Lake Ōkāreka Campsite
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Lake Ōkāreka Campsite
This lakeside campsite is only 15 min from Rotorua. You can swim or fish in the lake.
This is a small and pretty campsite 15 minutes out of Rotorua City. Also known as Lake Ōkāreka Scenic Reserve.
DOC Campsite Pricing
Lake Ōkareka 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 Bay of PlentyCentral government organisation |
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Location |
North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Tarawera |
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Directions To Coordinates |
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Basic Camping
Reviews
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2.5/5
Place is very nice, right by the lake, rather calm, no nearby road to hear cars passing but it's busy most of the time and toilets are full of insects.
No water - for thst you can go to nearby Boys Beach where is drinking water, clean toilets, trash and showers. The major problem in this campsite in my opinion is some "genious" idea to put 5 extremely bumpy speed bumps on the way down/up what makes your way out of the camp in a van rather hard and unpleasant - my van had problems to go through the bump on a very steep road up the hill - doing it without hitting it hard is rather problematic, big minus for that and DOC paranoia when it comes to those things...
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0.5/5
Would not recommend.
Local youth seems to gather to drink at the beach (despite chilly and windy Sunday night). Also lots of late night car movements and dirty drop toilets
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3.5/5
Wonderful place for camping and swimming.
You'll need to get there early to reserve a spot on the lake. Easy access. However, the toilets are very dirty and there are rats at night. Showers and flush toilets are at Boys Beach (20-minute walk).
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3.5/5
Nice place by the lake.
Especially in nice weather it would be a nice spot, but there is also a shelter. Toilets were not so clean.
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0.5/5
Very expensive for a DOC campsite with basically no facilities apart from a Long drop loo.
Interesting also that we turned up at around 5.30pm and less than 10 minutes later the "contractiol" warden turned up to collect the fee of $15 per person. What a rip off.....might ad well go to the Top 10 for a fraction more.
Interesting also that 2 more vehicles pulled in at around 10pm and nobody turned up to collect their fees. Weird.....yes it's a lovely spot by the lake but please make it fair for everybody!
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4.5/5
Lovely campsite by the lake.
Was quite busy when we visited (New Years). First come first serve (no bookings). Ranger comes around in the evening around 7pm ish to check you in and collect fees. Long drop toilets. No showers but there is cold showers 2 min drive down the road at the Boyes beach site (campervan only site). Very peaceful except for the young guy doing burnouts at 1am in his car!
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4.5/5
Nice spot.
Could be a bit cheaper but for a site right on the lake it's just what you want, close to Rotorua but quite secluded. Quite popular in high season so definitely get in before 5pm.
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4.5/5
Great cheap camping spot right by the lake.
Basic facilities but fantastic views made up for it! Get there early to make sure you get a spot - it fills up quickly
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3.5/5
$15 each per night.
Quite pricy considering very basic with only long drop toilets. No running water. Pretty spot overlooking lake, can swim in it. Quite busy so recommend getting there early - ish for a good spot. Vans basically parked right next to each other. Location is a bit out of Rotorua. Warden came round about 8pm to collect payment.
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4.0/5
Scenic waterfront location, quiet, only one other campervan there with us.
Long drop toilets. Chickens and sparrows to keep you company. Nice spot.
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5.0/5
Beautiful peaceful spot.
Long drop toilets but not smelly which is a bonus. No running water only waste water disposal.
Reggie the Rooster was our constant companion. Say hello if you see him
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5.0/5
This was one of our favourite sites of our whole trip.
Beautiful and peaceful Lake, small site, a hiking trail leads through the forest to the next beach site, easy swimming and relaxing without the sounds of roads. If you’re in a camper van, there are only a few spots that allow you to back directly up to the water (though we got there late both times and were able to squeeze in to front row Lake views). Otherwise you’ll be behind one row of cars. Plenty of lawn space for tents. We stayed over Christmas and despite the crowd, it still felt cozy. Pit toilets are one drawback, though they were very clean, and there was a covered cooking area. If you’re looking for a quiet and beautiful spot, you found it!
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2.5/5
Place is very nice, right by the lake, rather calm, no nearby road to hear cars passing but it's busy most of the time and toilets are full of insects.
No water - for thst you can go to nearby Boys Beach where is drinking water, clean toilets, trash and showers. The major problem in this campsite in my opinion is some "genious" idea to put 5 extremely bumpy speed bumps on the way down/up what makes your way out of the camp in a van rather hard and unpleasant - my van had problems to go through the bump on a very steep road up the hill - doing it without hitting it hard is rather problematic, big minus for that and DOC paranoia when it comes to those things...
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0.5/5
Would not recommend.
Local youth seems to gather to drink at the beach (despite chilly and windy Sunday night). Also lots of late night car movements and dirty drop toilets
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3.5/5
Wonderful place for camping and swimming.
You'll need to get there early to reserve a spot on the lake. Easy access. However, the toilets are very dirty and there are rats at night. Showers and flush toilets are at Boys Beach (20-minute walk).
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3.5/5
Nice place by the lake.
Especially in nice weather it would be a nice spot, but there is also a shelter. Toilets were not so clean.
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0.5/5
Very expensive for a DOC campsite with basically no facilities apart from a Long drop loo.
Interesting also that we turned up at around 5.30pm and less than 10 minutes later the "contractiol" warden turned up to collect the fee of $15 per person. What a rip off.....might ad well go to the Top 10 for a fraction more.
Interesting also that 2 more vehicles pulled in at around 10pm and nobody turned up to collect their fees. Weird.....yes it's a lovely spot by the lake but please make it fair for everybody!
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4.5/5
Lovely campsite by the lake.
Was quite busy when we visited (New Years). First come first serve (no bookings). Ranger comes around in the evening around 7pm ish to check you in and collect fees. Long drop toilets. No showers but there is cold showers 2 min drive down the road at the Boyes beach site (campervan only site). Very peaceful except for the young guy doing burnouts at 1am in his car!
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4.5/5
Nice spot.
Could be a bit cheaper but for a site right on the lake it's just what you want, close to Rotorua but quite secluded. Quite popular in high season so definitely get in before 5pm.
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4.5/5
Great cheap camping spot right by the lake.
Basic facilities but fantastic views made up for it! Get there early to make sure you get a spot - it fills up quickly
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3.5/5
$15 each per night.
Quite pricy considering very basic with only long drop toilets. No running water. Pretty spot overlooking lake, can swim in it. Quite busy so recommend getting there early - ish for a good spot. Vans basically parked right next to each other. Location is a bit out of Rotorua. Warden came round about 8pm to collect payment.
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4.0/5
Scenic waterfront location, quiet, only one other campervan there with us.
Long drop toilets. Chickens and sparrows to keep you company. Nice spot.
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5.0/5
Beautiful peaceful spot.
Long drop toilets but not smelly which is a bonus. No running water only waste water disposal.
Reggie the Rooster was our constant companion. Say hello if you see him
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0.5/5
I arrived to this campsite today with my boyfriend and we set our tent.We went out for an hour to buy some food and when we came back, our tent wasn't there.It isn't a safe place.
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1.5/5
Nice view but no morning or afternoon sunlight so pretty cold everything gets really wet.
Basins for washing but no running water. Loads of loud people showing up around 9pm and leaving at 6am to avoid camping fees. Pretty bad experience.
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5.0/5
This was one of our favourite sites of our whole trip.
Beautiful and peaceful Lake, small site, a hiking trail leads through the forest to the next beach site, easy swimming and relaxing without the sounds of roads. If you’re in a camper van, there are only a few spots that allow you to back directly up to the water (though we got there late both times and were able to squeeze in to front row Lake views). Otherwise you’ll be behind one row of cars. Plenty of lawn space for tents. We stayed over Christmas and despite the crowd, it still felt cozy. Pit toilets are one drawback, though they were very clean, and there was a covered cooking area. If you’re looking for a quiet and beautiful spot, you found it!
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3.5/5
Not enough space, there are lots of ducks near the water where tent places are located.
Those ducks awake us up at 5am. No water at all, just only the lake. The lake is very beautiful and warm to swim.
They don’t accept cash, just only cards. The staff come every evening there to get payments.
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4.5/5
Very well signposted, good surface under foot.
Beautiful scenery. Good interpretation en-route.
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3.5/5
Had planned on staying here with Free Camp Pass, but when we arrived it was car park camping only for campervans.
For this I only give it 7/10. Tents had stunning spots to camp right on the water. We went back to Boyds Beach Camp.
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5.0/5
Glowworms and Wallabies.
A community run DOC campground very close to Rotorua, but a completely different world. Was very full with locals on Waitangi Day, but very peaceful the following days. The volunteers provide you with great information about the region, the glowworm cave, the wallabies that surprised us. They are just making the hiking trail wheelchair accessible! Very clean toilets. Tent 2m from the beach. One of our top 3 campgrounds in New Zealand.
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4.5/5
Lovely spot right on the lake, in gravel parking area.
Self registration booth, $10pp pn.
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4.5/5
A DOC campsite but managed by the local community.
Small and pretty spot. Can get overcrowded in Summer, especially weekends. Limited sites for vehicles longer than 6 metres.
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5.0/5
My favourite campsite on our north island holiday.
The sight of the sunrise over the volcanic mountains, with Tarawera in the background, brought me to tears.Absolutely stunning. Very quiet campsite, we were the only ones there, we had a very restful night. Swans on the lake the next morning. Volunteers came to collect the fees early in the morning and were very friendly and informative about the local area. Just around the bay a little is a house that rents for $15,000 a night - and we had exactly the same views of this beautiful lake for just $30 for our family of four. Priceless.
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5.0/5
Beautiful views of the lake, you can swim in the morning, walk nearby walkways or cook at a covered dining area.
$10 per person.
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5.0/5
Loved this place so much we stayed two nights.
Right on beautiful Lake Okeraka with views across the lake. Ducks abound, there are swans & just to make us Aussies feel at home as there are a mob of wallabies there, unfortunately they are about to be culled because of the damage they cause to native habitats. Anyway this is a lovely place to stay as its only a short drive into Rotorua & in the area of other attractions such as the Buried Village and Blue & Green Lakes. A must visit if you're into self contained touring or camping. A word of warning though, the warden there is very strict so do the right thing, fill out your paperwork & follow the rules.
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4.5/5
Great location in the Rotorua area.
Quiet and secluded. The small cooking/eating area was nice. Great sunset.
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4.0/5
Great spot by the lake.
Very friendly warden who like to talk and share past experiences and what to do. Clean toilets. Arrived and set up early as it got a bit crowded around 6pm. Glow worms were awesome and lake is great for a swim day or night.
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4.5/5
Great spot!!!
Awesome lake for kids. But too crowded now... A couple of years ago it was much better... So many day people taking the spots from campers. But definitely a place to go if you are in Rotorua. Our favourite!!
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5.0/5
Flushable toilets and great spot next to Lake Okareka...
only a short drive from Rotorua. Very nice camp warden :)
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5.0/5
$10 per person overnight.
The ranger arrived at 8am in the morning to collect the money as it was currently not secure to throw envelopes into the provided box. The site has two drop toilets (modern and clean) and a dump water sink. No freshwater available. The camping ground is beautiful day and night and very quiet.
You can go swimming if you like.
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4.0/5
A nice spot, on the shore of the lake, the views are very nice and there is a small shelter for cooking.
