Sandy
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Mangawhai ▷
Caltex Shamrock Service Station
5.0/5
Small petrol station on the outskirts of Kaiwaka.
The team there is so friendly! They can refill any size bottles. We took our 2Kg bottle and a gentleman filled it for us and only cost $7.50. This is also probably one of the last place to fill up with petrol before Auckland prices. On the day I visited it was $2.07 (with Fly Buys discount) vs $2.22 (with AA fuel card discount) in an Auckland BP
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Whangarei ▷
Wellingtons Bay, Main Reserve (Whangaumu Reserve)
5.0/5
We stayed over a Monday night.
Very calm and beautiful spot. Space for 4 campers but some users are very selfish and tried to get us to park away from them. Plenty of grass and benches for picnic. The bay is pretty and sheltered. It seems very safe for swimming and even saw afew surfers but not sure where the waves are.
The toilets in shady spot are in great condition with flush, tap, soap and even working hand dryer.
In the morning many locals walk their dogs on the beach and the grass. Very genteel location where everyone says good morning to you. Doesnt seem like the kind of place for parties and drinking. Perfect for contemplation and a book.
If this site is full, it’s short drive back up the hill to other sites. This is a cul de sac road so no through traffic which is nice.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Kaitaia ▷
Tapotupotu Campsite
5.0/5
Stunning location.
We were here one night on Saturday May 1 and it was very quiet. Only about 4 camper and a handful of other groups.
The night was clear and you can see the Milky Way and other galaxies. It was quiet and calm spot. Agreed that the toilets were very clean and don’t smell at all! We didn’t use the flush toilets but we saw there were several facilities building available.
Do bring cash (&a pen) it is well worth the $15/person/night as it goes towards conservation. You simply self register with their form and deposit the cash in a secure drop box.
The hike to Cape Reinga is 3 hours one way. Although it actually doesn’t take long to hike up the hill to get stunning views. Maybe about 10-15 minutes.
I had one bar of service and sometimes two on the top level of our camper but dont rely on it. We would totally come back again!
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Warkworth ▷
Caltex Wellsford
5.0/5
They confirmed only refill 9kg bottles.
Not 2kg. Friendly man on the phone. Gave alternatives to Kaiwaka (because we were going to travel through there) for 2kg refills which is so helpful!
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Kaitaia ▷
Mangonui Lions Park
4.5/5
We stayed on Sunday night and it was quiet.
The road noise was minimal and subsided later in the evening. Flushing toilets were good but very cold stainless steel loos! There was a huge queue for the dump station around 9:30-10am ish and the road is somewhat narrow when huge Campervans park there.
As others mentioned there were roosters. Monday morning we had two and they only started crowing at 7:49am so it was fine.
Didn’t see or hear any locals partying.
The Campsite is well used as there are many people stopping to use loos etc so it didn’t feel lonely or unsafe. The noise was minimal. we parked a bit away from the toilets.
Shops and another set of public toilets just 2 min drive down the road. Handy location. (Mangonui Fish & Chips really delicious but you’re paying for it and portions very small.)
There’s a tiny park across the road looking at the water, or a better one just a minute towards the motorway for breakfasting and water views.
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5.0/5
Very quiet and private location.
The toilets are immaculate and there’s very good lighting day and night. At night there are lights outside as well but there’s bushes so it doesn’t shine in anyone’s face.
It’s such a lovely spot and you can do a number of walks. There was plenty of space for campers and day cars.
There’s also two picnic tables in a grassy area.