Tapawera Campground and Tiny House Park
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Details
| Feature | Value | Info |
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Organisation |
Tapawera Settle Holiday ParkCommercial organisation |
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Location |
South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Motueka |
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Categories |
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Directions To Coordinates |
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Coordinates |
Camping Grounds
Dump Station
Reviews
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3.5/5
Slightly quirky, borderline shabby campground run by a very friendly woman.
There's a very welcoming policy towards long term campers, itinerant workers, cyclists, anyone. That makes an interesting mix, though of course mixing with people from very different backgrounds isn't always comfortable.
It's a little bit noisy with the adjacent highway, and the camping area is nothing special. The kitchen is great, and there are nice couches under cover.
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0.5/5
Angry, racist and possibly sexist permanent stays create an uncomfortable and potentially unsafe environment for travellers.
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Went here during a bikepacking trip. The place has come under new ownership in the past couple of years and us now known as the Tapawera Cycle Trail Campground.
The owner seemed nice, but there are several long term stays with serious issues which make the camp unwelcoming and potentially unsafe for some.
These included a young man with serious anger management issues who made comments like "I could kill someone right now" in order to vent his anger.
Another man told me he left Auckland because he was racist, and talked about how happy he was to not have seen any Asian people since arriving in Tapawera.
Another man joked about tagging swastikas everywhere and used the N word despite being white.
Was told that most of the men had partners, I felt uneasy about the dynamic to the point where I left an ad for women's refuge on the pinboard.
The cherry on top was a chained up dog which was in dire need of some attention and kept howling.
It's a real shame because it is a useful in-between location when cycling but if you don't have a vehicle to get to another town, please consider forking out a bit more for the hotel if you need to stop in Tapawera.
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4.0/5
I liked the friendly atmosphere.
The kitchen has lots of cooking utensils and comfy chairs. The grounds themselves have many trees. it is shady, pleasant and quiet. If u have children to entertain there are bikes and play equipment. I do recommend this place.
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4.0/5
Nice site with good but slightly dated facilities.
Owners very pleasant.
Cost (2p, non-powered): $34
Location: Quiet, grassy site with trees
Facilities: Free showers, well-stocked kitchen, free Wifi (works close to the kitchen area), powered sites available
Value: 8/10
Sandflies: A few
X-Factor: Pleasant but not incredible
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4.0/5
A bit overpriced for the dated facilities but enough for 1 night stay.
Everything was clean, the kitchen was stocked with basics, pots and pans. WiFi is included in the price, although not very powerful. Would stay here again.
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4.0/5
Stayed here as a stop off on way to west coast.
Arrived to a really quiet empty site but a lovely owner met us and showed us around. Really helpful. Local pub a short walk away, warm showers although power not great. Perfect for stop over.
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5.0/5
Great value for the money, the host was so nice and welcoming!, fully equiped kitchen, a very quit campsite.
Even though showers & toilet were OK it was enought. we stayed for 1 night and it's a petty we couldn't stay longer.
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4.0/5
Nice campground.
A little overpriced, but lots of campgrounds in the South Island are - so normal for this part of New Zealand.
Some facilities are a bit old but perfectly clean and useable.
Staff kind and considerate but will not tolerate inconsiderate campers. Good on them.
Good kitchen.
Good WIFI.
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4.0/5
First stop on South Island and in general it’s more expensive than north.
Our stop was lovely tho. we hit a kinda rainy period in the South Island (end nov/start dec) but toilets and showers where nice and warm and big kitchen area.
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0.5/5
Spend your money elsewhere, I was swindled.
After enquiring about camping for one person for one night I was quoted 18 dollars. I had just finished the Travers Sabine circuit heading to Motueka and turned up after having a great dinner at the local Tui pub. It was raining and I decided to ask about their shared cabins at 28 dollars a night. I was told they were full because a local bike race was passing through. Ok, so they now have cabins at 40 dollars. I was tired and stomached the cost because it was too late to head elsewhere. I was then led to the shared cabin with 6 beds. I stated that this was the shared cabin to which the lady responded "But there's no one else coming in tonight, so it's being let as a single cabin". Very disappointed. P.s. Great dinners at the Tui pub.
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3.5/5
Slightly quirky, borderline shabby campground run by a very friendly woman.
There's a very welcoming policy towards long term campers, itinerant workers, cyclists, anyone. That makes an interesting mix, though of course mixing with people from very different backgrounds isn't always comfortable.
It's a little bit noisy with the adjacent highway, and the camping area is nothing special. The kitchen is great, and there are nice couches under cover.
-
0.5/5
Angry, racist and possibly sexist permanent stays create an uncomfortable and potentially unsafe environment for travellers.
-
Went here during a bikepacking trip. The place has come under new ownership in the past couple of years and us now known as the Tapawera Cycle Trail Campground.
The owner seemed nice, but there are several long term stays with serious issues which make the camp unwelcoming and potentially unsafe for some.
These included a young man with serious anger management issues who made comments like "I could kill someone right now" in order to vent his anger.
Another man told me he left Auckland because he was racist, and talked about how happy he was to not have seen any Asian people since arriving in Tapawera.
Another man joked about tagging swastikas everywhere and used the N word despite being white.
Was told that most of the men had partners, I felt uneasy about the dynamic to the point where I left an ad for women's refuge on the pinboard.
The cherry on top was a chained up dog which was in dire need of some attention and kept howling.
It's a real shame because it is a useful in-between location when cycling but if you don't have a vehicle to get to another town, please consider forking out a bit more for the hotel if you need to stop in Tapawera.
-
4.0/5
I liked the friendly atmosphere.
The kitchen has lots of cooking utensils and comfy chairs. The grounds themselves have many trees. it is shady, pleasant and quiet. If u have children to entertain there are bikes and play equipment. I do recommend this place.
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4.0/5
Nice site with good but slightly dated facilities.
Owners very pleasant.
Cost (2p, non-powered): $34
Location: Quiet, grassy site with trees
Facilities: Free showers, well-stocked kitchen, free Wifi (works close to the kitchen area), powered sites available
Value: 8/10
Sandflies: A few
X-Factor: Pleasant but not incredible
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4.0/5
A bit overpriced for the dated facilities but enough for 1 night stay.
Everything was clean, the kitchen was stocked with basics, pots and pans. WiFi is included in the price, although not very powerful. Would stay here again.
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4.0/5
First stop on South Island and in general it’s more expensive than north.
Our stop was lovely tho. we hit a kinda rainy period in the South Island (end nov/start dec) but toilets and showers where nice and warm and big kitchen area.
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4.0/5
Stayed here as a stop off on way to west coast.
Arrived to a really quiet empty site but a lovely owner met us and showed us around. Really helpful. Local pub a short walk away, warm showers although power not great. Perfect for stop over.
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4.0/5
Nice campground.
A little overpriced, but lots of campgrounds in the South Island are - so normal for this part of New Zealand.
Some facilities are a bit old but perfectly clean and useable.
Staff kind and considerate but will not tolerate inconsiderate campers. Good on them.
Good kitchen.
Good WIFI.
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5.0/5
Great value for the money, the host was so nice and welcoming!, fully equiped kitchen, a very quit campsite.
Even though showers & toilet were OK it was enought. we stayed for 1 night and it's a petty we couldn't stay longer.
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0.5/5
Spend your money elsewhere, I was swindled.
After enquiring about camping for one person for one night I was quoted 18 dollars. I had just finished the Travers Sabine circuit heading to Motueka and turned up after having a great dinner at the local Tui pub. It was raining and I decided to ask about their shared cabins at 28 dollars a night. I was told they were full because a local bike race was passing through. Ok, so they now have cabins at 40 dollars. I was tired and stomached the cost because it was too late to head elsewhere. I was then led to the shared cabin with 6 beds. I stated that this was the shared cabin to which the lady responded "But there's no one else coming in tonight, so it's being let as a single cabin". Very disappointed. P.s. Great dinners at the Tui pub.
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5.0/5
Great campsite, extremely warm welcome!
Everything you need plus extras.. well equipped kitchen, laundry, hot spacious showers. If was not returning to UK very shortly, would be returning. Thank you very much to our hosts😃
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0.5/5
We called Tapawera Settle Motels and Campgrounds to have a weekend away and we booked and paid for two days.
The place was that bad that we only stayed one night and left. The room was not clean and had sticky stuff on the side of the bed. The shower was so bad that it took a long time just to get the soap off. The place is very run down and should be cleaned and renovated. The owner (Leg Man) did not even make contact with us. His own words quote.....Absolutely terrible service and prices. Avoid at all costs.
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3.5/5
Large pitches, grassy and peaceful with plenty of shade.
A relief from some of the larger busier sites. Facilities are old fashioned (or maybe just old) but it has everything you need and it all works. It felt a bit quirky and ramshackle, but this is the character of the place and we enjoyed our stay. Short walk to local cafe/restaurant which was very good.
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5.0/5
Would definitely go back!
We had an issue with our power cable and the owner helped us out. Very nice couple and awesome place for value. We paid $17/pp for a powered site, unlimited wifi and free hot shower! Really nice campsite, can only recommend it!