Robin Hood Bay Campsite
Blenheim area
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Robin Hood Bay Campsite
Camp next to the beach. Fish, surf at a nearby beach, or watch for Hector’s dolphins.
Robin Hood Bay Camping Ground is a small, basic camping site which is free of charge! The bay itself is isolated, beautiful and one of the most reliable surf locations in Marlborough. The access road includes 10 to 20 minutes of gravel road if you are coming from Blenheim, or well over an hours drive if you are heading in from Picton. The road is definitely not suitable for caravans, it is very steep, windy and narrow in patches - but with incredible views along the way.
NOTE - This campground gets busy in peak times and is limited to 8 campervans. If you're a late arrival then please don't overcrowd it, as this affects everyone who arrived early.
DOC Campsite Pricing
Robin Hood Bay Campsite is categorised as a DOC Basic Campsite. The following pricing indicates usual pricing.
DOC Basic Campsite
Basic campsites have very limited facilities so you need to be fully self-sufficient. There are basic toilets and water may be from a water tank that is untreated, stream or lake. Untreated water should be boiled before use to ensure it's safe. Access may be by road or boat.
| Feature | Value | Value |
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| Unpowered Site | Adult | $0.00 per night |
| Unpowered Site | Child | $0.00 per night |
| Unpowered Site | Infant | $0.00 per night |
Adults are 18+ years, children are 5-17 years, infants are 0-4 years.
Details
| Feature | Value | Info |
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Organisation |
DOC MarlboroughCentral government organisation |
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Location |
South Island ▷ Marlborough ▷ Blenheim |
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Categories |
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Operating Season And Hours |
All year |
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Directions To Coordinates |
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Coordinates |
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Websites |
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Basic Camping
Reviews
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4.5/5
Love it here.
Beautiful scenery! Basic facilities. Lots of wekas. Be prepared for a gravel road.
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2.5/5
Really long way to get here with a loose road and lot of potholes.
Small campground is near the ocean but wasn’t as nice as expected. Oyster shells and other food leftovers laying around, not many flat areas and toilet was in a really bad condition. One potable toilet, not much space in it and gross smell, so you can’t breath in it!
If the weather is good it could be nice here (if you don’t need the toilet), but with bad weather it’s definitely not worth the long ride.
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4.5/5
Went there end of Feb.
with a tent, one of the free campground that allows it. There's only one toilet and no water or facilities so come prepared. There were only 2 campervans with us (and 2 very curious wekas!), it was very quiet and beautiful. Also, the place has shade and is protected from the wind, which was much appreciated!! The gravel road was not a problem with our car.
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5.0/5
Road from Blenheim is no problem.
Did it with our 6m Campervan. The place is nice,next to the beach.the ranger was very nice, offered us facilities and water at his house,looked after "his bay".
Lots of sun, which was great in Winter.Also shade,if you wish.
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4.0/5
So beautiful, such a nice view to wake up to.
lots of sandflies so prepare for that. one long drop toilet. Gravel road there wasn’t too bad. Would stay again!
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5.0/5
This was our favourite camp site so far.
It's quite busy but we followed the advice of the earlier comments and parked up on the grassy field. We had stunning views from the van over the beach and our neighbour caught 2 kawa and even shared their catch with us! Would definitely stay here again. Sandflies are horrendous so bring plenty of repellant. Road in was a bit dodgy but fine in our Toyota Hiace - wouldn't recommend towing in. Sadly it was cloudy at sunrise and the dolphins didn't show - maybe next time.
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5.0/5
Camping area is very spacious definitely first in first serve as some of the better sites can be swept up real fast, awesome beach and opportunity’s to do abit of fishing or diving.
Drive in is abit rough but worth the stay
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4.0/5
Don't pull into the signposted spot, go 500m up the road to the huge flat green.
You have amazing views of the ocean from here. Sandflies are everywhere so bring repellant. There's a drop toilet in the signposted site which we didn't use. We walked up about 4mins the other direction and used the one there. It was perfect and clean. Only about 4 campers around us so nice and quiet. It is a long gravel road which is windy so be careful. Great spot for a quiet night
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5.0/5
Really cool camping spot, the road to get there was a long gravel road but doable, our campervan could handle it.
We came in around 5 and there was plenty of space. We did a little bit of surfing, the waves were nice.
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5.0/5
Beautiful views and secluded spot to camp in.
We had great weather and shared the campground with only a few other vehicles. Long drop toilet, clean condition.
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4.5/5
Love it here.
Beautiful scenery! Basic facilities. Lots of wekas. Be prepared for a gravel road.
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2.5/5
Really long way to get here with a loose road and lot of potholes.
Small campground is near the ocean but wasn’t as nice as expected. Oyster shells and other food leftovers laying around, not many flat areas and toilet was in a really bad condition. One potable toilet, not much space in it and gross smell, so you can’t breath in it!
If the weather is good it could be nice here (if you don’t need the toilet), but with bad weather it’s definitely not worth the long ride.
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4.5/5
Went there end of Feb.
with a tent, one of the free campground that allows it. There's only one toilet and no water or facilities so come prepared. There were only 2 campervans with us (and 2 very curious wekas!), it was very quiet and beautiful. Also, the place has shade and is protected from the wind, which was much appreciated!! The gravel road was not a problem with our car.
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5.0/5
Road from Blenheim is no problem.
Did it with our 6m Campervan. The place is nice,next to the beach.the ranger was very nice, offered us facilities and water at his house,looked after "his bay".
Lots of sun, which was great in Winter.Also shade,if you wish.
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4.0/5
So beautiful, such a nice view to wake up to.
lots of sandflies so prepare for that. one long drop toilet. Gravel road there wasn’t too bad. Would stay again!
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5.0/5
This was our favourite camp site so far.
It's quite busy but we followed the advice of the earlier comments and parked up on the grassy field. We had stunning views from the van over the beach and our neighbour caught 2 kawa and even shared their catch with us! Would definitely stay here again. Sandflies are horrendous so bring plenty of repellant. Road in was a bit dodgy but fine in our Toyota Hiace - wouldn't recommend towing in. Sadly it was cloudy at sunrise and the dolphins didn't show - maybe next time.
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5.0/5
Camping area is very spacious definitely first in first serve as some of the better sites can be swept up real fast, awesome beach and opportunity’s to do abit of fishing or diving.
Drive in is abit rough but worth the stay
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0.5/5
Went to camp here today to find a ramshackle collection of tents, fly sheets and a decrepit caravan occupying the majority of the available space.
There didn’t seem to be anyone in residence so I presume it has been set up as a fly camp?
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4.0/5
Don't pull into the signposted spot, go 500m up the road to the huge flat green.
You have amazing views of the ocean from here. Sandflies are everywhere so bring repellant. There's a drop toilet in the signposted site which we didn't use. We walked up about 4mins the other direction and used the one there. It was perfect and clean. Only about 4 campers around us so nice and quiet. It is a long gravel road which is windy so be careful. Great spot for a quiet night
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5.0/5
Really cool camping spot, the road to get there was a long gravel road but doable, our campervan could handle it.
We came in around 5 and there was plenty of space. We did a little bit of surfing, the waves were nice.
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5.0/5
Beautiful views and secluded spot to camp in.
We had great weather and shared the campground with only a few other vehicles. Long drop toilet, clean condition.
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3.5/5
If you're driving from Picton, don't drive along the winding road from the north.
It takes forever! Instead, drive first to Blenheim and approach the campsite from the south.
A pretty spot, but not ideal if it's raining.
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4.0/5
Great spot if you are willing to make the drive out.
Very quiet and beautiful views. Beware of minimal cell phone coverage (if at all!) and the sandflies. The site is flat so good for tents and toilet is regularly cleaned. Not a huge site and was overcrowded by the time I woke up. Don't be surprised if you can't get your car out in the am because someone pitched a tent behind it!
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3.5/5
Great spot, easy to find via safe gravel road, and clean toilet.
No water supply, small area but there was 12 other cars there and did not feel cramped. Stoney beach.
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4.5/5
Great place to review the beach in private.
Very clean facilities, but it is quiet and a way out of town. Dirt road and a long one at that!
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4.0/5
Free, simple campsite in a remote bay - the way towards North not passing Blenheim is large, but stunning views reward you!
Sandflies!
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4.0/5
Great camping spot.
It is a beautiful road that takes you there. On low tide, you get to collect Paua - prepare for sandflies.
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4.5/5
Nice little site with toilet, already very crowded at 6pm in January.
Protip: if self-contained and coming from Rarangi; drive past the DOC campsite for about 500m and you'll have a huge open grass field with awesome oceanview.
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4.5/5
Best DOC campsite I have been to in New Zealand.
The bay 10km after the campsite is wonderfully perfect for spending a sunny day with your friends.
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3.5/5
Several people despite being mid winter, mid week and miles from anywhere!
Sandflies were plentiful too. We're self contained so didn't use amenities. Great beach and surf.
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5.0/5
Great spot PLUS there's surf!
It's on the road, but it's so quiet here that barely any cars actually drive to it. The drive here is also absolutely stunning no matter which way you're travelling. Highly recommended.
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3.0/5
Beautiful location but the road to come to it is so dangerous.
We have a Toyota Estima 4WD but not enough to drive on this road. Some parts are just sand, so slippery and with going down so dangerous. Too much weight and my boyfriend lost the direction. We were close to having an accident. But well, a just beautiful location. The water was quite cold. No water supply. Only 10 spots are flat because the ground is steep. PLEASE DON'T SPIT YOUR TOOTHPASTE OR THROW YOUR LIQUID DISH WASHING IN WATER AND EARTH. Protect and respect nature !
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4.0/5
A small campsite with toilets, just next to the beach.
No water except from the stream under the bridge nearby, but not good to drink.
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5.0/5
Gravel road.
Marvelous views on the way there (to the site). You can collect huge mussels and eat them, very tasty.
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