Jennifer Gordon-Jones
South Island ▷ Southland ▷ Tuatapere ▷
4.0/5
A beautiful open air site surrounded by dense bush.
Lush green grass, great toilet, plenty of room. You can light a fire. No sand flies, that's really important. This is a beautiful spot.
South Island ▷ Mount Cook - MacKenzie ▷ Lake Tekapo ▷
3.5/5
Very expensive, $36 for two people in a mobile home with an unpowered site.
Noisy as gravel road winds round site with vehicles driving past till 11pm and people talking. Trees restrict views of lake and mountains. The low review is related to value for money. $36 for two people for an unpowered dusty site is excessive. There are over 160 sites and only one small amenities block for all these people. This means there is a lot of waiting at peak times. (Only 4 male toilets for the entire camp). On top of this you need to pay for your shower ($2 coin). On our visit the toilets were dirty with one blocked. I assume they are not cleaned too regularly. The position itself is excellent, with great views of the lake.
The roads are gravel and dusty, and very noisy, particularly at night. Most of the sites are dirt and also very dusty.