Nice hiking trails with beautiful view points.

Great, quick swim spot just above the Korokoro Dam right in the middle of the park.

Reviewed over 8 years ago

Awesome attraction to visit for a day or an hour.

Respectful and informative of Maori culture. Helpful navigation by hosts and other staff.

Reviewed over 8 years ago

The park is pretty nice & has a great location, but it's too bad our rating is so low due to its rude owners.

The husband & wife were inhospitable on multiple, separate interactions. We rented a standard cabin that smelled of mildew for $45 (a set price for the cabin, so my partner and I paid $22.50 each). This included 2 bunk beds, small electric heater, two power points, our own electric water kettle, & access to a minimal kitchen, but no linens were provided. At a variety of overpriced rates, there are larger furnished cabins to rent and space to park campervans and pitch tents. The shared facilities included a refrigerator/freezer, with 7 stove top burners, sinks, a few pots, pans and cutlery, 18 inch television, & a couple sets of tables and chairs. The laundry machines were cheap in comparison to local businesses (1 wash is $2, and 15 minutes to dry for $1).

Our stay was okay until the middle of the night when the heater turned off & wouldn't turn back on again. We also noticed that the clothesline next to our cabin was broken, & discovered that the women's bathroom was closed, leaving the gross single stall handicap bathroom alternative to the brave. It would have been nice to be warned of these limitations before booking, but we were happy to have a couple of trickling hot showers with poor water pressure.

When we tried to give the owner a heads up that the heater stopped working throughout the night, they tried to sidestep the problem. They brought us back to the cabin while we were checking out and closed an open window that they had secretly jammed open (we thought it was another broken amenity). They then blamed us for the mildew smell, which only made us want to leave more.

These factors were demonstrative of our last resort option, as we had been camping in the much better alternative Kaitoke Regional Park. If only there was better management of the otherwise good facilities.

Stayed in July 2015 6

Reviewed about 9 years ago

Just a few minutes walk to a sandy beach, the campsite had ample grass lawn parking for cars and campervans.

Multiple drop toilets, non-treated tap water, and semi-enclosed cold showers (no roof). Beautiful farmland on one side, with a stream running through a forest trail to get to the beach. There are no fires, BBQs or kitchen. Honesty box for $6 per person per night. Stayed one night in June 2015.

Reviewed about 9 years ago

Located just mins from a huge shopping centre, this camp is convenient & moderate for the price: $10 pp for a tent.

We drove 25 mins from Wgtn CBD to avoid high hostel prices & the cost of parking a car. Plenty of space and even cabins to rent out, a tidy communal kitchen to share. Laundry is $3 per wash, you must ask for tokens for the machine upon arrival. Seeking a clean, hot shower and full kitchen (freezer, oven, but no pots, pans or utensils), we received what we sought out, except for nice hospitality. The elderly security man was accommodating at first, driving up to meet us at the office, but as our stay progressed, he seemed more stern, policing the kitchen specifically. The kitchen and toilets have public access to a track bordering the site, but he was more interested in pursuing residents. A local who said he had lived there for 4 yrs warned us about thieves from the track and even shared his TV adapter & offered to use the camp's heater. However, we overheard the security guard fight with the resident at night, refusing to be discreet or approach the resident privately. The next morning the guard and a co-worker wanted to remove the television from the kitchen, saying it would resolve the issue. He then involved us in another argument without the resident present over appliance usage. He repeatedly asked us to disclose persecuting information about the resident, information that we told him the night before we didn't have. He was extremely inhospitable, and a poor security measure since there there are cameras in the kitchen. After another disagreement, they even required (not asked) my partner to lift, carry and remove the analog television from the kitchen up the hill to a van. All this is unfortunate because it negatively affected our otherwise relaxing stay. We didn't even have a chance to pet the two cute ponies freely roaming the site, as we wanted to leave quickly, wondering how families could enjoy the camp. Stayed 1 night in Jun 2015.

Reviewed about 9 years ago

Phenomenal facilities for cars and campervans alike.

Gates to the park closed at 5 PM and reopened at 8 AM, which led to peace and isolation for the campgrounds. Honesty box of $6 per person per night, but signs posted at the information kiosk said that the ranger comes around with an EFTPOS machine in the evening. We saw no one the first night, and no rangers the second night. There are two large roofed picnic areas with free electric BBQs and treated, drinkable water from sinks. All facilities and toilets were clean and well lit all night by a sensor light. The beautiful scenery in the mountain and by the riverfront are awesome to camp by, but it can get windy. There are lots of trails to hike, water to swim in and kayak, and with permission from the ranger, you can light a fire by the river. For the Lord of the Rings and disc golf enthusiasts, you can find Rivendell here on a short track. Harcourt Park, just 12 minutes away by car, is home to an 18 disc golf course and Isengard (Orthanc), which are all free destinations. Although we camped in a tent in winter, we could tell it's the ultimate place to enjoy in summer. The only thing that's missing is showers, but you can wash up in the sinks or the river if you need. Stayed June 2015.

Reviewed about 9 years ago

We called Auckland City Council to reserve a tent camp site for the same night, which cost $16 per person.

It is overpriced for a quiet little farm setting close by to Auckland, with only drinkable tap water, cold water sink, sink station for dish washing, and clean drop toilets. There are no fires, BBQs or kitchen. There's a beautiful walking trail by the water. A padlock code was given to us over the phone for second gate vehicle access, otherwise the first gate/park entrance closes for the night and reopens in the morning. The sheep have free roam on the farm at night, which was a pleasant surprise for us. We navigated the gates ourselves at night, and saw no one until a farmer in the morning. It's a pretty site, but expensive for its simple amenities and few trails, which is why the rating is low. Stayed one night in June 2015.

Reviewed about 9 years ago

There are two grassy camping areas alongside this groomed trail.

Walking out, there is a small trail to the right that leads to a more secluded site, but further down there is a more open area right next to the only toilet just before the bridge. Leave your car in the small lot next to the main road, and it's a 5 minute, 500 meter walk to the site. Gather up your belongings and make the short semi-hilly hike out. There is one bug-ridden drop toilet, the bright moonlight, stars and nothing else. No fires, BBQs, kitchen or rubbish bin. We saw no one but locals walking dogs. Call Auckland Council to reserve a site and pay the fee. Stayed June 2015.

Reviewed about 9 years ago

Located in a beautiful, windy cove a bit far from the main highway, but easily justifiable on a hot day with the scenic beach.

We would rate this site higher if we visited in summer instead of winter and enjoyed the waterfront more. There are semi-enclosed cold showers (no roof) with moderately clean toilets and non-treated sink taps. There are no fires, BBQs or kitchen. Incredible connecting hiking trails that we wished we had more time to check out. Ample greenery on which to park cars and campervans. Honesty box for $6 per person per night. -Stayed one night in June 2015.

Reviewed about 9 years ago

This is an isolated campsite just a few kilometers off the main road into Pureora Forest.

There is ample parking for cars and campervans on the small rolling hills that create privacy for everyone. There is one clean drop toilet, one treated drinkable tap, and 6 fire pits with grates and iron plates to cook over. The BBQs referenced are not gas, so make sure to have plenty of firewood. There is a surplus of kindling around the site, but it was too wet to make a fire when we visited. There are lots of surrounding hiking and cycling trails, and this site is part of the Timber Trail. Honesty box of $6 per person per night. Stayed one night in June 2015.

Reviewed about 9 years ago