Pokaka Mill Campsite

Pokaka Mill Campsite

Taurewa, Tongariro Forest Conservation Area

6 Rankers Reviews

1 Face-to-Face

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Pokaka Mill Camping Ground

Information

Pokaka Mill Campsite

A basic campsite in the Ruapehu area.

Rough gravel access road - 4WD recommended. Very remote and a pretty cool experience. Make sure you camp on a bit of higher ground if it starts to rain as there can be a bit of surface flooding.

DOC Campsite Pricing

Pokaka Mill 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
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

Organisation

DOC Central North Island

Central government organisation

Location

North IslandRuapehuTongariro / National Park Village

Categories

  • Activity__basic_facility_campingBasic Camping
  • Free

Directions

To Coordinates

Coordinates

-39.0447860485013

175.510668754578

Latitude
-39.0447860485013
Longitude
175.510668754578

Websites

Reviews

    • This place was from a horror movie.
    • Very secluded.
    • DON'T go there.
    • Takes a good while to get to.
    Rating Count Percentage
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    8/10 1
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    7/10 1
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    4/10 0
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    3/10 1
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    2/10 0
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    1/10 3
    50%
  • 0.5/5

    DON'T go there.

    Seriously. The dirt road is in incredibly bad condition, lots of wide & deep potholes, deep ditches and long stretches of washed out areas. High risk of getting stuck when muddy from rain.

    It takes ages to get to the campsite and extremely careful and attentive driving.

    When we finally made it, the site was not accessible due to huge & deep waterholes in the road. Campsite had a very eerie sort of atmosphere, we did not feel comfortable there. We turned around and left.

    Go to KiwiCamp in National Park Village instead. It's free as long as you don't need power & has great facilities.

    The Okupata caves on the way to the campsite are not worth it, either, btw. Very difficult to find. Don't trust the location shown on Google. Keep going further along the road until you see the sign saying the cave is 5 min away. The cave sits directly in the river bed with water streaming down the entrance. At least we think that was the entrance, there was no sign.

    Reviewed about 1 month ago

  • 1.5/5

    Very secluded.

    Got an average spot at the entrance of the camp by the first toilet. Didn’t want to go in further as looks to be someone living down there permanently in a makeshift tent/Gazebos. Looks intimidating.

    They have alot of visitors come and go through the night. Resulting in no access to water.

    Quite a lot of toilet paper around the place and people not disposing of their rubbish correctly. No mosquitoes but large amount of bees. Wont be using this one again.

    Didn’t get a chance to explore the caves.

    Reviewed over 5 years ago

  • 0.5/5

    This place was from a horror movie.

    It took almost an hour to drive there from the main road because it’s gravel. If you have 4 wheel drive it’s probably fine but I was worried for my tires. Then when we got there it’s just an empty wasteland with a toilet but. Very creepy vibes. If you have a group of people or don’t mind being completely isolated it fine but not for us.

    Reviewed almost 6 years ago

    Sam's avatar

    Sam

  • 0.5/5

    It's really far outside, over 10 km of one lane rough gravel road.

    Campsite itself had nothing special to offer, a lot of space obviously, because nobody takes this long way. You won't find more than a simple toilet. Would recommend another campsite with easier access, even if in distance.

    Reviewed almost 6 years ago

    Jo's avatar

    Jo

  • 4.0/5

    Takes a good while to get to.

    Possible to get to the campsite with non 4WD vehicles, but as the description states, 4WD would be recommended. Definitely secluded. Can get to the main site next to the toilets, but any further progress by car will require a large clearance between the bottom of the car and the ground, as there are some deep tire ruts in the road. There are some hiking trails in the area, but wouldn’t recommend as a ‘base of operation’ over a long period of time due to the length of time it takes to get back there. There is a sign at the entrance of the road that states no camping allowed, but this refers to the forest preserve that the road passes through before the National forest you’ll enter before you get to the campsite.

    Reviewed almost 6 years ago

    Sam's avatar

    Sam

  • 3.5/5

    Clean, quiet, a little bit too spread out, but friendly.

    Reviewed almost 15 years ago and experienced in February 2009