Sarah Gurney
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South Island ▷ Coastal Otago ▷ Oamaru ▷
Waitaki Waters Holiday Park
4.5/5
Excellent holiday park about 20 minutes north of Oamaru.
The facilities were great and very clean - the owner came round to check on them several times over the evening when we were there. The free laundry was a bonus! We didn't stay long so didn't get to enjoy the beach but it was obviously popular as it was very busy when we were there (Friday night in mid November).
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South Island ▷ Mount Cook - MacKenzie ▷ Mount Cook ▷
Glentanner Park
4.0/5
The location of this campsite is stunning - we had fantastic views of Mount Cook from our van.
The facilities are good and I really liked the BBQ pavilion area. However there were a few negatives as well. First of all it was expensive! This is one of the most expensive sites we've stayed at and that's with an unpowered site (that said I think the unpowered sites were prettier than the powered sites). It was also really busy with two large school groups which was OK most of the time but meant we had to wait for the toilet a few times (there were only 3 toilets for a very large site). And the major down point for me was that the shower was cold!!! I don't know if something was broken (I didn't have a chance to talk to the staff as we had to dash off) but it wasn't a very nice way to start the day.
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North Island ▷ Hawkes Bay ▷ Te Awanga ▷
Clifton Road Reserve
5.0/5
We loved this site!
Lots of space, right on the beach, waking up to the sun on the water, perfect. There were flush toilets with sinks, a drinking water tap and bins including recycling, much more than at most freedom camping spots. There are also two wineries in walking distance for tastings (one was closed when we were there), a small 4 Square shop and a takeaway where we got fish and chips for dinner :) If we're in this area again we would definitely return here.
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Rotorua ▷
Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park
3.5/5
This campsite was fine for a night near the centre of Rotorua.
Its main plus points were its location and also the hot pools on site. The campervan spaces were fine, nothing special. The facilities were all adequate and I liked the kitchen with the separate kitchenette areas. The hot pools were lovely in the evening. There were three smaller ones and a slightly bigger one.
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North Island ▷ Taupo Region ▷ Taupo ▷
Five Mile Bay Recreation Reserve
5.0/5
We loved this place!
Right on the edge of the lake with stunning views of the snow capped mountains in the distance. We sat on the beach in the afternoon, had a dip and watched the sun set - perfect. It got pretty busy but we had a good spot right on the lake as we arrived around 4ish. The toilet was fine, a long drop with no paper.
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Waiotapu ▷
Waikite Valley Thermal Pools Campground
4.0/5
If this was just a campsite I would give it a very average score - three campervan spots were OK, just on gravel, nothing special.
The facilities were OK, toilets and showers were adequate. The kitchen was tiny and old fashioned and dark, not big enough for all the people there. However, the things that made all of this bearable were the amazing hot pools and the geothermal area. Both are amazing! There is a swimming pool sized hot pool as well as lots of smaller soaking pools and a really interesting walk along the hot steam - I felt like I was in another world walking along it! It was the most expensive site we've stayed at so far (they even charged us for our one year old!) but for one night as a treat to access the hot pools it was worth it.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Dargaville ▷
Trounson Kauri Park Campground
4.0/5
Good cheap campsite ($10 per person for a powered site).
The facilities are nothing fancy but the showers were hot which was lovely in the morning. The site itself was fine - gravel pitches for the vans and a good sized field for tents. The star attraction was definitely the beautiful woodland beside the campsite. We went kiwi spotting at night and whilst we didn't see any it was a truly magical experience.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Russell ▷
Russell-Orongo Bay Holiday Park
4.5/5
Lovely campsite just outside of Russell.
It was very quiet when we visited (October) and when we arrived we were greeted by chickens which made our son's day :) the trampoline was also a big hit. The powered pitches were on grass. We walked into Russell which took about 45 minutes each way. It cost $42 for two of us and the baby which was a bit pricey but overall very nice.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Hokianga ▷
Rawene Holiday Park
5.0/5
Beautiful campsite with spotless facilities.
The owner was lovely and very helpful. We stayed two nights on their powered sites which was on gravel but right next to some grass with picnic benches. The view across the water and the sunset was stunning. There was also lots of wild garlic growing at the site which was tasty :) Rawene is a cute little town and the harbour area overall was beautiful.