(Whananaki)
Otamure Bay (Whananaki) Campsite
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Otamure Bay (Whananaki) Campsite
Camp in a beach-front setting with large pōhutukawa trees for shade. Relax on the beach or walk along the coast.
This PRIMO camping site in Otamure Bay is in a beach-front setting with massive old pohutukawa trees for shade. There are heaps of sites to choose from, and access is on a first come, first in basis. The local shop is 4km down the road.
The local Whananaki area has a range of beaches from no surf, inlets and hot rock pools to well known surf beaches. The perfect spot to take the boat with great fishing, diving and all water sports, with sheltered islands for small boats and kayaks. Otamure Bay is the same distance to the Poor Knights Islands as Tutukaka.
DOC Campsite Pricing
Otamure Bay (Whananaki) 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 ▷ Whangarei |
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Basic Camping
Reviews
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4.5/5
Great camping near a beautiful beach.
Kind and welcoming staff.
Clean toilets
Cold showers but showers anyway
There are many duck to give you company, it's funny!
One of my best campground
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5.0/5
Couldn’t fault this campsite, mostly because the beach it fronts onto is absolutely beautiful with clear blue waters.
The camp itself is a really good size, and the guys at the office are really good at helping you find the best places to park up for the night. Plenty of toilets, cold showers and treated water available. Made pals with a one legged duck.
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4.0/5
Great spot with a beautiful swimming beach.
Bathrooms are clean and so are the cold showers. My only gripe is they really pack you in, but that’s not unusual. Definitely worth a visit!
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3.5/5
This was our first time staying in a DOC campsite.
Of all the locations this one so far was our favorite. Right near the beach with lots of tide pools and large areas for the kids to play. The grounds were manicured and our hosts were great. There was even an ice cream /espresso wagon in front of the park. The only reason for the low score is lack of amenities. We knew going in there was no power, “long drop” toilets and cold showers but honestly for the little difference in price it’s worth it to get the community kitchens and hot showers.
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5.0/5
Just spent a week there.....very quiet & peaceful with hardly any campers.
Caretakers very welcoming....a really nice place to visit.....especially if you hope to catch a fish or two
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5.0/5
Definitely a 10 no complaints from us that's for sure 😁 very tranquil setting 😀 lovely interesting walks and interesting shaped rocks 😆 nice tidy place with awesome cold showers 🚿 that were a true blessing
🙏 as it was hotter then we expected. Swimming was bliss and 30 seconds walk to the water 🏊♀️. absolutely a great place to stay with wonderful hosts.
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5.0/5
Awesome place great for swimming and fishing or just relaxing family orientated camp with lovely hosts insuring we were safe and happy though out our stay we will definitely be returning thank you kindly
🙏 😊
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5.0/5
Fresh clean and tidy.
We had a very peaceful week with swimming, walking and fishing. We enjoyed a short drive to the local store to pick up milk and a paper. Our hosts are friendly professional and hospitable.
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2.5/5
Beautiful beach and great place to camp.
However extremely unhelpful and hostile doc host on arrival made us skeptical. (This experience brought our rating down). Also note the gate is strictly only open 2-9pm during summer.
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5.0/5
Such a beautiful place to camp!
From a family of 6 we rate this beautiful spot a 10/10. Clean facilities and easy beach access made it awesome for our whanau, thank you for having us...
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5.0/5
We loved this place.
Nice DOC ranger with helpful tips. Super clean amenities. Beach within reach, front row you can listen to the waves. Secret bay beach at 10 minute hike.
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3.5/5
A fantastic site and a fantastic location, and one that I have visited before.
The only downside this time was the proliferation of flies....
I strongly suspect that someone has binned into the wrong bin, but the sheer number present and getting into our van, especially compared to all of the other sites we attended during 3 weeks, says to me that there is something not quite right here.
That said, the bay and venue is fantastic, the staff very helpful and if you want a bay to yourself, trek over the hill to the other beach and find another NZ gem. It's paradise...
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4.5/5
Great camping near a beautiful beach.
Kind and welcoming staff.
Clean toilets
Cold showers but showers anyway
There are many duck to give you company, it's funny!
One of my best campground
-
5.0/5
Couldn’t fault this campsite, mostly because the beach it fronts onto is absolutely beautiful with clear blue waters.
The camp itself is a really good size, and the guys at the office are really good at helping you find the best places to park up for the night. Plenty of toilets, cold showers and treated water available. Made pals with a one legged duck.
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4.0/5
Great spot with a beautiful swimming beach.
Bathrooms are clean and so are the cold showers. My only gripe is they really pack you in, but that’s not unusual. Definitely worth a visit!
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3.5/5
This was our first time staying in a DOC campsite.
Of all the locations this one so far was our favorite. Right near the beach with lots of tide pools and large areas for the kids to play. The grounds were manicured and our hosts were great. There was even an ice cream /espresso wagon in front of the park. The only reason for the low score is lack of amenities. We knew going in there was no power, “long drop” toilets and cold showers but honestly for the little difference in price it’s worth it to get the community kitchens and hot showers.
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5.0/5
Just spent a week there.....very quiet & peaceful with hardly any campers.
Caretakers very welcoming....a really nice place to visit.....especially if you hope to catch a fish or two
-
5.0/5
Definitely a 10 no complaints from us that's for sure 😁 very tranquil setting 😀 lovely interesting walks and interesting shaped rocks 😆 nice tidy place with awesome cold showers 🚿 that were a true blessing
🙏 as it was hotter then we expected. Swimming was bliss and 30 seconds walk to the water 🏊♀️. absolutely a great place to stay with wonderful hosts.
-
5.0/5
Awesome place great for swimming and fishing or just relaxing family orientated camp with lovely hosts insuring we were safe and happy though out our stay we will definitely be returning thank you kindly
🙏 😊
-
5.0/5
Fresh clean and tidy.
We had a very peaceful week with swimming, walking and fishing. We enjoyed a short drive to the local store to pick up milk and a paper. Our hosts are friendly professional and hospitable.
-
2.5/5
Beautiful beach and great place to camp.
However extremely unhelpful and hostile doc host on arrival made us skeptical. (This experience brought our rating down). Also note the gate is strictly only open 2-9pm during summer.
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5.0/5
Such a beautiful place to camp!
From a family of 6 we rate this beautiful spot a 10/10. Clean facilities and easy beach access made it awesome for our whanau, thank you for having us...
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3.5/5
A fantastic site and a fantastic location, and one that I have visited before.
The only downside this time was the proliferation of flies....
I strongly suspect that someone has binned into the wrong bin, but the sheer number present and getting into our van, especially compared to all of the other sites we attended during 3 weeks, says to me that there is something not quite right here.
That said, the bay and venue is fantastic, the staff very helpful and if you want a bay to yourself, trek over the hill to the other beach and find another NZ gem. It's paradise...
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5.0/5
We loved this place.
Nice DOC ranger with helpful tips. Super clean amenities. Beach within reach, front row you can listen to the waves. Secret bay beach at 10 minute hike.
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5.0/5
What a wonderful place.
For us it was the best camp ground ever. We had a place directly at the beachfront, woke up every morning with a great view. The beach is beautiful, the beach 10 min away even more. Come and enjoy!
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4.0/5
Amazing location and clean facilities.
This time of year plenty of spots to pick that has a view of the beautiful beach. Only downfall was that there was only cold showers and for that it was overpriced for $13 per person a night. There was no reception what so ever.
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4.0/5
Fairly secluded part of the country away from tourists.
Beautiful bays and swimming. Good price at $13 each unpowered. Cold showers, clean drop toilets. The place to go if you want to get away from busy road from Auckland.
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4.5/5
We had a big site next to the beach.
But we made a reservation in advance. The campsite seemed to be full. It is actually not first come first served. Location is great.
Acceptable toilets and showers and drinking water.
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4.0/5
Stayed here many times over the last 10 years, the upgrades to the toilets and and shower facilities is most welcome.
Have stayed her with a large group of 40 + martial arts club and all loved the area, fishing in march/april is great and warm weather and calm seas.
Just one suggestion is that the shower head roses be replaced as some have been missing for a few years and maybe a bit of $$ spent on the showers for decent ropes and pulleys for those that use solar showers.
I don't mind the drive in as its not over crowded in the off peak season.
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4.0/5
This beach was worth the drive, which actually wasn't that far 'out of the way'.
Unfortunately, the main beach where the campground is, you are advised not to swim due to the faecal contamination from the livestock. However, if you take the very short walk over the bridge on the road and up into the short hike to the next bay, it makes it all worth it.
The beach has amazing Pohutakawa trees and totally awesome tide pools where we saw an octopus! At super low tide the white sand is amazing, at high tide the beach is rather wild and I was too scared to swim then.
We spent all day at that bay, running back to the main camp for provisions.
I liked this place and can't blame it or DOC for the abundance of livestock which is ruining all the water ways in NZ.
Enjoy!
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3.0/5
Make sure to get a site with beach view!
Just 50 meters to the beach which probably makes it a great place for a summer holiday, but as a stop for one night it is too far off the highway-the road is winding and narrow for the last 20km. We stayed here in September and the prices had changed: $13 per adult and $6.50 per child plus an obligatory fee of $2.50 for a rubbish bag which was a lot in comparison to what facilities there were.
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2.5/5
Overpriced.
We paid $13 each + $2 for the garbage bag (not optional) = $28 for one night sleeping in our own vehicle. The campsite is very tidy and the view is beautiful, but wouldn't pay that much just for the view, dry toilets and cold showers.
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3.5/5
The location is very good.
Just on the beach. But quite expensive ($27 for 2 adults and one kid and $2 for rubbish).
No facilities (kitchen or sinks to wash). Only cold shower and dry toilets.
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3.5/5
Kind of expensive for the few facilities (cold shower, no cooking shelter), but friendly staff.
$10 per person, per night and $2 rubbish bag.
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4.5/5
A popular site.
We went in January and the site was full. Had an excellent pitch with a view of the beach. Decent showers and toilets. Friendly hosts.
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1.5/5
It was a nice spot to go for swimming, really nice beach.
But sincerely not worth the price they charge to spend the night (32$ for 3 persons...) and the persons in charge of the campsite were a bit rude and asked us to leave in a hurry when the campsite was almost empty.
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5.0/5
You can't get it any better!
Beautiful beach with nice Pohutukawas, typical DOC facilities with clean, not smelly long drop toilets and cold showers only.
But that doesn't matter because you get the most beautiful cost just in front. Take some time and walk over the hill to the next bay. Look out for some Rosalies (parrots)!
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4.5/5
1 night, 6m bus, unpowered, loved this spot cheap at $10 pp, clean facility's, cold shower, next to beach, good surfcasting.
Friendly staff.
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4.5/5
Really nice spot at the beach.
BBQ was unfortunately very dirty. but good there is one. Toilet also quite good.
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5.0/5
My favourite.
Just an awesome place with great views onto the beautiful beach! Toilets okay.
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4.0/5
Good location, clean toilets - very helpful to have a BBQ and a table and chairs when travelling.
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5.0/5
$7 per person for a stunning beachside stop.
Takes a while to get there but it is really worth it. Great beach walks and brilliant sunset!
