Tons of space, so you can arrive a bit later.

Beautiful black sand beach to walk to as well as the sea caves to explore. Be sure to stay long enough to check them both out. The black sand is much darker than in Piha. Composting toilets and cold showers with curtains for privacy. Worth the little extra money to stay here instead of in a car park.

Reviewed almost 5 years ago

Very popular.

Fills up early. They do come around and check you are in the allocated location. A bunch of people had to be moved for parking in the wrong spot. Good toilets, beautiful view. Great close place to Tutukaka. Highly recommend for a night.

Reviewed almost 5 years ago

Fantastic spot.

They no longer allow tents in this area so campervans can park in those spots some of which have picnic tables. We had a great spot for two nights with trees so we put our hammocks up. Good toilets and drinking water. People keep arriving late as there is so much space but otherwise really quiet and peaceful. We will be staying here again on our way back up the North Island for sure!

Reviewed almost 5 years ago

Quiet place with 6 spots and there were only 3 of us on a Friday night of a long weekend.

Popular fishing spot. Beach at low tide. Level parking spots, clean 24/7 flush toilets. A power outlet outside of the toilets that was shown to us be we didn’t need to try it out. Had a water fountain but we also didn’t use it as it hasn’t been cleaned in a while and the basin was clogged and dirty. Good spot for a night.

Reviewed almost 5 years ago

Cute place.

Lovely beach on the other side of the dunes. Popular and fills up quickly. They do come around and check you are parked in the correct space. A bunch of people had to move on when security showed up because there wasn’t enough space for them to fit in so be sure to follow the signs. Good toilets. Nice and close to Matapouri.

Reviewed almost 5 years ago

Filled up be 4pm on a long weekend.

We were lucky as we arrived by 1pm. Very busy during the day as it is so shallow so lots of families, but quiets right down at night as the gate gets locked at 9pm. Great for a free spot close to the city. Very nice and new flush toilets, drinking water and cold shower station. Lots of picnic tables around. They even have bins for recycling different things (glass, paper, plastic).

Reviewed almost 5 years ago

One of the best places in town to stay.

There are 8 designated spots at the corners of the car park. Nice and close to walk into town. No parking in the one corner when the market is on (Friday night till Saturday early afternoon). 24hr toilets are a bit of a walk away so he sure to use the closer ones before they close (between 8-830). Nearby there is a cool glass blowing studio to check out and a free outdoor gym to use.

Reviewed almost 5 years ago

Lovely place with 20ish spots to park and it did fill up.

Small beach when the tide is out to swim and a nice river to walk along. Windy because it is right on the ocean so if cooking outside of your van like we do then it might take longer than normal to make a meal. Good clean toilets. A dump station available. No drinking water. Great plss as we close to Auckland.

Reviewed almost 5 years ago

Amazing to see the largest kauri tree.

Short walk from the road. Be sure to clean your shoes properly at the station on the way in and out of the walk to help stop the spread of kauri die back disease. Toilets across the toad as well as awesome fresh fruit ice cream. Worth the stop along the way.

Reviewed almost 5 years ago

Tons of space!

Probably the largest freedom camping space we have seen yet. It does get busy with the best spots filling up early, but you can arrive anytime and find a spot to park there must have been 50+ campervans and buses there. A lot of the larger trailers and vans at this location because of the space. As mentioned there is only one drip toilet so expect a short line and night and in the morning. Very windy but it was a nice change from the heat. Close to town and great sunsets over the lake.

Reviewed almost 5 years ago