The location of the hostel is pretty good - just a ten minute walk to Queen Street, and close to a supermarket. The staff are helpful and friendly, however, I was quite disappointed with the cleanliness of the place given previous reviews. There were flies buzzing about everywhere and the kitchen space was very small and cluttered.

The free WiFi is a bonus, however, it comes in one hour bundles (you are given as much as you need), meaning you have to log in and out regularly. This is not too big an issue, but a slight inconvenience.

The hostel feels like a university dorm, and as such, it is easy to meet people and make friends.

I stayed at Freeman's Lodge in Freeman's Bay, Auckland New Zealand for about 2 weeks whilst looking for an apartment of my own. As I wasn't sure when I'd be leaving, I was apprehensive about having a rolling timeframe, but the staff were very accommodating, allowing me to pay for a few days at a time, as well as keep the same room I was in.
The Lodge is very clean and tidy, the dorm rooms large and airy, and the shared living areas and grounds very well maintained, especially considering how cheap the rooms are. In fact, I'd have to say it's the cleanest backpackers I've ever stayed at.
There are no meals provided, although it has two kitchens for people to cook their own meals.
The place is located close to Auckland city, K' Road for your bars and clubs, and Ponsonby Rd for fashion and more upmarket places, so you're never short of things to do, and there is a "dairy" (mini-mart) close distance as well so you can buy your own food and drinks.

To quote the Loney Planet: "Invariably the backpackers who leave with a bad impression of Auckland have stayed in crummy, noisy hostels in the city centre." To test this, I stayed in Auckland in Base, Frienz.com, YHA International and Freemans Lodge. Not only does Freemans Lodge beat all these hostels in the city center hands down, it has also been one of the best hostels I've visited in 2 months in New Zealand. Thick mattresses, free internet, free wifi, computer & lockers & fridge in the dorm, very clean and a very friendly staff. And it's only a 10 minute walk to the city center. I would definitely recommend this hostel to everyone.

I moved here as the place I had booked was not up to standard. This was and was clean and quiet. The free WiFi was excellent.