Carey Johnston
North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Thames ▷
0.5/5
This campsite cannot be accessed as the road to get there, SH25A, is closed from both ends.
South Island ▷ Mount Cook - MacKenzie ▷ Lake Tekapo ▷
1.0/5
This place is not set amongst the trees.
They have bulldozed most of them to create a large area for yurts, cabins, hostel like buildings and campsites. The powered sites are extremely close to one another. The non powered sites are up on the top of the property where the landscape has been left bare after cutting down all the trees. It was very ugly... not nice, just a place to park. Sort of felt like we were looked upon as the cheapest of the campers being put up in that dusty non powered area.
There are 2 kitchen facilities. The “small” kitchen can accommodate 5 people cooking. 2 fridges and a freezer. There are about 5-6 small tables with 2 stools for each table running down the center between the cooking appliances and the sinks. Barely enough room to navigate and folks were constantly in each other’s way. The “large” kitchen up the road had no indoor place to eat but a slightly larger cooking/washing up area. When it’s cold outside the last thing you want to do is sit out on a picnic table to eat your meal.
There were SOOOO many people at this location and they simply do not have the facilities to accommodate the number of sites/yurts/tents, etc. The “small” ladies toilet/shower area (next to the “small kitchen) was tidy when we arrived in the late afternoon but after a night and morning of so many people going through it had become so foul smelling I turned around a few seconds after entering. There was a lineup for the dump station and vans were coming from all directions battling for the one space. Saw a near altercation between 2 vans. For $50/2 people per night unpowered...pass this one by.