Kidds Bush Reserve Campsite
Lake Hawea
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Kidds Bush Reserve Campsite
Camp alongside Lake Hāwea in a large, grassy area with good shade from mountain beech trees. Walk around the lake, go fishing or swimming.
The Kidds Bush Reserve Camping Ground is super busy during the holidays an awesome spot with plenty of space to join on in with the locals.
Its away from the main road so it feels like you are in quite an isolated spot. The campsite is alongside the lake in a large grassy area, with lots of shade from beech trees. Walking track nearby. This place gets extremely cold in the winter, so cold that the water pipes all freeze up! Well out of the sandfly zone - wicked.
There is a shelter and a boat ramp here.
Notices
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Meads Road prone to ice and frost in winter
Meads Road, which connects Kidds Bush to SH6, is prone to ice and frost in winter. In icy and frosty conditions, it can become impassable for most vehicles.
First published on 12 July 2024.
DOC Campsite Pricing
Kidds Bush Reserve 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 OtagoCentral government organisation |
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Location |
South Island ▷ Wanaka Region ▷ Wanaka Township |
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Basic Camping
Dump Station
Reviews
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5.0/5
Great campsite right on the lake and about 45 min from Wanaka.
Trail to hike just from camp. Cooking area and water which does need to be boiled. Some wind with less protection than ideal. Plenty of private spots for a tent camper which is essential for a good campground.
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4.5/5
Good place for a night.
You can park on the beach or under the trees. Many people swam, but I found 20-ish still not warm enough, especially when the wind kicked up. The hike around the back was nice for families. 30-40 min and not too much elevation change. This was my 1st camping experience in NZ. I can’t say it’s quite as good as I’m used to (campfires, dense mountain forest, less bugs), but I still had a nice, relaxing time.
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4.5/5
Beautiful setting.
Basic amenities but for me a swim in the lake made it worthwhile. Lake not as clean and clear as others in the area. Couple of water taps available (not drinking water).
I wouldn't want to drive here after dark as the road is rough and the cows are all over it and not that keen to move. I also worried about vehicles at night driving near people in tents- not very safe.
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5.0/5
What a beautiful site.
Right on the lake with mountains sinking in. Great hiking and birdsong.
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4.5/5
Beautiful campground.
One of our favourite ones - unfortunately just portable toilets which minimize the experience a bit
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3.0/5
It’s an interesting unsaved road into this campsite but fine for our escapecampervan.
We’d been warned of some cows but didn’t come across any. The beach is perfect for skimming stones. We only did the short forest walk and not the steep climb to the tree lines. A few bugs, some persistent bees.
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5.0/5
Amazing view and scenerie.
The spot is perfect and has a lot of space for campers.
Portable toilettes are clean.
Almost no sandflies.
Site is easily accessible for campervans via gravel road.
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5.0/5
Absolutely loved the view here, and swimming in the lake was wonderful.
Was only there one night - pretty windy on the afternoon I arrived, but calmed down before dusk. Some plum trees on the edge of the campground near the lake (about to fruit when I was there). Toilets were clean but getting fairly full. No issues with sandflies.
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4.5/5
Le meilleur spot DOC de tout notre periple.
Vue sur le lac incroyable, il y a des spots pour se garer juste au bord et avoir la sensation d'être seuls au monde sans pour autant gêner la vie des autres campeurs plus hauts sur la pelouse.
Baignades savoureuses.
Seul "hic", les toilettes portables un peu pleins avant vidange. Mais pas impossible pour autant. Sinon j'aurais mis un 10. Je recommande ce spot sans aucune hésitation.
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5.0/5
Love it!
So peaceful, quiet and the view is stunning.
One of the nicest Campground I've ever been!
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4.0/5
So sunny and calm here!
Good cell service, toilets aren’t open atm but portaloos available. Bring your bug spray and a camp chair :)
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5.0/5
It was awesome.
Serene location. Mountain views. Lake views. Walking tracks. Portable toilets operate fine. Just be wary of the sandflies and that’s the only negative. It’s about 25 minutes out from the hawea township.
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5.0/5
Great campsite right on the lake and about 45 min from Wanaka.
Trail to hike just from camp. Cooking area and water which does need to be boiled. Some wind with less protection than ideal. Plenty of private spots for a tent camper which is essential for a good campground.
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4.5/5
Good place for a night.
You can park on the beach or under the trees. Many people swam, but I found 20-ish still not warm enough, especially when the wind kicked up. The hike around the back was nice for families. 30-40 min and not too much elevation change. This was my 1st camping experience in NZ. I can’t say it’s quite as good as I’m used to (campfires, dense mountain forest, less bugs), but I still had a nice, relaxing time.
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4.5/5
Beautiful setting.
Basic amenities but for me a swim in the lake made it worthwhile. Lake not as clean and clear as others in the area. Couple of water taps available (not drinking water).
I wouldn't want to drive here after dark as the road is rough and the cows are all over it and not that keen to move. I also worried about vehicles at night driving near people in tents- not very safe.
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5.0/5
What a beautiful site.
Right on the lake with mountains sinking in. Great hiking and birdsong.
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4.5/5
Beautiful campground.
One of our favourite ones - unfortunately just portable toilets which minimize the experience a bit
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3.0/5
It’s an interesting unsaved road into this campsite but fine for our escapecampervan.
We’d been warned of some cows but didn’t come across any. The beach is perfect for skimming stones. We only did the short forest walk and not the steep climb to the tree lines. A few bugs, some persistent bees.
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5.0/5
Amazing view and scenerie.
The spot is perfect and has a lot of space for campers.
Portable toilettes are clean.
Almost no sandflies.
Site is easily accessible for campervans via gravel road.
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5.0/5
Absolutely loved the view here, and swimming in the lake was wonderful.
Was only there one night - pretty windy on the afternoon I arrived, but calmed down before dusk. Some plum trees on the edge of the campground near the lake (about to fruit when I was there). Toilets were clean but getting fairly full. No issues with sandflies.
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4.5/5
Le meilleur spot DOC de tout notre periple.
Vue sur le lac incroyable, il y a des spots pour se garer juste au bord et avoir la sensation d'être seuls au monde sans pour autant gêner la vie des autres campeurs plus hauts sur la pelouse.
Baignades savoureuses.
Seul "hic", les toilettes portables un peu pleins avant vidange. Mais pas impossible pour autant. Sinon j'aurais mis un 10. Je recommande ce spot sans aucune hésitation.
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3.0/5
Great location, thought it’s a 6km drive down an unsealed road so you may want to bear that in mind.
Views from the lakeshore are fantastic though the toilets weren’t working when we visited and were replaced with portaloos. Sandflies not as bad as other campsites but still present in greater numbers than you’d like. It’s also very popular which detracts from the charm slightly - try to visit when it’s not rammed.
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5.0/5
Love it!
So peaceful, quiet and the view is stunning.
One of the nicest Campground I've ever been!
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4.0/5
So sunny and calm here!
Good cell service, toilets aren’t open atm but portaloos available. Bring your bug spray and a camp chair :)
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5.0/5
It was awesome.
Serene location. Mountain views. Lake views. Walking tracks. Portable toilets operate fine. Just be wary of the sandflies and that’s the only negative. It’s about 25 minutes out from the hawea township.
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4.0/5
Place was good!
Beautiful views and Sunset is amazing. Nice place to stay. Sand flies are everywhere, so remember to take precautions.
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3.5/5
Beautiful spot on the lake.
Portaloo toilets were awful and not well maintained at all. Watch out for deer, rabbits, and sheep on the road if driving there at night!
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5.0/5
Fantastic spot on the lake down a good gravel track.
Clean toilets. Great skimming stones.
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5.0/5
The best little spot .
$16 for 2 adults and an infant . Beautiful views . Flush toilets . Sinks to wash up in .
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5.0/5
This site is stunning.
I could have stayed for 3 days. If your hesitating, stay here. Its a little tricky to find but once your on the gravel track just stay on it.
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4.5/5
This was our second visit and we were lucky to get a flat site right on the lakefront to pitch our tent.
Beautiful views, clean flushing toilets, washing up and cooking areas, and the whole place was nice and quiet (residents permitting!) . There are lots of bitey little bugs here so bring good repellent.
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5.0/5
A hidden gem.
Worth the drive. We had a camper van and the road was no trouble at all. We had a lake front park. Facilities typical of DOC. Very reasonable rate to stay. Lake was beautiful. Stunning place to stay. Sand flies were not too much of a problem if you take precautions!
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4.0/5
Beautiful spot for camping.
Clean flush toilets. Lots of space even for large caravans. You will have to drive on gravel road for 15 min, very dusty. We had a lots of sandflies!!! That was the only problem there. Nice hike next to it and after swim in the lake.
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4.5/5
Great campsite right on Lake Hawea - we were there by ourselves early Aug 2020.
It’s easy to miss the road into this DoC site as its not well signposted and referenced only as Kidds Bush reserve on an old “camping prohibited” sign - as Hwy 6 heading east drops down to Lake Hawea look for Meads Rd signpost. Gravel road through farmland and several cattle grates but no gates to open/close.
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5.0/5
Facing Lake Hawea, this was a fantastic site to stay for a night.
There are a few toilets, a washing area and a shelter, but otherwise no facilities. You’ll drive about 15 minutes on the gravel road to get to the site, and about 20 minutes to the carpark to climb Isthmus Peak.
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5.0/5
Beautiful scenery, great view and not too packed.
Toilets were very clean and toilet paper was available.
Bring some mosquito repellent.
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4.5/5
Wow what an amazing site, we missed the exit, that small, it is approx 7km driving on gravelroad we have a big campervan but went great.
Good big spot with good toilets. Directly on the beautiful clear lake. The only ‘bad’ thing sandflies
One of the best DOC campings we have seen.
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4.5/5
Really great view of the lake - very few sandflies but some larger houseflies with annoying buzzing.
Lovely clean flush toilets. No drinking water. I could have stayed here for a week, just lying around by the lake, swimming, kayaking, relaxing. Ideal for families. I had good 4G and cell reception.
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4.5/5
We camped here on quite a wet evening but the camp itself was very pleasant.
Very good toilet facilities and a shelter to cook in out of the rain. Very cheap. Lots of space.
It's down quite a long gravel road and when we drove it there were quite a few enormous cows and bulls in the road that we drove past v e r y s l o w l y ! (n.b. there are cattle grids to keep the cows out of the campsite)
Cost (2p, non-powered): $16
Location: Pretty, would be incredible in the sunshine. Bit out of the way.
Facilities: Flush toilets and shelter
Value: 9/10
Sandflies: A few
X-Factor: Probably in the sunshine...
Other: Beware the cows!
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5.0/5
It's a few kilometres down a bit of a bumpy road but totally and utterly worth it.
Visited Nov 19 - $8 per person (no powered sites)
What an incredible location. The views were absolutely amazing.
Also, there are proper flushing, clean toilets and sinks for washing up.
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5.0/5
Good location and private.
Toilet is quite clean. Recommend to arrive early evening to take a great view of lake
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5.0/5
Magnifique lieu en bordure de lac.
Beaucoup d espace.pas trop de sandflies. on aimerait que tous les campings du Doc ressemblent à celui là.