Denise R
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South Island ▷ Southland ▷ Owaka ▷
Purakaunui Bay Campsite
4.0/5
The road in was scary.
It had been raining for a few days so the 10km unsealed, narrow road was challenging in a 7m motorhome. But well worth the mud! We arrived before Easter and selected (for us) a perfect sheltered spot on flat land. We were tucked behind trees so no sea view but the sound of the ocean did not disappoint us. 1 minute walk to toilets which were clean, plenty of loo paper but they are not flushable. Easter is busy so there was a queue every morning.
We had a group arrive late on Good Friday who proceeded to party until I told them at 2.30am to shut up. This escalated the next morning when they clearly had no respect for other campers. I get the excitement of camping with friends but it’s not your lounge or backyard and there are lots of others trying to enjoy the site.
Fabulous walk to the beach. Take gumboots as you always have to cross the estuary. This trip there were large sea lions on the beach. Stay well clear! Always helps to make a donation to DOC to keep these sites available to all. Highly recommend Purakaunui Bay.
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South Island ▷ Southland ▷ Papatowai ▷
Papatowai Campsite
5.0/5
After being at Purakaunui Bay for a few nights we headed 20 minutes south to Papatowai.
The campground is fabulous. Really nice little pockets of level, sheltered ground. We pick a corner site so our doggies wouldn’t go mental when people walked past. The easy stroll to the estuary and out to the ocean was fantastic. The toilet/kitchen block was clean. A bonus having a store and food truck onsite. Have to be my new fav place for the moment.
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South Island ▷ Central Otago ▷ Clyde ▷
Champagne Gully
4.5/5
Good road access in, two areas to choose from.
Toilets clean, area to wash dishes and there are bins. Although it says no dogs, there were plenty and all well-behaved. Great walk through the water race tunnel to grassed area on other side of road. The smell of thyme is devine. We parked up right next to the water, watched the bikers and runners across the lake on the Dunstan Trail. Although the road is adjacent, the noise was relatively quiet. We had great entertainment all day with families and jet boats, skiers, swimmers. Will definitely return to Champagne Gully.
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South Island ▷ Central Otago ▷ Roxburgh ▷
Pinders Pond
2.0/5
4 years ago, Brad commented that this place was over-rated.
We thought we’d check it out to see if he was right.
In our humble opinion: the pond is 10/10, but the area is dismal. The road in had large pot-holes, was soft sand and it was dusty as all hell, so when people drove past, plumes of dust were left in their wake. The toilet(s) were pretty rank. This could be such an amazing area, perhaps they need to charge people until they have enough funds to fix the road and put in some proper loo’s.
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South Island ▷ Central Otago ▷ Lawrence ▷
Gabriels Gully Historic Reserve
5.0/5
One of our favourite places for a quick weekend getaway.
An hour from Dunedin. Loads of space, beautiful scenery, quiet! Good bush walk. Some sandflies.
People arrive late.