Tuatara Lodge is a 28-room art hotel, hostel, cafe and bar set in a beautifully restored deco bank building on Dee Street, right in the heart of Invercargill's CBD. Hosts Nicola McGilvray and Chris Ellenden took on the building in 2016 and have filled it with character — many of the works on the walls are Nicola's own paintings, while Chris's engineering shows in the fixtures and fittings. The lodge sleeps up to 118 guests across mixed and female-only dorms, private singles and queens with shared facilities, and a fully equipped ensuite room.
Downstairs, the Tuatara Cafe and Bar is a local favourite in its own right. Brunch is served from 7am to 2:30pm daily, the famous authentic Italian-style pizzas run from 3pm till late, and dinner is served from 5pm. The kitchen specialises in whole local foods, many made on site, and the bar pours barista-made coffee, craft beers on tap, and beers and ciders from the lodge's own Gadoochi Brewing. Live music often soundtracks the evenings.
Practical comforts are well covered: free guest Wi-Fi, double-glazed rooms for a quiet night in the city centre, two guest lounges, spacious kitchen and laundry facilities, and an elevator making all three floors wheelchair accessible. Backpacker buses stop at the front door, and the lodge is a comfortable way-station on the Te Araroa Long Walkway, with its own walker register.
On one of Invercargill's famously wide, tree-lined streets, right in the heart of the CBD, Tuatara Lodge fills a beautifully restored deco bank building that began its days, as the hosts like to say, full of treasure. The treasure has changed shape since then: today it's 28 rooms sleeping up to 118 guests, a ground-floor cafe and bar that has become a local favourite, and Gadoochi Brewing, the lodge's own on-site brewery. Since 2016, hosts Nicola McGilvray and Chris Ellenden have poured their energy into the building, and it shows in every corner. From the street you look along Invercargill's broad avenues; inside, it's a vibrant, welcoming setting where convenience meets comfort.
Nicola and Chris call Tuatara an Art Hotel, and the building earns the name. Many of the works on the walls are Nicola's own paintings, while Chris's engineering is woven into the fixtures and fittings. Their own adventuring days — packing up and heading into the unknown — have become what they call static challenges, with the lodge the latest and largest.
The accommodation spans every kind of traveller, from budget backpackers to what the hosts call luxury glampackers. Shared options include mixed and female-only dorms with comfortable beds and essential amenities close at hand, while private rooms range from singles and queens with shared facilities to a fully equipped ensuite. Double-glazed rooms keep things quiet and warm despite the central-city location, and free guest Wi-Fi, two guest lounges, a spacious kitchen and laundry facilities make longer stays easy. An elevator means all three floors are wheelchair accessible, and backpacker buses stop right at the front door.
Tuatara holds a special place on the map for Te Araroa walkers — the trekkers taking on the 3000-kilometre Long Walkway down the length of New Zealand. Conveniently located in the central city, the lodge serves as both a comfortable resting place and a vibrant home base near the southern end of the trail. Passing hikers can add their names to the lodge's Te Araroa Walker Register, a small ritual that connects thousands of journeys.
Downstairs, the Tuatara Cafe and Bar runs on its own rhythm. Brunch is served daily from 7am to 2:30pm, covering hearty breakfasts and satisfying mid-morning plates. At 3pm the famous pizza menu takes over — authentic Italian-style pizzas, deliberately big enough to share — and it runs until late, seven days a week. From 5pm the dinner menu adds fuller mains until close. Underneath it all sits a kitchen philosophy built on whole local foods, many made right on the premises.
The bar side is just as considered. Barista-made coffee flows through the day, the taps pour a range of authentically great craft beers, and Gadoochi Brewing — set up by the lodge itself — supplies beers and ciders for what the team calls a truly unique tasting experience. Live music often fills the evenings, setting a relaxed backdrop whether you're a walker with tired legs or a local settling in with friends.
Tuatara Lodge is open every day from 7am until late at 30–32 Dee Street, Invercargill. Both rooms and cafe tables can be booked online. Whether you need a dorm bed before the final leg of Te Araroa, a quiet queen room in the city centre, or simply a pizza and a house-brewed cider on a live-music night, it all happens under the one treasured deco roof on Dee Street.