Chillawhile Backpackers is in a beautiful Victorian house.There's an art gallery and very nice communal area. I really liked the atmosphere of the place, it was so relaxed and homelike. One of the best hostels I've evere stayed at.

A truly unique place - fantastic welcome, amazing staff, enormous room for our family. We enjoyed the true "backpacker" community spirit at the Lucky Pot Supper. The building has wonderful character and the artwork is varied and displayed beautifully. There was a wealth of information shared about the local area and we immediately felt "at home" here. The kitchen was... More

Staying at Chillforawhile backpackers, you will find yourself in a very relaxing atmosphere and it gives right to the name of the hostel. CHILL! The hippie-style works very well in meeting new people and the 3 very clean kitchens make it possible to cook, without waiting for, or cleaning up other peoples mess!! If you feel like it you can... More

Our extended family stayed at Chillawhile for for about 10 days at the end of 2010. In all there were 17 of us and we all had a great time. The park out the front was good for soccer and other games, We managed to cook a Xmas dinner for 25. My sisters and I grew up in Oamaru and... More

An amazing place to stay - friendly staff, friendly guests. The perfect place to stay for anyone, be it solo, or as a family. Even more perfect for artists and musicians, but don't let that stop you if you are neither, then it doesn't matter - anyone is welcome here. Kelly is a brilliant host, and will help you with... More

We loved our stay here. We have 3 small children and they had plenty of space to play and the opportunity to paint their own works of art. The room was spacious, clean and comfortable. The kids enjoyed the communal breakfast area, getting to meet people from many different countries. Highly recommend Chillawhile to other families.

We stayed with our 2 boys at this hostel. It is run by a very nice lady. The hostel is very nice. The room was big and even had a couch in it. The doors can not be locked which is quite special. However nothing went missing and it was a relaxing stay. The kitchen is not big but you... More

Most sociable, friendly backpackers I've stayed in. Very friendly staff. Enjoyed Goodbye Pork Pie!

Hostels aren't my favorite places to stay, but Chillawhile is proving to be a good spot to spend some time and enjoy Oamaru. The property is housed in one of the town's early buildings, so it has a lot of character, and the current owner has added to the feel of the place with the art gallery, cinema room and... More