanks Sue, keep 'em comin'.

THE GAMES ROOM

If you want to work off the calories from the scones and corned beef included in the rental price, hit the snooker and table tennis activities zone for a workout! This is the hub, the meeting place, the heart of the Lodge where socialising is at the forefront of daily life. Let's take a peek.

Look at your potential new roommate above. She's got a smile on her dial and is having the time of her life playing pool, and why wouldn't she? It's a great social game, for what looks to be a great social gal. Knock on one of your new roomies doors and yell "Up for a bit of ping pong?" to start off a night at the Lodge. This is how you connect, and this is how meeting people in a new city starts. Need proof?

Look at how joyously everyone is interacting during the shared meal. There's more contentment and optimism in that room than the dining hall at Hogwarts.

THE EXTRAS
Perks galore, and all the technology you need at your fingertips.

We've talked about the added meals, but what we haven't told you is that the crazy bastards who run this lodge of added bonuses even do your dishes! What is this, Buckingham Palace?
And if you don't have a cellphone, there's free access to a telephone somewhere on the grounds. You'll be just like the girls from Orange Is The New Black!

"Oh! And wireless internet is available!" That's a direct quote. You'll revel in the new connections you can make at the Capital City Lodge. This is a commune of people from all walks of life. As they've stated in the description, it's best suited to someone "new to Wellington, just doing a training course, have a trade project in the area or you're just tired of all the hassles in a flatmate situation". And of course, there's the backpackers who will be in and out like a warm autumn breeze. So where the bloody hell are you?

"LIKE WE SAID, NO HASSLES!" Direct quote.

Read more: Wellingtonians Tell Us What They Do to Cover Their Rising Rents