National Army Museum
Overnight Campervan Parking
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National Army Museum
Park at the back of the Museum in the last bay of the car park closest to the old Headquarters building - this location provides a bigger area for larger vehicles.
You are welcome to stay in the Museum car park but they only allow self contained campers to park there overnight. Please note they have overnight security guards who come around and check that you are self contained.
Details
| Feature | Value | Info |
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Organisation |
National Army MuseumCommercial organisation |
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Location |
North Island ▷ Ruapehu ▷ Waiouru |
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Categories |
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Directions To Coordinates |
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Coordinates |
Freedom Camping
Nearby
Reviews
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4.5/5
A great spot.
Felt very secure and the tanks at the front of the museum are fun. Minimal amenities but would still recommend if you need to stay the night while in the area.
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4.5/5
Great place to stay.
Clean, tidy and safe. Lots of room to park with a mix of grass and asphalt. Kids loved playing in the car park and on the tanks. Amazing views of the mountain.
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3.5/5
Great spot- view of a gorgeous mountain on a clear day and overnight public toilets located just across the road from the service station.
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4.5/5
Feeling safe :) and public toilets just few minutes walk .
Nearby Z station , if you want can grab something anytime
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5.0/5
Really nice freedom Campground with super friendly security guards.
There are no toilets but you can walk to the public toilets. The tanks around the museum are also quite interesting.
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4.0/5
Nice location, security guard checks self contained toilets across road 5 min walk Can be cold and windy as up in mountains
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3.5/5
Simple to find, loads space on hard standing, felt very safe.
Nearest public toilets are across the road but not that far. Given it’s the only freedom site in the vicinity it’s a solid choice for staying a night.
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5.0/5
A very safe, secure overnight stop.
No public toilets available on site but they are available down the road. You can park up either on a grassy area or in the car park which was another plus given the weight of our vehicle and the slightly boggy grassed area. And the bonus....waking up to a magnificent view of snow covered Te lka-a-Maui!
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4.5/5
Great location with a security guard patrolling the lot throughout the night.
Great views of the mountains in the distance. Bathrooms were closed so we had to go across the highway
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5.0/5
For a low cost place to stay this is great.
Parked up round the back of the museum after hours. There’s a few tanks to look at and a garage down the that has some supplies. Security guards patrol the area and it feels nice and safe. No facilities but none needed if you’re self contained.
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4.5/5
Place dans l’herbe à côté du parking arrière du musée.
Très bien pour une nuit, sécurisé (un agent vient régulièrement et vérifie si nous sommes self contained)
Calme et propre.
Dommage que les lumières restent allumées toute la nuit.
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2.5/5
Parking lot behind the museum, many places.
Good to stay for a night, a public toilet (Open 24h) can be found across the street opposite the gas station. However, security was very unfriendly to us, made us feel uncomfortable. Be aware that there's 24/7 video surveillance. Lights are very bright.
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4.5/5
A great spot.
Felt very secure and the tanks at the front of the museum are fun. Minimal amenities but would still recommend if you need to stay the night while in the area.
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4.5/5
Great place to stay.
Clean, tidy and safe. Lots of room to park with a mix of grass and asphalt. Kids loved playing in the car park and on the tanks. Amazing views of the mountain.
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3.5/5
Great spot- view of a gorgeous mountain on a clear day and overnight public toilets located just across the road from the service station.
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4.5/5
Feeling safe :) and public toilets just few minutes walk .
Nearby Z station , if you want can grab something anytime
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5.0/5
Really nice freedom Campground with super friendly security guards.
There are no toilets but you can walk to the public toilets. The tanks around the museum are also quite interesting.
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4.0/5
Nice location, security guard checks self contained toilets across road 5 min walk Can be cold and windy as up in mountains
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3.5/5
Simple to find, loads space on hard standing, felt very safe.
Nearest public toilets are across the road but not that far. Given it’s the only freedom site in the vicinity it’s a solid choice for staying a night.
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5.0/5
A very safe, secure overnight stop.
No public toilets available on site but they are available down the road. You can park up either on a grassy area or in the car park which was another plus given the weight of our vehicle and the slightly boggy grassed area. And the bonus....waking up to a magnificent view of snow covered Te lka-a-Maui!
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4.5/5
Great location with a security guard patrolling the lot throughout the night.
Great views of the mountains in the distance. Bathrooms were closed so we had to go across the highway
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5.0/5
For a low cost place to stay this is great.
Parked up round the back of the museum after hours. There’s a few tanks to look at and a garage down the that has some supplies. Security guards patrol the area and it feels nice and safe. No facilities but none needed if you’re self contained.
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4.5/5
Place dans l’herbe à côté du parking arrière du musée.
Très bien pour une nuit, sécurisé (un agent vient régulièrement et vérifie si nous sommes self contained)
Calme et propre.
Dommage que les lumières restent allumées toute la nuit.
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4.5/5
Secure and safe stopover with 24hr access, great if you are arriving late or needing to catch some sleep before leaving early.
Just take into account that Waiouru is high elevation so will be colder than most places you stay. Definitely self contained only and checked everytime by security. The mueseum is defintitely worth a visit too if you have time
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4.5/5
Great spot, but c as n get muddy and soft during the rain.
Second time we’ve stayed here. Definitely recommend it.
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4.0/5
Nice quiet and safe spot.
No toilets on site, they are a few minutes walk towards the high street. We are SC but no one checked or knocked. Would stay again.
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3.5/5
The Car park is rear the museum.
Many spaces are available. It is pretty quiet with a nice view of the mountains ! A guard checks your self-contained certification not only the sticker. Clean public toilets are close to the car park, about 3 min by walk to go there. There are many spotlights that can be disturbing during the night. It is a nice spot for a night.
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5.0/5
Very safe location, had a security guard patrolling all night and checked SC cert.
Toilets short walk across the highway. Plenty of space and Lovely view of the mountains. Donations can be left at reception in museum
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5.0/5
Great late night stopover safe with plenty of light and ample parking spots Never to be forgotten
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4.5/5
Large carpark allowing self contained camping.
We arrived late after 10.30pm and museum toilets were closed but public toilets are just a short walk across from Z service station.
Well lit and seems very secure. Was nice an quiet. About 5 other motorhomes there. Plenty of space for larger motorhomes.
Wonderful view of Ruapehu.
It’s asked that a donation is given to the museum.
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4.5/5
Wifi worked well.
Museum wifi turned off when it closed but inspire wifi network worked all night.
Toilets a couple hundred meters away when mieseum is closed. Under bright lights bit otherwise a good spot.
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4.5/5
10 for security 10 for location being close to many great places to visit.
We arrived at 3am and less than 2 minutes later a security officer inspected our SC window tag to make sure it was up to date. Bright spotlight and cameras but quiet and peaceful location. Plenty of places to park on the grass. Public toilets 1 min or and easy walk away. Do not use the toilets there or you will be asked to leave.
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4.0/5
Park around the back of the army museum.
Nice man came round to check we were self contained. Bright security light but quiet area. Nice toilets at service station across the road.
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2.5/5
Parking lot behind the museum, many places.
Good to stay for a night, a public toilet (Open 24h) can be found across the street opposite the gas station. However, security was very unfriendly to us, made us feel uncomfortable. Be aware that there's 24/7 video surveillance. Lights are very bright.
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4.5/5
Good spot for a night's sleep.
Museum closes by 4:30. Security checks through the night. Motorway noises were not too bad. Public toilets over a nearby hill.
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4.5/5
Car park behind the national museum.
Close to main highway but not too noisy- free WiFi (no password), space for approx 15 campers (arrived around 6pm in June and 6/7 campers already there). No toilets outside opening hours (9am-4.30pm) and we couldn’t find the free public toilets. Safe, secure, great stopover point.
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4.0/5
Very generous of the museum to allow parking and the WiFi was great.
Nice view of hills and super clean toilets across the road. Museum worth a visit! Would give a higher rank but lot is very brightly lit and truck traffic heavy.
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4.5/5
Kamen sehr spät abends an, noch ein Platz am gut beleuchteten Platz bekommen.
Toiletten haben wir gegenüber an der Tankstelle benutzt sehr sauber!! Wlan top! Gegen 23 Uhr lief noch ein Ranger rum. Rund um sicher!
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5.0/5
Good place to stop, toilets in the museum when open, when closed there are super clean public toilets across the road.
There's free WiFi from the museum. Thank you!
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5.0/5
We loved this place so much we stayed twice, once on the way south and once on the way back north.
The security team is on it
at all hours which made us feel safe. They are strict about the self-contained certification. Wifi was amazing. Lights from the property are super bright so only works if you have curtains or can sleep in any lighting.
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5.0/5
Great stopover.
Free WiFi from museum. Security guard very friendly and helpful. Level car park. Small sign asking for nothing to park other than a donation to museum. Seems a small price to pay when you consider the ultimate price others have paid.
