Richard & Chris, UK
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Motueka ▷
Sunrise Whare
5.0/5
Shame we could only give 10/10.
We'd make it a 12 just for the joy of Don's company! The only spot we stayed two consecutive nights on our three-week bimble around NZ. No dump site, but fresh water and a beautiful site above the river. We used the site as a base so we could visit Farewell Spit and Golden Bay. Can't speak highly enough of the welcome, the fresh fruit and veg, and the site itself.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Whangarei ▷
Waipu Caves
3.0/5
The dirt road to the site appears to be recently re-laid, and is like driving over corrugated iron for about five kilometers, but it'll feel longer.
Grit your teeth so your fillings don't fall out, and drive very, very slowly! Once there, the glowworm caves are amazing, and well worth the breakages and the fact that any milk in your fridge will have churned into butter. The site wasn't managed, so it was full of vans and people sleeping in cars etc, well beyond the marked spot, and at least a dozen tents on the field next to it. Surprisingly quiet however, so thanks everyone for being so respectful of others. Beautiful surrounding countryside. Toilets were dirty, cold outside shower if you're desperate. No fresh water, no dump site. But it's free, so you get what you pay for.
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South Island ▷ Kaikoura Region ▷ Kaikoura ▷
Donegal House Irish Hotel
4.5/5
Large (but unimaginatively laid out) car park site, with fresh water at pretty much every pitch and power if you want it.
Nice welcome in the bar/restaurant and the food was great, if you can cope with piped Irish music, which you can't escape if you're eating or drinking, even outside. The camping is far enough away that you can't hear it there, though. We stopped in at Kaikoura, booked a whale-watching trip for the following day, then spent the evening here, just outside the town itself.
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North Island ▷ Taupo Region ▷ Turangi ▷
Oturere Campsite
3.0/5
No water supply (in spite of the fact that it says there is) unless you count the river close by.
Don't venture too close to the river at night, as the place is obviously used as a latrine by non-SCC campers. Nevertheless, it's a handy spot, you can tuck yourself well away from the highway so no real traffic noise, and it's level with picnic benches and rubbish bins. We actually used the place twice en route to and from Wellington, so don't be put off by the low score which is based purely on lack of facilities.
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
Red Beach TOP 10 Holiday Park
5.0/5
Bit of a dodgy review, as we didn't actually stay here.
However, we had a problem with our campervan, so turned up here looking for help. The manager was really lovely and sorted us out in spite of the fact we clearly weren't actually staying, so they get a 10/10 for that.
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South Island ▷ Marlborough ▷ Blenheim ▷
Wairau Diversion Reserve
4.5/5
Fantastic spot, plenty of space all the way from the road to the beach.
The app shows the site right at the junction to the road, but follow the road to the end where everyone else is! Nice beach walks, view from your van over the river. Toilets near the beach.
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
Muriwai Beach Campground
5.0/5
Perfect spot for our first night in New Zealand.
Not too far from the airport, and we were able to book online and pay when we got there. A nice welcome on arrival & a good level powered site for the campervan. Didn't really use the facilities as we were both exhausted from travel, but the wifi was handy and the site has close access to the beach for a nice walk in the evening. Family-oriented site, but not too busy and certainly not noisy. Our neighbour said it was one of his favourite sites, and we could see why. Very happy to recommend.
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Porirua ▷
Ngāti Toa
3.5/5
Very busy, with wing-mirror to wing-mirror parking.
We got the last spot on arrival at about 5pm. Very convenient for the ferry (but double Google Maps estimated travel time if you're heading for the ferry, due to traffic and road maps). You'll need some levellers for your campervan unless you get lucky.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Okarito ▷
Okarito Camping Ground
4.5/5
Lovely site, plenty of space, and (I think) run by the local community, so well worth supporting.
Fresh water available on site. Good clean facilities.
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Orewa ▷
Te Haruhi Bay Camping Ground
4.5/5
Fantastic SCC site, in spite of Auckland Council's attempts to make booking so difficult!
The SCC site and the campground are about 200 mtrs apart, so make sure you book the bit you want. Online booking is impossible if you're not an NZ resident (mandatory NZ phone number and vehicle reg, one of which you don't have, and the other you won't know until you pick up your rental). We booked the site via one of the Service Centres, which took about 40 minutes as the genuinely helpful staff struggled with their own system. Anyway, once you get there, it's pretty much perfect, easy access to the beach, great walks through the park, fab views of the gulf and distant Auckland. Note that the SCC site doesn't have a water supply - as the mostly unhelpful ranger pointed out, that's what 'self-contained' means.
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Banks Peninsula ▷
Little River Campground
3.5/5
I feel bad about the 7/10.
The owner is making a real effort to make this place a great site, and it is certainly different from any of the big chain campgrounds. The campervan pitches are a little cheek-by-jowl, and it was a bit of a squeeze to make sure we didn't hit guy ropes and trees to get into ours. Having said that, the site is perfect for families with young kids who don't want a bog-standard holiday park. There's a lot to keep youngsters entertained, and I can see why it's so popular, just not for us older fuddy-duddies.
Hi Richard and Chris,
Thanks for the review. The camp can get busy over the few days of New Year and at school holiday weekends. We do state the sites can be snug at this time but most of the time we have sites available. We pride ourselves on not being part of a chain, unique and boutique is more us! Marcus
Marcus Puentener
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Miranda ▷
Miranda Tasman Holiday Parks
4.5/5
Busy and expensive, but excellent, clean, well-maintained facilities and the hot pool is excellent.
Not our cup of tea, but served our purpose (powered site to recharge stuff, dump site and fresh water) and we could see why it's so popular.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Punakaiki ▷
McMillan Road Freedom Camping Area
4.0/5
Basic car park but away from the main road and very peaceful apart from the sound of the breakers on the beach.
Note: this site is actively managed, with a community ranger visiting the site to make sure everyone was SCC. Oh, and sandflies. Lots and lots of sandflies.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Dargaville ▷
Waipoua Forest Camping Area
4.0/5
10 minute drive in along a gravel track access road, but not too rough at all and easily manageable for the van.
No powered pitches available (not sure there are any on the site) and it was quite busy when we were there. Tried contacting in advance via email to arrange a pitch, but no response, so we turned up with fingers crossed at about 4pm and there were a couple of spots available. No marked pitches, and we struggled to find anywhere really level, but there were a few bits of flat wood lying around to level the van up. Kitchen clean enough, but a bit dated. Grey water dump and fresh water but no black water dump. Night walk with the site manager (owner?) was definitely worth the extra cost. Don't expect to see kiwis - the group walk was noisy and no attempt really made to discourage that, but Lance is obviously knowledgeable and passionate about the native forest and the threats to it. Wifi at the cafe a couple of hundred meters away, still available if the cafe's shut. Lovely surroundings next to natural forest and river.
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South Island ▷ Marlborough ▷ Blenheim ▷
Spring Creek Holiday Park
4.5/5
Great site, busy but quiet.
The spots by the creek are lovely. We got a pitch (one of the last available when we turned up about 5pm) that was away from the creek, but each pitch is hedged on two or three sides, so plenty of privacy. Laundry $2, dryer $4 (but we just used the plentiful washing lines). Everything you need in a campsite, with a good welcome from reception.
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Arthur's Pass ▷
Hawdon Shelter Campsite
4.0/5
As others have said, no longer free, but worth the $8 (if I remember correctly) per person.
Plenty of room to park up, under trees or in the open. Nice strolls by the river or into the forest. Long rattly drive in from the main road.