Mycall
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Otaki ▷
Waikawa Campsite
4.0/5
Equally well resourced and looked after as many DOC sites that you have to pay for.
This free site is very well situated if you are travelling on SH1. Just to update or correct other reviews, there are long drop toilets but not that many so I could imagine they might get a bit scuzzy if the site is busy. There is also a large shelter which has a purpose made opening in the roof to facilitate an open fire under cover. Nice touch.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Reefton ▷
Slab Hut Creek Campsite
4.0/5
Very nice site.
A bit scarred at the moment (April 2013) as a digger has been in to extend the area for large campers but it will be all the better for it in the long run. Toilets lack natural light which is a bit inconvenient (head torch handy). There are barbeque/fire places provided but there is not much deadwood to burn so best to bring some if possible. Make sure you go and say hello to the The Old Timers at Bearded Mining Company in Reefton...
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South Island ▷ Wanaka Region ▷ Wanaka Township ▷
Kidds Bush Reserve Campsite
5.0/5
Sublime location, great facilities (no showers but with a lake like that...) unbeatable really!
Well designed shelter for cooking and even slinging up a line for getting stuff dry. And for some reason no sandflies when we visited despite fantastic sunny weather. DOC at its best.
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Springs Junction ▷
Deer Valley Campsite
4.5/5
It's by the road, it's beautiful and it's free.
River is lovely, toilet is fine (long drop). Not that many tent places but the places that are there are nice and it's great for campers- nice one DOC
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Christchurch ▷
South Brighton Holiday Park
4.5/5
Lovely site, fantastic for trips into the city and great for the beach.
The managers were super friendly, facilities really great (including free hot showers) and the free broadband allowance was most appreciated.
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North Island ▷ Waikato ▷ Matamata ▷
Firth Tower Overnight Camping
3.5/5
Perfectly functional hard standing for a cheap stop over.
Museum looked really interesting but was not open when we stopped. useful overnight park up for visiting Hobbiton. $5 per night is per vehicle not per person so very good value. Best screen doors on the toilets that I have seen anywhere in NZ!
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South Island ▷ Wanaka Region ▷ Wanaka Township ▷
Lindis Pass Historic Hotel Campsite
4.0/5
Lovely site as long as you are happy to draw water from the stream.
We didn't find the historic ruins that interesting so if that's your primary reason for going you might not consider the long drive on unsealed road to be worth it. There is an old barn here which can be used for cooking and shelter in bad weather.
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Christchurch ▷
North South Holiday Park
4.5/5
Clean facilities, firendly staff and near the airport.
(Taxi costs about $14) Cabins are reasonably priced so dead handy for flying in or out before you pick up or after you sell/ give back your camper.
Hi Mycall - thank you for your review - yes we extremely handy to the airport and for picking up a camper or car. We will also drop people off to rental companies free of charge and to the airport for a small fee of $5 per car load
Dan Fraser
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North Island ▷ Waikato ▷ Matamata ▷
Opal Hot Springs Holiday Park
3.5/5
Clean and tidy but quite crowded.
If you are going specifically for the hot pools ask to go and check them out before paying - they may be a bit old fashioned for your taste but most importantly they just weren't hot when we visited probably due to rain cooling them down
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Fox Glacier ▷
Gillespies Beach Campsite
3.5/5
Fantastic location right by the beach with really interesting walks and great views of the snow capped mountains.
However when we stayed it was very crowded with way more users than the designation says it should have. This was fine as the atmosphere was great but the toilet was under severe pressure (long cues and gettin quite full) as were the empty rainwater harvesting tanks
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Fox Glacier ▷
Clearwater Stream Camping
2.5/5
We didn't stay here (hence the neutal score of 5) but passed it on our way out to the DOC site at Gillespies Beach.
However it is obviously a lovely location with great views and if you don't fancy the very long bumpy drive on unsealed roads down to Gillespies (which gets very full) then I'd say this is a great spot
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ St Arnaud ▷
Kawatiri Campsite
4.0/5
It's free and it's very handy so it's brilliant!
Nicer spots down by the river if you are lucky but otherwise close to the road and therefore a bit noisey. Probably more of a stop over than a destination but the river is lovely and the 20 minute loop walk is a great way to stretch your legs at the start or finish of your day on the road.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Punakaiki ▷
Fox River Freedom Camping Area
3.5/5
No facilities but fine for a stopover and very handy for the excellent Fox River walk.
Bring a torch for the cave at the end, well worth it!
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Greymouth ▷
Nelson Creek Camping Ground
4.0/5
Perfectly functional campsite in a lovely location with really interesting walks through historic gold mine workings.
Rusty relics from those pioneering times add to the interest. (Torch could be handy for exploring the deep mining trenches some of which are actually caves). Lovely river for swimming and gold panning. This is a community run campsite that is maintained by the locals to fund local projects and improve the campsite. As of March 2013 they were planning to instal a shower block and barbecue unit. What is really nice is that they charge by donation even though it's way better than many commercial sites. Hopefully people donate accordingly and it will encourage other communities to provide similar facilities. Right next to the pub for community integration!
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South Island ▷ Wanaka Region ▷ Wanaka Township ▷
Luggate Cricket Club Camping Ground
5.0/5
For shear novelty it has to be worth staying here.
Where else could you park on the boundary of a cricket pitch? On Sundays there are matches to be watched but I would imagine this comes with the real possibility of a six through your windscreen! (No matches whilst we stayed). For a camp fee of only $5 a night there are free hot showers and for $2 dollars more you can use the washing machine. The warden was super friendly making this a really great place to stay in a tent or camper van.
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South Island ▷ Fiordland ▷ Te Anau ▷
Gunns Historical Hollyford Valley Camp
5.0/5
This place is truely amazing in a quirky way that you just couldn't get with a Top Ten or DOC site.
It has the personalities of the owners buried in the dirt and pinned to the wall everywhere you look. The museum records the very start of adventure tourism in NZ along with lots of bits of rusty metal. Wonderfully whacky and yet absolutely functional with wood fired showers, a great kitchen facility, phone charging, lovely spots to camp and ancient cabins to rent. Well worth the $12 per night and not to be missed
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Okarito ▷
Okarito Camping Ground
4.5/5
Fantastic location and great facilities as recorded by other reviewers.
Collecting driftwood for burning in the designated fire places was a really nice experience for us as it enabled us to be outside and warm without sandflies! This is a community run site and great value so I hope the honesty box is respected..