Greg Smith
North Island ▷ Bay of Plenty ▷ Waihi ▷
4.5/5
The real pity about this place is so many people know about it.....I went on a Saturday night and left it a bit late to get a good tent site but I was alone (well, with my dog) and therefore I wasn't too
concerned about where my tent was.... It's a pity the empty lush paddock next door couldn't be utilised but it appears to be a makeshift shooting range of sorts.
There is a river which looks very clean but in fact is not potable.....BOIL IT FIRST !!
The majority of the noise came from the river (great sound) and the rest was supplied by others who don't know how to speak in a quite tone....So I had to wait until about 11pm to get to sleep - no biggie.
The area in general is amazing, there is great swimming at the campsite and at numerous other locations in the area....I suggest taking aqua booties (cheap as at The Warehouse) as the stones in the river are challenging to walk across when swimming etc.
It is a shame you can't park by your tent, but thats the nature of it's layout, if cars got any closer they would ruin the landscape.
Toilets were incredibly clean and not smelly, for composting toilets.....That was very refreshing !
I think that this site should be restricted to NOT house motorhomes (they have so many more places to go anyway).....keep it as a tent/car/small van site only so the carpark doesn't get so full.
Only reason for scoring a 9/10 was because they don't lock the gates at night.....a few people decided to drive in and out at peculiar times of the night/morning.
Alcohol ban in place at all times which is a good thing.
North Island ▷ Bay of Plenty ▷ Tauranga ▷
4.5/5
Awesome place, though well used....so if you're seeking seclusion then you are probably out of luck.
Toilets are well kept so it was disappointing to see that some travellers hadn't taken their rubbish with them, instead opting to leave it at the toilet block for someone else to clean up.
A little bit better signage at night was the only thing that could be improved upon, just so you know where you are supposed to park up when you arrive/stay there.