Dene
North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Orewa ▷
2.5/5
Beautiful site - 9/10 for the camp.
Run by Auckland City Council - not DOC. The photos are of the Self Contained site which is about 400 metres from the main camp - middle of winter can be boggy so may need to stick to the hardstand. Loses big marks because the booking process is about the worst we have experienced. You telephone, wait in a queue (an automated message apologises as they are having an unusual number of calls - a permanent problem apparently). You get through - can take 10 minutes or more. Make your booking, then get put to a secure payment site for your credit card payment. Then having completed that, you are referred back to the main booking system to get your combination lock code - but you start at the end of the queue again. Took us about 20 minutes once, and 30 minutes the second time all up - make sure your phone is charged before you start.
North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Tarawera ▷
4.5/5
A DOC campsite but managed by the local community.
Small and pretty spot. Can get overcrowded in Summer, especially weekends. Limited sites for vehicles longer than 6 metres.