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Max
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Abel Tasman ▷
Tōtaranui Campground
3.0/5
Huge campsite, ok facilities and some nice day walks around.
Not the quietest place, between big groups of people and wēkā and pukeko causing ruckus at night.
The gravel road isn't that bad, just remember to stick to your left and priority goes to cars going uphill.
Be aware that you need to book online in advance, and there is no reception down there! At least not with Spark, I wandered around for 40 minutes and never got enough reception to make the booking. So book ahead if you don't want to be charged 10$!
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Golden Bay ▷
Canaan Downs Campsite
4.0/5
Peaceful and a good entry point into the inland part of Abel Tasman.
The short walk to Hardwoods Hole and the lookout is great!
There is a sign that says you need to book online... and obviously there is no cell reception to do so... book ahead OR there's also an iron ranger at the site, so you might get away with not booking, as I didn't get the feeling it was visited often by rangers.
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Golden Bay ▷
Cobb River Campsite
3.5/5
Great site, heaps of space!
The river is beautiful and certainly offers good fishing if you're keen. The road is not that bad, just a windy gravel road, drive carefully as always.
Long drop toilet, some fire pits here and there. There's a DOC hut 500m away if you're sick of sleeping in the grass. Tons of awesome tracks to explore in the area!
The only cons is bees and sandflies: they're everywhere and quite relentless. Bees won't sting but they're extremely interested in everything you do. Sandflies are just... sandflies. Bring repellent!
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North Island ▷ Wairarapa ▷ Masterton ▷
Holdsworth Campsite
3.5/5
Nice standard DOC campsite.
Plenty of space to set up, clean toilets and several sheltered spaces for cooking and eating.
Flush toilets available by the car park as well.
Heads up: zero cell reception (with Spark)
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Hutt Valley ▷
Belmont Regional Park
4.0/5
The closest and cheapest to Wellington I could find!
Clean flush toilets, sink and soap, card and paywave fee station - $8 per night per person, it's really cheap. Space to pitch a tent.
The only downside is that it's basically by the highway and train line, so it's quite noisy, even at night
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North Island ▷ Waikato ▷ Hamilton ▷
Kaniwhaniwha Campsite
4.0/5
Nice spot!
Yes, you've got to walk about 2.5 kms, which takes about 40 minutes tops, but then, you have access to a large grassy area, plenty of space to pitch your tent. Long drop toilets, very buggy at dusk but that's to be expected.
You can get water from the stream, and have a swim if you fancy