Tapotupotu Campsite
Aupouri Peninsula, Cape Reinga
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Tapotupotu Campsite
Camp near a lagoon suitable for swimming and kayaking. Visit Cape Reinga/Te Rerenga Wairua only 5 minutes drive away or 3 hours via the walking track.
This place is amazing and so worth the visit. This is the northern most campsite in New Zealand. Relax on the stunning sandy beaches, swim, snorkel, surf or walk the Cape Reinga Coastal Walkway.
During the peak summer periods there is a manager on site, in the off season you just check your self in.
Be aware that this is a basic campsite and there are no shops on site, so be organised. The roads are unsealed from Waitiki Landing with some steep sections. Please take your rubbish with you.
Mosquitoes prolific – take insect repellent and get ready for the cold showers! Enjoy - you will.
Notices
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Eastern Te Paki track closures
All walking tracks east of State Highway 1 and Cape Reinga/Te Rerenga Wairua in the Te Paki Recreation Reserve are closed due to storm damage. The tracks to the west including the Lighthouse track are open.
Pandora campsite is closed. Tapotupotu, Kapowiarua (Spirits Bay) and Twilight campsites are open.
This is a long term alert.
First published on 28 March 2023. Last reviewed on 15 November 2024.
DOC Campsite Pricing
Tapotupotu 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 NorthlandCentral government organisation |
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Location |
North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Kaitaia |
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Basic Camping
Reviews
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4.5/5
We stayed one night in a tent.
We had a small car.
Road to campground is gravel and steep with washboard ruts. Car was able to pass easily. Basic camground, drop toilets, cold water showers, non potable water, no other services. We camped under a tree in the grass. The beach was 30m away. The night sky here is spectacular! Water is cold but the bay is swimmable. One of our favorite campgrounds so far.
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4.5/5
Very nice beach side camping area.
Safe. Area set aside for campervans is not particularly flat and even, but all vehicles seemed to cope OK. Large area for tents. Good toilets and water on tap. Attractive and safe sandy beach. Located just a few kms from Cape Reinga.
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4.5/5
Beautiful spot especially in the sun.
Lovely to hear the waves and great for a swim. Drop toilets and cold showers available. The water supply didn’t seem to work when we were there. Had to drive down a bit of a steep road to get there but managebale. Lots of people arriving late on in the evening. Good vibes all round.
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4.5/5
Beautiful bay great stop for the night, easy to access in our 6m motor home.
Perfect for the kids. Very low/no cellphone service
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5.0/5
Warning: currently closed due to the fires - according to DOC website last updated on 31.03.2023
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3.0/5
We arrived at this site early in our 6.7m motorhome to secure a good spot.
It's a rugged, beautiful coastline and having views and hearing the ocean is great. Unfortunately later in the morning a large motorhome with 2 kids pulled up and parked about 2 metres next to us when they had all the space in the world and didn't have to be that close. Later in the day there were about a dozen motorhomes staying so busy. We didn't experience any wasps and drop toilets were fine. It did absolutely bucket down rain most of the time we were there and the winds were Gail force but that's mother nature. Remote place to get to and probably worth it, just don't expect it to be uncrowded and this wasn't peak season yet
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4.0/5
Got to the campsite easily in the rain with a 2-berth 6m campervan.
The actual camp-site is beautiful. The parking area for vans was grassed and lovely but only had a few level spots so get in quick. Didn't use the facilities so unsure of condition. Had phone reception but dropped out every now and then. Was absolutely pissing down with rain so didn't get to check out the beach or river. Great spot overall :)
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4.5/5
Magical spot!
Came in August and only a few other campers here. Quiet, tranquil and stunningly beautiful. Very reasonable at only $16 night. Very little internet service to book online but managed to get some, standing by book-in station. Toilets are ugly long drops and a bit scary, but clean and did the job (haha). Saying that, I'd tolerate them again to have the pleasure staying in one of NZ's most amazing regions.
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5.0/5
Amazing secluded camping spot.
Super quiet in the winter. Gorgeous view, especially on a sunny day. There’s no reception/network at the camp, but if you hike up the hill on the left (beginning of trek to Cape Reinga), you get reception. Plus the view of the beach and ocean is amazing from up there! Cold showers only. Very close to Cape Reinga. 5 minute drive or you can hike there (3 hours).
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4.0/5
Amazingly beautiful place, super close to Cape Reinga.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to stay here as there is no 4G reception and I needed it to work during the night. I had to go somewhere else. If that's not a problem for you, definitely a great option.
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4.5/5
We stayed one night in a tent.
We had a small car.
Road to campground is gravel and steep with washboard ruts. Car was able to pass easily. Basic camground, drop toilets, cold water showers, non potable water, no other services. We camped under a tree in the grass. The beach was 30m away. The night sky here is spectacular! Water is cold but the bay is swimmable. One of our favorite campgrounds so far.
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4.5/5
Very nice beach side camping area.
Safe. Area set aside for campervans is not particularly flat and even, but all vehicles seemed to cope OK. Large area for tents. Good toilets and water on tap. Attractive and safe sandy beach. Located just a few kms from Cape Reinga.
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4.5/5
Beautiful spot especially in the sun.
Lovely to hear the waves and great for a swim. Drop toilets and cold showers available. The water supply didn’t seem to work when we were there. Had to drive down a bit of a steep road to get there but managebale. Lots of people arriving late on in the evening. Good vibes all round.
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4.5/5
Beautiful bay great stop for the night, easy to access in our 6m motor home.
Perfect for the kids. Very low/no cellphone service
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5.0/5
Warning: currently closed due to the fires - according to DOC website last updated on 31.03.2023
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3.0/5
We arrived at this site early in our 6.7m motorhome to secure a good spot.
It's a rugged, beautiful coastline and having views and hearing the ocean is great. Unfortunately later in the morning a large motorhome with 2 kids pulled up and parked about 2 metres next to us when they had all the space in the world and didn't have to be that close. Later in the day there were about a dozen motorhomes staying so busy. We didn't experience any wasps and drop toilets were fine. It did absolutely bucket down rain most of the time we were there and the winds were Gail force but that's mother nature. Remote place to get to and probably worth it, just don't expect it to be uncrowded and this wasn't peak season yet
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4.0/5
Got to the campsite easily in the rain with a 2-berth 6m campervan.
The actual camp-site is beautiful. The parking area for vans was grassed and lovely but only had a few level spots so get in quick. Didn't use the facilities so unsure of condition. Had phone reception but dropped out every now and then. Was absolutely pissing down with rain so didn't get to check out the beach or river. Great spot overall :)
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4.5/5
Magical spot!
Came in August and only a few other campers here. Quiet, tranquil and stunningly beautiful. Very reasonable at only $16 night. Very little internet service to book online but managed to get some, standing by book-in station. Toilets are ugly long drops and a bit scary, but clean and did the job (haha). Saying that, I'd tolerate them again to have the pleasure staying in one of NZ's most amazing regions.
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5.0/5
Amazing secluded camping spot.
Super quiet in the winter. Gorgeous view, especially on a sunny day. There’s no reception/network at the camp, but if you hike up the hill on the left (beginning of trek to Cape Reinga), you get reception. Plus the view of the beach and ocean is amazing from up there! Cold showers only. Very close to Cape Reinga. 5 minute drive or you can hike there (3 hours).
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4.0/5
Amazingly beautiful place, super close to Cape Reinga.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to stay here as there is no 4G reception and I needed it to work during the night. I had to go somewhere else. If that's not a problem for you, definitely a great option.
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0.5/5
The entire place is swarming with wasps.
Even the toilet had wasps flying out of the the actual toilet pit.... It appears the campsite is only really maintained during the peak season and the rest of the off peak campers have to suffer with the little to no maintenance that goes on despite us having to pay the same fees. Come on DOC, get it together will ya
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5.0/5
Went to the cape for the first time and was by myself so quite nervous before I got there however the management staff made this DOC campground feel very safe and what an awesome spot.
Got quite busy towards the end of the day but was Easter, weather was spot on and was able to do the walk to the cape reianga lighthouse which took me about 3 hours return, would highly recommend this place and will definitely recommend
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5.0/5
One of the most beautiful spots I’ve ever been to.
The water was so clear and you can smell the Manuka while your swimming. The campground has very basic facilities (cold shower and long drop) but they’re very clean and all you need. There’s a beautiful walk to the cape reinga lighthouse from the end of the beach, 3hr return. Will be back here for sure.
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4.0/5
Beautiful location, basically a whole bay to yourself.
My partner and I took a caravan down there and thought it was great for $16 each. We drove back up the hill in the evening for reception as you don’t get much down there. The only reason I didn’t give it a 10 was because of the mosquitoes. They were everywhere in caravan unfortunately which isn’t the campsites fault but made it hard to get to sleep and question leaving.
Just make sure your tent or caravan is sealed!
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5.0/5
Stunning location.
We were here one night on Saturday May 1 and it was very quiet. Only about 4 camper and a handful of other groups.
The night was clear and you can see the Milky Way and other galaxies. It was quiet and calm spot. Agreed that the toilets were very clean and don’t smell at all! We didn’t use the flush toilets but we saw there were several facilities building available.
Do bring cash (&a pen) it is well worth the $15/person/night as it goes towards conservation. You simply self register with their form and deposit the cash in a secure drop box.
The hike to Cape Reinga is 3 hours one way. Although it actually doesn’t take long to hike up the hill to get stunning views. Maybe about 10-15 minutes.
I had one bar of service and sometimes two on the top level of our camper but dont rely on it. We would totally come back again!
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5.0/5
Absolutely stunning spot!!!
Definitely one of our favourite sites in NZ so far. Well maintained by DOC, worth the $15pp/night. Clean long drop toilets (flush toilets available at entrance) and cold showers. Scenery is incredible and the beach and lagoon perfect for a refreshing dip. Definitely do the walk to Cape Reinga from here - incredibly beautiful 1.5-2 hour hike.
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4.5/5
Great location, just up the road from Cape Reinga.
It's a gravel road down to the camp site but it's in good condition. I'm not sure about tent sites but the campervan sites are flattish - bring some wheel chocks or whatever you need to make sure you're flat and level. The beach is beautiful and pounding, and the lagoon is stunning. Long drop toilets are fine and well maintained. Not super cheap at $45 per night for our family but it was a highlight for us
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5.0/5
Stayed for just one night.
Pretty basic campsite. Clean longdrops and one tap for unfiltered water. Plenty of room for campers. The beach is gorgeous. No cell service.
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4.5/5
One of our favourite Doc campsites, parked up our camper with views of the sea.
Great access from here to coastal walks with incredible views, could see to the Cape Reinga Lighthouse. We even saw a pod of 8 dolphins from our headland walk. Magical location.
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5.0/5
This place is magic!
Stayed here in camper with 2 and 4 year old. Beach was awesome with the additive of the side river bit. Great at high and low tide! Toilets are long drops but didn't smell at all. We had no mozzies yay! The manager was there and we were able to pay by eftpos which was a bonus. Great view of the beach right from our camper. Love, loved it!!!!!!!
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4.5/5
A really lovely campsite location with basic but usable facilities.
Warden was very helpful and also had a mini shop with basic provisions of you needed it.
Plenty of space for all sizes of camper/motorhome. Amazing to wake up to as a location.
Gravel track down was fine just take it slow.
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4.0/5
Stayed 14/7/9 Lovely scenic beach by Cape Reinga with clean toilets and cold showers.
Toilets were clean but it was $13pp - make sure you have some cash. Ranger comes in once a day.
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4.0/5
Lovely scenic little site on the beach.
Quite exposed so was windy when we were there. 2 or 3 long drops and some running water but not drinking. We paid $26 for 2 people
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4.0/5
Good campsite on the beach but it was very busy when we were there.
The campsite was crammed full every night. If there is a breeze the mosquitos are not to bad at night and we could leave the windows of our van open. Bring lots of water and food as the site is very far from a town. We did the hike to Cape Reinga which is 5km (one way) and took us 3 hours (return). The hike was amazing. It was hard but the views were incredible and well worth it. The cost of the campsite was $13 per person per night which didn’t align with the review of the site.
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4.5/5
Beautiful campsite with clean drop toilets.
The view is stunning. Note: it is more expensive than listed on the app. It was $13 per person. Still a great stay
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3.5/5
8$ is not up to Date.
now it is scenic and you have to pay 13$ pp. but nothing else changed. close to the beach.
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3.5/5
Large camping area that filled up quite a bit throughout the evening.
Two toilet blocks (non-flushing) that were relatively clean. Two cold showers available. There are water taps available but needs to be boiled before consuming.
Pretty beach with nice views but frankly it's expensive for what you get.