Jane
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Rotorua ▷
Rotorua Family Holiday Park
2.0/5
I chose this as it looked as if it was on the edge of the lake and it had a good Rankers rating.
We were told there were only 4 pitches left… which was true as all the rest of the camp site is a jumble of quite run down permanently parked caravans. Our next door neighbour had left a big bucket of dirty washing up by the joint electric point, which made for a pleasant view! There were only 3 showers and only 3 washing machines. Facilities were all clean and staff friendly enough.. It’s not lakeside, although the walk is only 2 mins. On walking down I saw the campgrounds opposite has water side spots, I’d definitely go there next time. Overall, ok for a quick overnight if you can’t find anything better.
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North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Coromandel Town ▷
Port Jackson Campsite
5.0/5
The best campsite of our 8 week trip.
An unspoilt long sandy bay, plenty of sites right on the edge of the beach with uninterrupted sea views. Friendly ducks (don’t feed them). Clean toilets, and (not too)cold showers. Very peaceful. The gravel road was in very good condition, narrow and some of the corners are tight, so don’t try it if you’re not a confident driver. It took us just under an hour.
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Springfield ▷
Lake Pearson (Moana Rua) Campsite
4.0/5
V basic, wild and windy but beautiful and lots of space to get a lakeside view… although there are signs reminding you to avoid parking under the trees.
$20 for 2. Drop toilet ok. Water stand. Great if like us you want to get away from holiday parks.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Hokitika ▷
Shining Star Beachfront Accommodation
4.0/5
Nice little campsite, trees and grass not just a gravel pitch.
Good free hot showers, well equipped kitchen and lounge- which was great as while we were there it did nothing but rain. Glow worms 2 min walk, a definite must do free experience even in torrential rain. Would be convenient for the beach in the summer.
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South Island ▷ Kaikoura Region ▷ Kaikoura ▷
Jimmy Armers Beach, Kaikoura
4.5/5
A few spots(about 6) right on the edge of the beach.
We got there about 4pm and got the last one, lots of others came past later and had to go to a paid field up the road. Opened the boot and had a sea view!better than the town spots which are street side parking lots. Basic toilet, clean but the lights went on and off. Had to leave by 7am but that was fine as we left super early to go dolphin swimming- an absolute must do experience. Loved it all.
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North Island ▷ Waikato ▷ Te Aroha ▷
Paeroa RV Centre
3.0/5
Convenient overnight stop.
No views. Gravel parking lot, nearly everyone else was a permanent resident. Showers ok, $2 and staff friendly.
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North Island ▷ Bay of Plenty ▷ Tauranga ▷
Carlton Street Reserve
3.5/5
Ok for an overnight stop in a car park in a sports ground.
Not much space and there were 2 big RVs but the other vans shuffled round to squeeze everyone in. Clean toilets.
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Wellington ▷
Evans Bay Marina Carpark
4.0/5
The only free camping in Wellington on a Saturday night, so unsurprisingly a v busy car park.
We arrived at 11.30am and got one of the last slots. Convenient for catching the early ferry the next day. We took an Uber in the afternoon up to Zealander so we wouldn’t lose our space, too far to walk to town. Clean well lit toilet.
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North Island ▷ Taupo Region ▷ Wairakei ▷
Wairakei Thermal Valley Campground
4.5/5
Easy to find up a short gravel track, no problem in our VW camper.
Hardly anyone else there, we had a field virtually to ourselves + the free running chickens who were super friendly. 3 rams, a pig and 3 alpacas too. Lots of wild birds, the dawn chore was beautiful. Free hot showers, a small kitchen. Paid $10 for us to do the little thermal walk, a bit expensive but the owner was so friendly and persuasive we couldn’t say no!