Henry
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Nelson ▷
Nelson City TOP 10 Holiday Park
4.0/5
Fine holiday park, 30 min walk into the city centre.
We paid $55 for two adults on a powered site for the night. Laundry facilities worked well and the kitchen is practical although you have to to to hire cooling utensils if you don’t have your own.
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Nelson ▷
Montgomery Square Carpark
4.0/5
Felt safe, street lights on the whole night.
The laundry and shower block closes overnight leaving just two toilets accessible. Only difficulty is you can’t pay to park here all day so we had to park on the edge of town near the sea during the day then move our camper van to this car park in the evening. Handy free spot in the city centre still!
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Rotorua ▷
Government Gardens Thermal Area
4.5/5
Really practical place to stay in Rotorua.
We were here for 3 nights and always found a space to park mid afternoon. Quite a strong smell of sulphur but compensated by the east walk into the city centre and the fact it’s free! Toilets are 3 mins walk away and the Polynesian Spa is over the road if you really need a shower.
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South Island ▷ Marlborough ▷ Pelorus ▷
Harvey Bay Campsite
4.0/5
Beautiful, scenic location.
We were the only people there. No drinking water but the toilets are fine. It’s a shame there’s such a steep drive up and over the saddle to get to the site but it is a lovely place to start the day. Watch out as the left turning into the campsite sneaks up on you as you finish coming down the hill. The weka are also very bold and will steal food and flip flops.
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South Island ▷ Mount Cook - MacKenzie ▷ Lake Tekapo ▷
Edwards Stream
4.5/5
Plenty of space, just off the main road so occasional traffic noise but not a big issue.
The toilet was fine. We say an inspector there in the morning but if your self contained it’s not a problem. No walkable activities from this site so best for a stop over I’d say.
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Abel Tasman ▷
Tōtaranui Campground
4.5/5
Brilliant location once you get through the steep, windy unpacked road.
Loads of space so presumably very busy in the summer. Wildlife to see especially cheeky weka, great access to walks. We did a lovely loop over Gibson Hill to the hut then back along the coastal path. Only drawback was having to pay a $10 booking fee on top of the camping fees and we couldn’t book online for the same day we arrived. I think we just got caught out by the DOC booking rules.
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Hanmer Springs ▷
Hanmer Springs River Reserve, Hanmer Springs
4.0/5
A bit muddy, but fine for a night.
Tricky to see the tuning after dark when driving from Hanmer Slrings as the driveway in steep and dark.
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North Island ▷ Waikato ▷ Otorohanga ▷
Lake Ngaroto
4.0/5
A quiet and peaceful place to stay.
Space for about 10 vehicles on the gravel but there is space on the grass too it just looks quite wet. The toilets are a long walk up the driveway from the freedom camping bays but you could probably park nearer to the toilets without any issues. We didn’t walk it but there’s a lakeside path for walking or cycling around.
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Ashburton ▷
Hinds River Scenic Reserve
3.0/5
Fine for one night but the grass was very muddy so we stayed on the gravel driveway.
No facilities but we had to stay here as the rugby club park I was fenced off for building work and the other free site up the road was closed.
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
Margaret Griffen park, Mt Roskill
4.0/5
Easy place to stay in Auckland.
Toilets nearby with drinking water. Plenty of parking spaces. Way more than ten vehicles parked overnight but I didn’t see anyone get evictees or fined. It’s not obvious which are the official freedom camping bays. Early alarm call from the wild cockerels crowing at 04:00.
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
Whatipu Lodge Campground
5.0/5
Great site, manager really friendly.
Just let ourselves in and paid the following morning. $10 per adult. Nice walks and stunning black sand beach on the doorstep. No drinking water available. No check out time either so you can stay all day before leaving.
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North Island ▷ Waikato ▷ Cambridge ▷
Cambridge TOP 10 Holiday Park
4.5/5
Very nice site, good facilities, paid $60 for two adults for one night on a powered site so not the cheapest stay.
Plenty of kitchen space with utensils and also free gas and electric BBQs.
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Ashburton ▷
Bowyers Stream Scenic Reserve
0.5/5
Temporarily closed when we tried to stay 01/08/23
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North Island ▷ Ruapehu ▷ Waiouru ▷
National Army Museum
3.5/5
Simple to find, loads space on hard standing, felt very safe.
Nearest public toilets are across the road but not that far. Given it’s the only freedom site in the vicinity it’s a solid choice for staying a night.
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Wellington ▷
Evans Bay Marina Carpark
4.5/5
No trouble finding a space in an allocated bay at 23:00 at night in August.
Really handy after arriving mg by ferry. Toilets in good condition. We stayed one night then freedom camped on the roadside nearer central Wellington the following night so we could walk back from the city centre but this park is preferable if you don’t want to move your vehicle by 08:00 in the morning.
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North Island ▷ Taupo Region ▷ Taupo ▷
Huka/Aratiatia Rapids Scenic Reserve
4.5/5
Peaceful campsite, plenty of space.
Long drop toilet is okay but the door slams very loudly so don’t park next to it or you’ll be woken up in the night. There isn’t any toilet roll either. Perfect location for visiting Huka falls and the rapids.
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Motueka ▷
Hawkes Lookout Carpark
4.0/5
Useful stopover when driving down from the North end of Abel Tasman NP.
Space for at least 6 vans. The toilet was clean and the short walkway to the lookout has plenty of nice views.
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North Island ▷ Ruapehu ▷ Tongariro / National Park Village ▷
Whakapapa Holiday Park
4.5/5
We’ll equipped holiday park, $53 for two adults on a powered site for one night.
Lots of kitchen utensils available, laundry facilities okay although the drying room wasn’t very effective when we stayed. Probably because it rained the whole time. Lots of nice day walks nearby with the Tamar lakes route highly recommended!
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Motueka ▷
Port Motueka Beach Reserve
3.5/5
Nice to have a free spot by the sea.
The salt water baths are clean but very cold in August. It’s a long walk to the town centre but there is plenty of grassy space to lounge away the afternoon at this site. The dairy hums all night (even on a Sunday night) so could keep you up but didn’t bother us at all. Very popular site!
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South Island ▷ Mount Cook - MacKenzie ▷ Mount Cook ▷
White Horse Hill Campground
4.0/5
Good DOC site for visiting Aoraki.
Toilets fine, stunning scenery. Well placed for starting the Hooker glacia lookout walk before the tour buses arrive. We left at 07:00 and had the route almost to outsell few s until halfway back from the lookout when the crowds appeared. Parking slightly up the hill away from the entrance to the car park proved a lot quieter the following morning.
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South Island ▷ Southland ▷ Tuatapere ▷
Monkey Island, Orepuki
5.0/5
Great views, clean toilets, very quite, terrific for star gazing.
The only possible fault is that the bathrooms are lit with an external strip light that is very bright at night. Just avoid looking at it if you’re trying to admire the stars.
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South Island ▷ Wanaka Region ▷ Wanaka Township ▷
Raspberry Flat Carpark
4.5/5
Amazing views, good access to the walking trails of the park.
The toilets were fine. No other facilities. Plenty of space for parking and all flat. We were woken up by some joy riders doing doughnuts in the car park at midnight and they tried to open our van. Make sure you lock your doors. I doubt this is common though.
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South Island ▷ Wanaka Region ▷ Wanaka Township ▷
Wanaka Hampshire Holiday Park
4.5/5
Very nice holiday park, $50 for two on a powered site (unpowered the same price).
Good facilities and walking distance from the town centre.
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South Island ▷ Southland ▷ Owaka ▷
Waikawa Recreation Reserve
4.0/5
Handy car park for a night.
Toilets clean. No drinking water source but a great location to stop after a day looking for penguins at Curio Bay.
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South Island ▷ Fiordland ▷ Te Anau ▷
Cascade Creek Campsite
4.0/5
Loads of space, flat pitches, toilets all okay.
Non-potable water available. Some nice walks through the woods to do but main benefit is proximity to Mildrord Sound so breaks the drive and means we got there ahead of the tour groups the next morning.
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South Island ▷ Mount Cook - MacKenzie ▷ Twizel ▷
Lake Pukaki Overnight Campervan Parking
4.0/5
Top marks for the views!
Loads of space but tricky to find anywhere flat once the bottom lakeside area is occupied. Toilets fine.