Black Hole, Waihao Downs
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Black Hole, Waihao Downs
This is a Waimate District Council designated freedom camping spot for self-contained vehicles. You can park for up to two nights close to the Waihao River Walkway just along Mt Harris road off SH82. For more information cruise on into the Waimate Information Centre.
Details
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Organisation |
Waimate District CouncilCouncil organisation |
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Location |
South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Timaru |
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Directions To Coordinates |
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Coordinates |
Freedom Camping
Google Maps
Nearby
Reviews
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Quiet and tranquil -
Clean toilet facilities
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Beautiful riverside location
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Secluded and private
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Limited mobile reception -
No water or sink available
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Insects present
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Scary place to get to.
Flying Kiwi -
This campsite had a facelift done recently.
KriFlu -
Absolutly loved this spot.
Ben -
It is a hidden gem.
Chc
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Absolutly loved this spot.
It was quiet, far from the road. Well maintained. New toilet facility. Next to a beautiful river. Minimal reception. Enough for messages and YouTube. Not enough for calls.
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Black Hole free camp in Waihao Downs is a hidden gem.
We had the place entirely to ourselves, with a beautiful riverside spot that felt tranquil and secluded. The bird songs were constant during the day, and the nights were wonderfully quiet. A very clean drop toilet is available. There’s no mobile or internet reception, so it’s the perfect place to switch off and enjoy nature. From here, you can also explore the Waihao River Walkway, which follows a 4WD road and links Black Hole to McCulloughs Bridge free camp.
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This campsite had a facelift done recently.
Black Hole, Waihoe visited on 2025-03-25:
Beautiful but wet spot.
Lot of insects however none biting ones.
for self contained only (freedom camping)
new longdrop, fresh planted trees and gras, no water nor sink, room will be roughly for about 20 sites.
Currently signs advise NOT to go swimming (bad water quality)
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We had this hidden gem all to ourselves in the middle of January — pure bliss!
The drop toilet was clean, and the surrounding nature was absolutely breathtaking. There’s a lovely walk along the river leading to another nearby freedom camp. No service whatsoever, so come prepared to disconnect!
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Toilet was immaculate - brand new, and saw someone checking it in the morning despite being spotless.
Really peaceful & lots of room - road down a little rocky but opens up to flat grass.
Phone signal: no
Sandflies: no (but lots of other flies)
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It is a hidden gem.
Not popular in the surroundings, barely see any tourists or people, when we arrived even on the holiday season, there’s no one but only us. A very clean long drop toilet, we saw a person come and clean it in the morning. Quiet and away from the road, so we had a good night here.
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We stayed here 1 night, quiet , pleasant, lovely surroundings, toilet clean.
Lovely spot for freedom camping 😀
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Absolutly loved this spot.
It was quiet, far from the road. Well maintained. New toilet facility. Next to a beautiful river. Minimal reception. Enough for messages and YouTube. Not enough for calls.
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Black Hole free camp in Waihao Downs is a hidden gem.
We had the place entirely to ourselves, with a beautiful riverside spot that felt tranquil and secluded. The bird songs were constant during the day, and the nights were wonderfully quiet. A very clean drop toilet is available. There’s no mobile or internet reception, so it’s the perfect place to switch off and enjoy nature. From here, you can also explore the Waihao River Walkway, which follows a 4WD road and links Black Hole to McCulloughs Bridge free camp.
-
This campsite had a facelift done recently.
Black Hole, Waihoe visited on 2025-03-25:
Beautiful but wet spot.
Lot of insects however none biting ones.
for self contained only (freedom camping)
new longdrop, fresh planted trees and gras, no water nor sink, room will be roughly for about 20 sites.
Currently signs advise NOT to go swimming (bad water quality)
-
We had this hidden gem all to ourselves in the middle of January — pure bliss!
The drop toilet was clean, and the surrounding nature was absolutely breathtaking. There’s a lovely walk along the river leading to another nearby freedom camp. No service whatsoever, so come prepared to disconnect!
-
Toilet was immaculate - brand new, and saw someone checking it in the morning despite being spotless.
Really peaceful & lots of room - road down a little rocky but opens up to flat grass.
Phone signal: no
Sandflies: no (but lots of other flies)
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It is a hidden gem.
Not popular in the surroundings, barely see any tourists or people, when we arrived even on the holiday season, there’s no one but only us. A very clean long drop toilet, we saw a person come and clean it in the morning. Quiet and away from the road, so we had a good night here.
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We stayed here 1 night, quiet , pleasant, lovely surroundings, toilet clean.
Lovely spot for freedom camping 😀
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Scary place to get to.
Super out of the way. Overgrown toilets. No swimming due to heavy pollution (ecoli). Steep dirt access road. DO NOT VISIT.