Hans Bay
Lake Kaniere Campsite
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Hans Bay
This is a large, grassy lake-front campsite beside beautiful Lake Kaniere. Fish from the jetty, boat or swim in the lake.
The Hans Bay Camping Ground is a large grassy campsite on the shores of Lake Kaniere. A good place for a day out on the water, there are picnic tables, recycling facilities and a boat ramp.
A good place for fishing.
DOC Campsite Pricing
Hans Bay - Lake Kaniere Campsite is categorised as a DOC Standard Campsite. The following pricing indicates usual pricing. Prices vary for some campsites and may include seasonal pricing. Visit the DOC website for exact pricing.
DOC Standard Campsite
Standard campsites have a more limited range of facilities and services than Serviced campsites. These campsites have toilets, a water supply that could be treated or untreated tap water, or from a stream or lake, and vehicle or boat access. Bring your own soap for washing hands. Untreated water should be boiled before use to ensure it's safe. Wood BBQs and fireplaces, cold showers, picnic tables, a cooking shelter and rubbish bins may be provided; this will vary from site to site.
| Feature | Value | Value |
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| Unpowered Site | Adult | $10.00 to $15.00 per night |
| Unpowered Site | Child | $5.00 to $7.50 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 West CoastCentral government organisation |
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Location |
South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Hokitika |
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Directions To Coordinates |
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Coordinates |
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Basic Camping
Reviews
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5.0/5
Hey! We recently had 5 lovely, quiet nights here!
Very well maintained, bins, loos, sort of shaded sink area. A bit tight if busy, but wasn't where we were there. Hard to find a level spot on the lower level, but lovely, and very quiet. The lake is gorgeous for a swim. Can't camp down on the foreshore, campsite is further back. Good phone signal. Oh, FYI, we heard an NZMCA member telling a fellow NZMCA member that NZMCA members don't have to pay for DOC campsites out of peak season, this isn't true, at all, NZMCA members get discounts, but do have to pay, unless of course you have the DOC Campsite Pass like we do! We'll definitely be back! Find us on YouTube if you're touring, TASMAN TRAVELS
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3.0/5
Ma première rencontre avec les f*****g sandflies, c’est pourquoi je mets un 6.
De quoi devenir dingue.
Sinon spot sympa et calme. Trois espaces différents où s’installer.
Toilettes rudimentaires.
Des tables de pique-nique et un auvent avec deux bacs pour la cuisine et la vaisselle (où va l’eau grise ? Dans la nature ?).
Des poubelles bien pleines.
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4.5/5
Amazing lake swimming and hardly any sandflies when the sun was out.
Flat enough camping spot at the south end of the campsite with great cooking shelter/cold running water for dishes. Only downside is the lack of toilet facilities at this end of the camp, quite a hike to the clean, well maintained toilets down by the lake. Beautiful spot with lots of friendly wekas.
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5.0/5
Lovely place, quiet and a perfect view.
Good facilities and a nice cooking area.
2h walk to Dorothy falls and on the other side of the river is a very nice picnic area. Also very close to Hokitika Gorge.
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5.0/5
Perfect spot beside the perfect lake.
Overly friendly weka and sandflies but loved this spot
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5.0/5
Beautiful place and the weather wasn’t even the greatest but what an awesome set up and area for camping will certainly be back again and hopefully see some sunshine on our next visit
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5.0/5
We arrived in Hokitika late afternoon and wanted to stay in the area to do the Gorge walk the next day.
We found Lake Kaniere and loved how much space there was! There is no camping on the foreshore but where you can camp there are bins and tables. In the morning we drove our camper down to the foreshore to have breakfast. The mist on the lake and the snow capped mountains made for a wonderful backdrop. Some friendly ducks there as well.
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5.0/5
Very spacious, secluded camping ground.
Only three other vehicles were there with us but because of the smart layout of the place it really felt like we were the only ones there. The toilets are located by the lake and are very clean, flush, and are equipped with soap and light. The views are stunning both from the camping area and the lake. Picnic tables in camping area and by the lake.
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4.0/5
Beautiful spot looking over the lake.
Quiet in April. A few sand flies and watch out for the cheeky Wekas stealing your food from your plate.
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4.5/5
Great place, so quiet and peaceful, we were the only ones there at the time so had whole place to ourselves.
The toilets were great, a bit of a walk from the camper site but no problem.
During summer I’d imagine it’s busy, but in April was super quiet
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4.5/5
Nice and lovely place.
Super calm area to stay. Nice views to the lake, star gazing at night and lots of spaces. Flush clean toilets. A bit of sandflies but ok. Totally recommend it!!
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5.0/5
Hey! We recently had 5 lovely, quiet nights here!
Very well maintained, bins, loos, sort of shaded sink area. A bit tight if busy, but wasn't where we were there. Hard to find a level spot on the lower level, but lovely, and very quiet. The lake is gorgeous for a swim. Can't camp down on the foreshore, campsite is further back. Good phone signal. Oh, FYI, we heard an NZMCA member telling a fellow NZMCA member that NZMCA members don't have to pay for DOC campsites out of peak season, this isn't true, at all, NZMCA members get discounts, but do have to pay, unless of course you have the DOC Campsite Pass like we do! We'll definitely be back! Find us on YouTube if you're touring, TASMAN TRAVELS
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3.0/5
Ma première rencontre avec les f*****g sandflies, c’est pourquoi je mets un 6.
De quoi devenir dingue.
Sinon spot sympa et calme. Trois espaces différents où s’installer.
Toilettes rudimentaires.
Des tables de pique-nique et un auvent avec deux bacs pour la cuisine et la vaisselle (où va l’eau grise ? Dans la nature ?).
Des poubelles bien pleines.
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4.5/5
Amazing lake swimming and hardly any sandflies when the sun was out.
Flat enough camping spot at the south end of the campsite with great cooking shelter/cold running water for dishes. Only downside is the lack of toilet facilities at this end of the camp, quite a hike to the clean, well maintained toilets down by the lake. Beautiful spot with lots of friendly wekas.
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5.0/5
Lovely place, quiet and a perfect view.
Good facilities and a nice cooking area.
2h walk to Dorothy falls and on the other side of the river is a very nice picnic area. Also very close to Hokitika Gorge.
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5.0/5
Perfect spot beside the perfect lake.
Overly friendly weka and sandflies but loved this spot
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5.0/5
Beautiful place and the weather wasn’t even the greatest but what an awesome set up and area for camping will certainly be back again and hopefully see some sunshine on our next visit
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5.0/5
We arrived in Hokitika late afternoon and wanted to stay in the area to do the Gorge walk the next day.
We found Lake Kaniere and loved how much space there was! There is no camping on the foreshore but where you can camp there are bins and tables. In the morning we drove our camper down to the foreshore to have breakfast. The mist on the lake and the snow capped mountains made for a wonderful backdrop. Some friendly ducks there as well.
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5.0/5
Very spacious, secluded camping ground.
Only three other vehicles were there with us but because of the smart layout of the place it really felt like we were the only ones there. The toilets are located by the lake and are very clean, flush, and are equipped with soap and light. The views are stunning both from the camping area and the lake. Picnic tables in camping area and by the lake.
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4.5/5
Great place, so quiet and peaceful, we were the only ones there at the time so had whole place to ourselves.
The toilets were great, a bit of a walk from the camper site but no problem.
During summer I’d imagine it’s busy, but in April was super quiet
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4.0/5
Beautiful spot looking over the lake.
Quiet in April. A few sand flies and watch out for the cheeky Wekas stealing your food from your plate.
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4.5/5
Nice and lovely place.
Super calm area to stay. Nice views to the lake, star gazing at night and lots of spaces. Flush clean toilets. A bit of sandflies but ok. Totally recommend it!!
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4.0/5
Beautiful spot for one or more nights at the Lake.
However...this was my first night in a DOC camping site, and I was disappointed.
A party of six or twelve people wouldn’t stop talking and laughing...until midnight probably.
Even though I asked them twice to lower their volume.
Disappointing yes, as any other camping ground has noise rules, 10.30pm to 7.30am, where I am tonight in Hanmer Springs.
The non respect of others also showed into motored toys like water skying, jet skying, etc... until 9.30pm.
What a shame..
I think it is time DOC does some publicity for peace and quiet. And remind people to enjoy nature, have a game of cards (as did my 2 young female neighbours), walk, play, etc..instead of bringing noise and pollution to preserved areas.
Thanks for reading me
Pascale
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4.0/5
Fantastic view over lake.
A bit further back from the water unfortunately (other side of the road). Need to walk down path to get to flush toilets but they were in good condition.
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5.0/5
At only $8pp, the facilities, views and vibes here are a bargain.
Better scenery and facilities than some of the $15 'scenic' DOC camps. We stayed here on Xmas Eve and the place was relatively full, but we still found space. The toilets were kept clean, recycling facilities and bins throughout and the lake provided a crisp early-evening bath. Lake is gorgeous, perfect for skimming rocks at sunset. Bring your kayak or go for a swim....watch out for a nippy eel by the boat-ramp area of the beach. Community group rocked up on the back of a pickup truck singing xmas carols and spreading good vibes.
The unsealed road to Dorothy Falls is only 5-10min by car, but was not an option for our large, rented, 2wd camper. Managed to walk to Dorothy Falls early on Xmas morning. 1hr walk to falls + 10min more to the lakeside. After rock skimming and swimming, return the same way for a leisurely 3hr round trip by foot. Walk early to avoid traffic on the road.
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4.5/5
Hans Bay is a very nice DOC camping area with several flattish areas on which to park or pitch a tent.
There are flush toilets and a water supply .. but we only found one water supply tap. The camping area is on the left hand side of the road shown in the photograph with a fairly steep sealed drive up from the road. We scraped the back end of the caravan going up the slope .. a longer caravan could find it a problem. Well worth a visit. I suspect the camp is very busy in the summer holidays.
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4.5/5
Loved this quiet lakeside DOC campsite!
There were only 2 other vehicles there, so felt very private and spacious. Lake is stunning, and the tame birds liked to watch us cook in the evening. Bring bug spray for sandflies. Flushing toilets with lighting, no showers. Basic facilities but fair price ($8pp) for such a special setting.
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5.0/5
Excellent DOC campsite.
Really big and spread out so plenty of patches for everyone. Beautiful views overlooking the lake. New toilet block with flushing toilets and sinks and multiple cubicles. Refuse and recycling bins also provided. One of the top $8 DOC campsites we've stayed in.
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4.5/5
Beautiful campsite next to a mirror lake!
It was quite busy here but I still recommend it as it's peaceful and close to Hokitika Gorge!
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4.0/5
Beautiful location - basic facilities.
Make sure you visit the Hokitika Gorge and walk along the water race - stunning vegetation.
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4.5/5
Great DOC campsite overlooking the Lake and lovely walk to Dorothy Falls and Hokitika Gorge Walk.
Is stunning if not a bit hard to find, mind the sandflies.
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5.0/5
A great moment with the silence, the nature and birds.
Wonderful view along the lake. Possibility to walk or picnic. Quiet. Toilets but no showers.
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4.0/5
very pretty.
easy to find a secluded spot even if its crowded. good flush toilets and changing room, but they were so far from our site that we used our bicycles! cute wekas and stunning night sky. we chose this spot because i had read the luminaries, which takes place in the area, and we wanted to go to the gorge. the drive to the campsite and the loop to the gorge are very pretty but it was a rather long drive, not totally sure if it was worth it, but still, nice.
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4.0/5
Great views over lake.
$6pp. Off main track so quiet & peaceful. Not far from Hokitika Gorge.
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