Olivia
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Whangarei ▷
Waipu Caves
3.0/5
We visited this campsite and the glow worm caves but didn't stay.
When we arrived there were 2 or 3 people staying there in their campervans.
It is a long gravel road to get there, which is why we opted out og staying here as we were traveling with a Caravan and didn't want to risk it without knowing the road.
After visiting we would still not stay there in our caravan unless we were desperate.
The parking lot is large and gravel and can accommodate a large number of guests.
There is plenty of space to pitch tents and also toilets, which when we were there were not good. Dirty and blocked!
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North Island ▷ Tairāwhiti Gisborne ▷ Wairoa ▷
Oraka Reserve, Mahia
4.0/5
This is a great free campsite right on the water.
We stayed for 2 nights with our 2 children (8 & 11) and two small dogs.
We arrived around lunchtime and had almost the entire allocated camping area to choose from. By night time I counted 17 different groups staying on our first night and 12 on the 2nd.
They do come by once or twice a day to introduce themselves, answer questions, check on everyone and to make sure you are camped where you should be. We found it marked out easily so didn't need help.
The toilets are tidy for public toilets which are open 24/7. They have sensored lights that go on at night for those midnight toilet runs you may need to do with the kids.
There is a tap next to the bathrooms which we used for boiling and then doing dishes but we didn't drink it as we were unsure of the quality.
The water is a lagoon that flows into the sea and is good for exploring and seafood collecting. It remains shallow for a big portion of the shore and then drops off to 1.5metre - 2metre depending on the tide. This area flows more like a river out to sea so I would recommend only experienced swimmers or closely supervised children swim in this part. If you lift your feet you'll get swept towards the sea shoreline.
We did walk the length of the lagoon to the beach during mid and low tide. During hightide this is possible just a lot more splashing involved.
Dogs are allowed but not off their lead.
We'll go back again at some point.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Whangarei ▷
Uretiti Beach Campsite
4.0/5
Great beach, great service from the team on the gate and an awesome time here while exploring the far north over summer.
You choose your own spot. They have modern and tidy long drop toilets which are placed throughout the camping grounds. I only noticed 1 shower block which usually had a semi long line.
Water was available for dishes but we were unsure about drinking quality.
Close to Waipu where there are some shops and a short drive to the Waipu Glow Worm Caves which we explored.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Kaitaia ▷
Maitai Bay Campsite
4.0/5
We tried staying here but when we arrived found that it was fully booked!
It looked beautiful.
It is accessed by a semi short gravel road. We did it with our caravan and it was slow going.
When we got here they referred us to an other DOC campsite 1.5 hours away, which they knew had room.
It would be better if there was a booking system or direct number to call. It would have saved us a good 1hr+ drive.