$p
South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Geraldine ▷
4.0/5
Lovely wee grassy spot surrounded by trees and a stream.
Few short walks nearby. 2x longdrops and a water tap. The "long gravel road" described by others turned out to be only 2km, takes absolute max 10min to drive! The last 500m or so it is quite narrow so could be awkward for large campers if you had to pass another vehicle, but otherwise should be ok. Dog friendly, yay!
South Island ▷ Mount Cook - MacKenzie ▷ Omarama ▷
3.5/5
I arrived in the dark and was quite confused about where exactly the campground was as the sign/info is just on a pullover on the road.
I went and camped by lake m, not totally sure if was supposed to! Next morning I realized there was a wee area on the lake ohau side of the road that appeared to have toilets also. Toilets on lake m side were locked. No water tap. Overall nice place to stay just 20-30min off from the main highway.
South Island ▷ Mount Cook - MacKenzie ▷ Twizel ▷
5.0/5
Beautiful spot, and actually dogs are allowed, but check DOC pesticide summary because some areas of the temple have regular predator control.
Grassy area on edge of Beech forest besides the river, lovely walks. Picnic shelter with a fireplace.
South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Greymouth ▷
4.0/5
Lovely campground by the river and swimming hole with nice short walks nearby.
We used this as a base before starting the Paparoa track. Only $7pp, great clean toilets, potable water, BBQ. Slightly urban and bar across road which could be a plus or negative depending on the night?! Some road noise. Note this is community run on a council site, with DOC walks nearby, not a DOC camp.
South Island ▷ Mount Cook - MacKenzie ▷ Omarama ▷
2.0/5
Its free.
It had two long drops. But, its right by the main highway so road noise is very noisy! No potable water, can get water from the river but definitely boil it! Very rocky ground so hard to get tent pegs in.
South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Hokitika ▷
5.0/5
Beautiful camp next to Lake Mahinapua.
Clean flush toilets, cooking/dishes shelter with multiple sinks, rubbish and recycling station, even a solar shower! (Though probably a lucky dip to get a hot shower when it's busy!).
Lake is lovely for a kayak and morning sunrise. Nice bush walks around camp.
Weka, falcons and glowworms top it off to make this a definite 10!