20May24.

2 adults on powered site for motorhome. $40. Very nice lady in reception.

Key fob entry and exit.

A big park. All grass, as far as I could see, pitches but they held up well considering the rainfall.

Free WiFi. 10gb for 5 devices over 7 days.

Good toilets and showers. Showers on 5 min timers with 100 seconds delay before more hot water. No delay on cold!

Good kitchen. Didn’t try the laundry or other facilities.

Play equipment for youngsters.

Very close to beach, the ocean was evident all night where we were.

Clearly a very good family holiday park.

Reviewed 7 months ago

3May24.

The last couple of hundred metres are gravel and a little narrow should you have a large unit.

Good signage at the car park. 2 long drops including a larger one disabled friendly.

We did the Spit Track along the sheltered side of the spit for about 4kms. The walking was easy. Hard sand and loads of shells.

Then cross the spit in the dunes, what a landscape, to the Tasman Sea side.

The dunes are great. We loved that part. There are paths through the longish grassy vegetation but we had no problem following them. We were surprised how wide the spit is. It showed us that it is a very long spit.

Walking back the other side was less easy as there was plenty of soft sand. Fortunately we didn’t pick up from the car park notice board that there may be quicksand! Didn’t find any though.

The walk back seemed a lot longer that the walk out due to walking conditions. We picked up the Spit Track to cross back over.

It was sunny and a bit hot. Little shade.

Take water and use sun screen.

Oh, there were little bitey things in the car park but we didn’t encounter them on the walk.

Reviewed 8 months ago

2May24.

Our last visit 2018 as per our review then.

To say we really like this place is that we went twice today, morning and late afternoon. We will also go tomorrow and the day after as we are in the area.

It is a magical place. Not a very long walk but the rocks and trees etc make it special.

Check out Labyrinth Rocks further along the road too.

Reviewed 8 months ago

12May24.

2 adults in motorhome $33 powered site.

Very good value for money at that price.

Grass pitches. Not a huge park. Right on SH3 but not overly noisy.

My only gripe is the gents shower cubicles had a door, clothes hooks and the shower only, no curtain, partition, seating or mat.

Oh, the gents lock handle goes clockwise…

Reviewed 7 months ago

15May24.

Expecting a rainy morning we decided to try it out. Very glad we did. It is one of, if not the, best museums we have visited. Lots of interesting and varied stuff there. We spent a few hours there and could have stayed longer.

Some of the interactive stuff is very entertaining, especially the musically orientated ones.

And it is totally free!

Reviewed 7 months ago

On the left hand side of the road when heading north.

Spacious with access both sides of the drains.

A lot easier than using the dump station at the Orewa Beach Holiday Park

Reviewed 7 months ago

11May24.

As previous reviews, the fill is a bit slow but all the same is very impressive.

We were fortunate to arrive, unplanned, at about 11.50 so had time to get in position.

Glad we went

Reviewed 7 months ago

8thMay24.

A stop for lunch. The park is good with walks around the lake and the wider park.

Facilities are good and plenty of space. We didn’t stay overnight but would have been happy to if it fitted our itinerary.

Reviewed 8 months ago

8thMay24.

2 adults in motorhome.

Good location and good facilities as described by others.

As well as being close to the road there is also a railway line the other side of the road. Lots of rail line crossings so bells and train noises sometimes.

A shortish walk to the Sea Life Centre. That’s worth a visit, a cafe and decent toilets!

Dump station and fresh water too, all for nothing.

Would have been a 10 if further away from the road.

Reviewed 8 months ago

Well, that hasn’t happened to me before, 2 consecutive reviews 5 years apart.

Still a great place to visit. Disappointed with the dancing sands as we didn’t see it but perhaps they had an off day.

What I like about places like this is there is no entry fee unlike so many places in my country.

Reviewed 8 months ago

26Apr24.

2 adults in motorhome.

Very busy. We were fortunate to get in with our 7.2m van.

In spite of being busy it was very quiet. Good loos too.

A reasonable walk to town for the purposes of the hot pools and/or after pool imbibing and/or eating.

Not aware of the other freedom site as mentioned in a previous review.

Reviewed 8 months ago

17May24.

2 adults in motorhome, powered site for 3 nights total $150.

We like Orewa a lot. Quite busy that weekend as a motorhome club had a meet. Still plenty of space.

Facilities good. Maybe a little tired in places but they get lots of use.

Between the road and the sea so you can be aware of some noise at times although we didn’t find it intrusive.

Straight onto a path to town on the beach side when light. A good walk in. Alternatively walk on the beach. It was hard sand so was easy walking.

The dump station at the north block is awkward unless your outlets are on the left hand side of your van. You also block the park road whilst dumping. I suggest if travelling north you use the public dump station at Hatfields Beach Reserve, on the left hand side of the road. Plenty of space and you can go either side of the station.

Plenty of eating and drinking places in town. We tried Coast and it was good.

Th lagoon walk is an easy well surfaced walk.

Reviewed 7 months ago

16May24.

2 adults on powered site for 1 night. Motorhome $64.

A very good site spoiled for me by the showers. Curtain and mat but push button for 10 minutes. Trouble was it was difficult to see what was the button and whether it worked. Water seems to be getting warmer but didn’t. Tried another cubicle. Difficult to see if button worked. Water did get hot eventually but then the flow dropped off.

That apart a very good site only 500m from the caves

Reviewed 7 months ago

27Apr24.

2 adults in motorhome.

There are 30 powered sites with fresh water . Sites are partitioned.

In addition a number of unpowered sites, possibly free?

Powered sites $20. $4 for showers.

Restaurant has good selection of beers. It was very busy early in the evening but not so much later (when we were leaving!)

Reviewed 8 months ago

25May24.

2 adults on powered site in motorhome. $42.

Level pitch. 2 combined toilet/shower rooms each for male and female.

Steep hills to get to the centre. We only went to the fish and chip shop and back. Too dark and the threat of rain!

Didn’t use the kitchen or laundry.

A little out of the way but close to the ferry and an ok spot.

Reviewed 7 months ago

26May24.

2 adults on powered pitch. $46 one night.

Can’t add much to previous reviews. Powered sites a bit tight for bigger motorhomes, not much manoeuvring room.

I suppose that compared to commercial sites its a bit expensive but you do get hot water and showers and a kitchen.

A few little niggles but nothing serious.

Kauri stand worth the walk. Such a shame about die back.

A good place to go

Reviewed 7 months ago

24May24.

A special place. Nice walk. Good facilities. Spend some time and enjoy the sights.

Note - some of the walks are currently closed. Check with DoC beforehand.

Reviewed 7 months ago

23May24.

A good walk from the Kerikeri Basin at the end of the Landing Road.

Not sure the time and distances actually match what is on this app or the info boards at the start of the walk but not too far out.

2 waterfalls. Both good in their own right but Rainbow Falls the higher, noisier and generated more mist.

Kiwi country but we didn’t see any.

Reviewed 7 months ago

23May24.

2 adults on powered site with motorhome. $40 +$5 for WiFi.

Very good facilities and friendly hosts.

My only disappointment was the laundry room. 2 washers and 1 dryer. I think there really must be equal numbers. When we were there the dryer was out of action and the sign taped to it was not visible when loading the washing machine. Consequently we had a load of wet washing and the weather was showery so not a viable option to dry it. A motorhome filled with wet clothing is not so good.

That apart very good.

Reviewed 7 months ago

23April24.

Plenty of parking for large motorhomes.

The original bridge and part of that walk are now closed. There is a new, better (longer) walk to the original waterside area with a new longer bridge.

Hats off to DoC.

Reviewed 8 months ago

20April24.

2 adults in large motorhome, 1 night.

Quiet. Flush loos. Free. Great.

Restricted to 15 vans but beware, some parked taking up 2 spots so space might be restricted.

Loos ok but not lit so take a torch.

Cafe closed when we got there mid afternoon but was open early ish the next morning. We didn’t use it as we were driving out when we noticed it was open.

Reviewed 8 months ago

9th and 10th April 24.

$96. 2 adults.

A small holiday park but reasonable facilities. No stools or duckboards in showers but not metered and good temperature and pressure.

Laundry - $4 for wash, $2 for 20 mins drier.

Good lounger and dining area with plenty of leaflets etc.

A bit of a trek into town but there are buses and taxis. Reasonably quiet as whilst close to a road it is not a main road and no lorries. Would stay again if it fit our itinerary.

Reviewed 9 months ago

22April24.

A good walk and well made paths. Carry on to the the Trig Point for a total 90 minute return walk. There are 2 other trails at 3.5 hours each.

Hats off to the locals. The public toilet was the cleanest we have seen so far with soap, water and a Dyson Airblade!

Reviewed 8 months ago

21April24.

2 adults. Powered site $48. Nice place as others have said. I would only say the number of toilets and showers are low for the number of pitches.

Watch out for the large rocks by the pitches. One jumped out and ripped off the end of the waste water outlet! Ouch

Reviewed 8 months ago

20April24.

The bridges are CLOSED. They have reached the end of their lifespan. There are signs to say so but no indication of when they will be replaced.

However, the walk to the first bridge is still available and is worth doing.

Reviewed 8 months ago

7 April 24.

$30 2 adults.

Booked online but you can pay on site with cash.

The trouble is it was very busy. It might have been had we arrived later that we would not have got a spot although we had booked in advance!

Flush toilets but not a lot of them. No night lighting. Large communal area with drinking water available.

We went to walk the Hooker Valey walk. Separate review.

Cold overnight and in the morning but it warmed up during the time we were there. Glad we went.

Reviewed 9 months ago

22April24.

2 adults in motorhome $46.

Ok campsite but toilets and showers a bit dated. Convenient location although a longish walk to town.

Our 3rd or 4th visit so not so bad.

Reviewed 8 months ago

23April24.

2 adults in motorhome.

As described in the more information part.

Since we last stayed there are wooden sleepers showing where overnight camping is permissible.

Convenient and not too far a walk to Monteiths Brewery for a flight of their beers and ciders.

Obviously road noise during the night but hey, it’s free!

Reviewed 8 months ago

24April24.

A good walk well worth doing imho.

Didn’t notice any workings at all but natural scenery very good.

Reviewed 8 months ago

16 April 24.

Still the same as my last review in 2018. Steep but worth it.

I hope the young girl complaining about the steep streets before the walk proper got to the top!

Reviewed 8 months ago

01Oct18.

Damp start to the day but not cold. Walked to the lookout then down to the pinnacles base. Good stuff. Hard work walking on gravel but worth it. Don’t think we will go again tho. A bit out of the way. Glad we did it tho.

Reviewed about 6 years ago

18 September 2018.

We went from the most distant car park. A nice walk, the river getting bluer as we went. Very quiet in places. Lots of birds. Good facilities. The spring was not what was expected tho. Just an area by the side of the river. No real sign of water streaming out.

Well worth while walk on a warm day.

Shame others don’t respect the place. Cans thrown into the bush and something best not described in the loo at the spring!

Reviewed over 6 years ago

19Sept18.

The falls and tracks good but the car park is small and the turn in at the bottom of the road is tight. We had a 7.7m motorhome. It looked like some of the young ones there had camped overnight.

Reviewed about 6 years ago

23Sept18.

Brill place with free walks. You could feel lost within the woods but the different trails are well marked.

The Centre is good but tourist orientated. We would have liked to do the treetop walk but we decided the $25 each was too much.

Reviewed about 6 years ago

20Sept18.

The walk from the caves entrance is not easy to follow. We did find the path to the lookout from the car park. That was good.

We asked a very kind gent and he suggested we drive west and turn left at the roundabout. A little way along that road you will find two car parks opposite each other. Turn right immediately after them and you will find the Ruakuri Caves entrance. Brilliant!

Reviewed over 6 years ago

12 September 2018.

Basically as previously described. We walked in light and dark. Glow-worms in places. Saw one or possibly two kiwis, just about! Great place to go. Shame about the kauri die-back but good protections in place, please use them.

Reviewed over 6 years ago

12 September 2018.

Powered site! Great. Good facilities, all things considered. No water in the kitchen in the morning. Due to someone filling their camper water tank? Don’t expect much and be delighted

Reviewed over 6 years ago

24Sept18.

We only did a short bit of the walk. It looked to me like it would be a good walk. The stream was wade-able. The bridge story is interesting and somewhat sad. The picnic area is good and the long drop was clean enough

Reviewed about 6 years ago

21May14, 1 night, $29 per night - booked online, 2 of us (50's).

Our last night in NZ after 8 weeks there. Booked here as close to hire depot. Not expecting anything other than somewhere safe to park, loos and showers and ability to clean the van. Surely this is the point of the place, it is not a holiday destination in itself.

The only disappointment was no facility to wash the van down other than connecting our own, short, hose up. A cleaning bay with a long hose and brushes would be useful.

7 out of 10 as it mostly met our purposes this trip. Next trip I think we would take the van back earlier and have our last night(s) in a hotel.

Reviewed over 10 years ago

08May14, 1 night, $30 per night, 2 of us (50's).

Really quirky place, this one but we enjoyed it. Lots of bits and pieces decorating the place. Cabins all different shapes.

End of season but looking a bit tired. Previous reviews noting lack of facilities (too few loos etc) are correct but we had the luxury of being only one of two clients the night we were there.

The communal facilities looked like there are good times here in the summer for socially minded people.

We might well come back again if only out of curiosity.

Reviewed over 10 years ago

07May14 and 18May14, 2 nights, $40 per night, 2 of us (50's).

Right next to the beach with direct access.

Good facilities.

Very nice young lady on reception who brought my specs back to me after I left them in the loo block; she recognised them as being mine. Thank you, good service much appreciated.

Easy walk into town.

Good enough to go back again on our way back down from Reinga to Auckland. My wife could move there. Will visit again.

Reviewed over 10 years ago

05May14, 1 night, free, 2 of us (50's).

A lovely park with lots of features. Have not seen pay as you go BBQs outside NZ.

Public loo nearby.

Not sure where the campervan spots are meant to be. We were the 3rd van there (max 3 here?) but there were more in the morning.

A bit noisy at night. I suspect local young lads with big engined cars. Boys will be boys.

A good stop over point.

Reviewed over 10 years ago

16May14, 1 night, $40 per night, 2 of us (50's).

Good clean facilities. Friendly staff.

Guided Kiwi walk in the forest - $25 each. Good. Saw a Kiwi, eels, crayfish & Te Weka.

Got there in the dark and left earlish so didn't see all the site but it looks good. Would go again unless we try the DoC site up the road.

Reviewed over 10 years ago

13May14, 1 night, $15 per night, 2 of us (50's).

Nice quiet campsite. Only 2 others there.

1 long drop block and 1 flushable block. How so, I wonder? Why not all flush? Cold shower there too.

Seems like in the middle of nowhere.

Gravel road to get there.

Reviewed over 10 years ago

10May14, 1 night, $32 per night, 2 of us (50's).

Nice guy in reception. Good facilities including free wifi.

Got there late and left early-ish so not much to be said.

Would go again.

Reviewed over 10 years ago

12May14, 1 night, $12 per night, 2 of us (50's).

Ha! We paid but the others that didn't got caught by the DoC Rangers! Serve them right too.

Nice site. 2 long drop ablution blocks and a cold shower facility. I don't know why the day visitors further along had flush toilets. Worth the very short walk for decent loos.

Good beach and walks and not too many flies when we were there.

Gravel road to get there but not too bad.

A good place to stay at the top end.

Reviewed over 10 years ago

09Apr14, 3 nights, $40 per night, 2 of us (50's).

Very close to town, albeit with a bit of a hill. Close to gondola.

Good facilities; were the adverse reviews in the same park?

Sites were a little close but why send all day on site when you have Queenstown and all it offers so close?

We will def go back there on our next trip.

Reviewed over 10 years ago and experienced in April 2014

08Apr14, 1 night, free, 2 of us (50's).

Lovely large area by the harbour with great views.

Another good stop over point to save some dosh!

Reviewed over 10 years ago and experienced in April 2014

26Apr14, 1 night, free, 2 of us (50's).

Hmmm. We managed to find a spot a bit away from all the surfing dudes, not sure whether it was really part of the "site". Long drop loo easily the worst one we found in NZ. So bad even a surfer used a flax bush in preference!

Not really a spot for non surfers so marked down a bit. If it was empty I would have marked it up in spite of the loo.

Reviewed over 10 years ago and experienced in April 2014

21Apr14, 1 night, $45 per night, 2 of us (50's).

Good, clean facilities and close to town. Nice town and plenty of walking along the shore.

Pitches a little close but hedges between them help.

Will return.

Reviewed over 10 years ago and experienced in April 2014

07Apr14, 1 night, Free, 2 of us (50's).

Lovely spot by the beach but you can hear the ocean all night! Loo is a temporary cubicle type as seen at festivals etc, not flushing or long drop.

Good walk over the cliffs to the blowhole.

A good overnight point.

Reviewed over 10 years ago and experienced in April 2014

02Apr14, 1 night, free, 2 of us (50's).

Large site. Near river, as you would expect! Mostly quiet, just a little road noise. Useful stopping point for our visit to Clay Cliffs next day.

Reviewed over 10 years ago and experienced in April 2014

30Apr14, 1 night, free, 2 of us (50's).

Brilliant. Free, flush loos available, no need to hurry away in the morning, great views, visitor centre, walks.

We love the mountain here.

Reviewed over 10 years ago and experienced in April 2014

24Apr14, 2 nights, $44 per night, 2 of us (50's).

Pitch with own picnic table. Facilities ok. Nice location, handy for town and the walks up to Harbour Lookout.

Friendly cat.

Will stay again.

Reviewed over 10 years ago and experienced in April 2014

22Apr14, 1 night, free, 2 of us (50's).

It is what it says it is. No facilities but free. A good stop over to help the budget along.

A bit bumpy on the short track in from the main road.

Good stars, especially if people turn their campers outside lights off!

Reviewed over 10 years ago and experienced in April 2014

03Apr14, 1 night, $5 per night, 2 of us (50's).

Basic site by cliff edge. Sloping a bit so would be difficult if lots of campers there. Flush loos and cold outside shower. A nice place.

Reviewed over 10 years ago and experienced in April 2014