Hannah
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
Ambury Park Camping Ground
4.5/5
Great campground a quick 10- 15 min drive to the Auckland Airport but it feels like it is out in the middle of the country.
It took a 5-10 minute phone call to make a reservation with the Ambury City Council (we had to talk to a few different people before finally getting transferred to the right place) but was able to pay ahead of time and get the gate combinations, allowing us to arrive later in the evening. Plenty of sheep, cows, and goats to keep you company in the surrounding pastures. Clean facilities and great scenery! Great place to spend our last night in NZ!
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Nelson ▷
Tasman's Great Taste Trail
4.0/5
The trail is still a bit rough in spots but it made for a great day excursion from Nelson to Mapua and back.
The trail was paved from Nelson to Richmond then gravel/dirt from Richmond to Mapua. The trail itself is well marked but there are not a ton of signs pointing to nearby wineries/galleries/etc- the only drawback. We managed to find the Te Mania Wines and the Hogland Glass Studio with some work. The bike ferry was fun and beer, smoked mussels, and ice cream were perfect mid-ride snacks!
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North Island ▷ Waikato ▷ Otorohanga ▷
Camp Kiwi Holiday Park
4.5/5
Great campsite.
It had everything we needed (kitchen, clean facilities including a hot shower, laundry, friendly hosts) and nothing we didn't (swimming pool, etc.). Great little spot a quick drive from the Waitomo Cave area. We spent a great evening here and loved hearing the birds calling overnight! $14/person
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South Island ▷ Marlborough ▷ Blenheim ▷
Whites Bay Campsite
5.0/5
Beautiful campground with incredible scenery, trails, and adventures surrounding it.
This site was an easy drive after getting off the ferry in Picton although the last few km are a bit of an adventure along a windy road (we were happy we were not driving a large campervan). Bathrooms were clean and each bathhouse seemed to have at least one shower. We found plenty of flat ground on the grass for our tent. We enjoyed walking on the beach and going for a quick swim. Walking tracks leave right from the campsite and climb to great views of the coastline in both directions. The small glowworm grotto an easy 5 minute walk from our tent was the best part of the whole experience.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Okarito ▷
Okarito Camping Ground
4.5/5
Great campsite in an incredible location.
Flat spots to set up our tent, tables, a shared kitchen, laundry basin and wringer, and clean facilities. BBQ and hot showers available for a fee. Only drawback was the arrival of the Flying Kiwi tour which made the wait for the showers/bathroom long. Great spot for walks along the beach and easy access to the lagoon for kayaking.
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Motueka ▷
McLeans Recreation Area and Overnight Campervan Parking
4.0/5
Free basic campground right off the highway.
We found plenty of space to park and enjoyed walking along the river. Great place to stop when driving between the West Coast and Nelson.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Hokitika ▷
Goldsborough Campsite
4.5/5
Great basic site with a brand new facilities block (toilets/sinks), flat grassy spots to pitch our tent, and nearby trails.
There is a road that runs right next to the campground but if there was any late night traffic, we never heard it.
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South Island ▷ Wanaka Region ▷ Wanaka Township ▷
Albert Town Camping Ground
4.5/5
Fantastic basic quiet camping ground.
We had no trouble finding a spot to set up our tent (although watch out for setting up underneath the trees- in a wind storm, a falling pine cone looks like it could do some damage...). Facilities included flush toilets (clean and well maintained), water, and pit toilets (which smelled a bit). Great access to mountain bike/running/hiking trails with easy access to the river for a swim after.
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North Island ▷ Ruapehu ▷ Ohakune ▷
Mangawhero Campsite
4.5/5
Great, clean campsite in a beautiful setting.
We were there in mid-December and had plenty of space to set up our tent. The campsite has a single toilet and a cold water sink; everything was clean and seemed well maintained. We enjoyed listening to the sound of the river while we slept and went for a great run on the nearby trails the following day followed by a quick river dunk. Excellent spot! $6 pp/night
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South Island ▷ Kaikoura Region ▷ Kaikoura ▷
Okiwi Bay Campsite
2.0/5
Free campsite right across the highway from a beautiful beach.
Major drawbacks include the strong chemical smell in the pit toilet and the train tracks located right next to the camping area, which made for a pretty poor sleep in our tent.
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North Island ▷ Ruapehu ▷ Tongariro / National Park Village ▷
Mangahuia Campsite
3.5/5
Great inexpensive camping an easy 20 min drive to the start of the Alpine Crossing.
We stayed in the tent site area and it seemed like it could use a bit of upkeep- a cleaning to the long drop and refilling the registration box with payment envelopes. The kitchen shelter and picnic areas with tables and sinks were in good shape. $6 pp/night.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Okarito ▷
Okarito Nature Tours
5.0/5
Hired a double kayak for 4 hours (1/2 day).
The staff at Okarito Nature Tours were incredible friendly, making sure we knew what we were doing and felt comfortable out on the water. We had a great morning paddling around the lagoon seeing herons, shags, kingfishers, and an Australasian bittern. We had plenty of time to paddle all three of the marked trails, birdwatching along the way. Would definitely recommend getting out on the water early though as the wind definitely picked up in the afternoon and made the paddle home a bit harder. The free coffee/tea back at the office afterwards was a great touch!
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Haast ▷
Lake Paringa Campsite
2.5/5
This campsite is in a beautiful location right next to the lake.
It is an easy drive to the Fox Glacier area if that is where you are coming from/heading. The night we stayed there was quite crowded though. It was the week after Christmas and while we had gotten there early enough to get an "official," numbered tent site, by the time we went to bed, there were tents pitched and camper vans parked in every available space with more folks still rolling through. The facilities (toilets/sinks) needed some maintenance and cleaning. The sandflies were notably bad- the worst of our 1 month trip- but didn't detract from the beauty of the surroundings.
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North Island ▷ Bay of Plenty ▷ Edgecumbe ▷
Matatā Campsite
4.5/5
Great campground, especially at just $6 pp/night.
Right over the dunes from the beach which keeps the wind down a bit. Lots of space for both campervans and tents. Hot showers (50 cents), clean bathrooms with flush toilets, laundry sinks and lines. Great bird watching in the adjacent lagoon!
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Ashburton ▷
Mount / Mt Sunday (Edoras) Track
5.0/5
Short hike to a beautiful knob in a huge glacially carved valley surrounded by huge peaks.
Mt Sunday was on our radar because of LOTR but the whole area was one of the best stops on our trip- incredible scenery and hiking!
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Methven ▷
Lake Camp
5.0/5
Beautiful spot, right beside the lake with clean toilets and rubbish bins available.
We had the place to ourselves on a weeknight just before the christmas holidays. Free but donations are requested.
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South Island ▷ Coastal Otago ▷ Oamaru ▷
Campbells Bay
4.0/5
Relatively small camping area perched on a bluff right over the ocean.
Beautiful spot with easy beach access and decent facilities (water, cold shower, flush toilets), especially for a just a 5 dollar donation. The site is a quick 15 to 20 minute drive back to Oamaru for evening yellow-eyed or little blue penguin watching. As has been mentioned perviously, we also experienced the arrival of the Flying Kiwi tour bus. The 30 or so people and 15+ tents definitely made things a bit more crowded, but in general we were really impressed with how organized, efficient, quiet, and respectful the group was.