UK 50-something couple
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North Island ▷ Bay of Plenty ▷ Waihi ▷
Waihi Beach Tasman Holiday Parks
2.0/5
Horribly, horribly overcrowded.
We were on the beachside parallel parked part, and ended up having to move because a caravan placed next to us meant we would have been unable to drive out the next day. We were in a Britz 6 berth van, but the pitches were way too small to drive on and off without driving over adjacent pitches and there was very little manoeuvring space. The toilets were OK, but small and unisex on this part of the site. It had too many pitches for the area - just greedy, really. And this was by far the most expensive site we stayed at in 4 weeks; nothing really to justify the price, given that there are better sea views to be had from the freedom camping in the car park just next door.
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North Island ▷ Bay of Plenty ▷ Tauranga ▷
Cosy Corner Holiday Park
4.5/5
Small, very friendly site - neatly laid out and well maintained.
Minutes from the gorgeous beach and a convenient short bus ride into Mount Maunganui with all its restaurants and bars. Walking distance to the cricket ground at Bay Oval!
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Rotorua ▷
Holdens Bay Holiday Park
4.0/5
Friendly site with very helpful reception staff.
Decent sized pitches, facilities were fine and it was quiet. The nearby airport wasn’t really noticeable.
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North Island ▷ Taupo Region ▷ Taupo ▷
Lake Taupo Holiday Resort
4.5/5
Generous sized pitches, good facilities, and a wonderful and very warm pool complex - between 32 and 38 degrees when we were there.
Swim up bar and massive screen showing movies and sports, though this wasn’t intrusive for people just wanting to enjoy the water. It’s some distance to town and the lake (though a much easier walk going in downhill than coming back uphill!).
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North Island ▷ Waikato ▷ Waitomo ▷
Juno Hall Backpackers and Camping
4.0/5
Good location, nice clean site, very helpful owner.
Predominantly aimed at backpackers/tents/smaller campers - limited number of powered sites. With a larger camper it was tricky to find a level spot.
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Motueka ▷
Tapawera Campground and Tiny House Park
3.5/5
Large pitches, grassy and peaceful with plenty of shade.
A relief from some of the larger busier sites. Facilities are old fashioned (or maybe just old) but it has everything you need and it all works. It felt a bit quirky and ramshackle, but this is the character of the place and we enjoyed our stay. Short walk to local cafe/restaurant which was very good.
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South Island ▷ Marlborough ▷ Havelock ▷
Havelock Holiday Park
4.0/5
Cheerful friendly owners.
The pitches were a decent size and facilities were fine. Easy walk to restaurants and attractions in Havelock - very close to the harbour and marina. The site does back on to rows of garages on the Marina so is not the most picturesque outlook.
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North Island ▷ Wairarapa ▷ Martinborough ▷
Martinborough TOP 10 Holiday Park
3.5/5
Very clean spacious site with good level pitches.
Clean toilets and showers, though it was a bit cheeky charging $4 for a cold fill only laundry load, given that this is quite an expensive site.
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South Island ▷ Queenstown Region ▷ Queenstown Township ▷
Queenstown Holiday Park Creeksyde
3.5/5
Very conveniently situated, with good quality facilities and very quirky bathrooms with murals and large photo walls.
Being a town centre site, the pitches were small and barely adequate for a 7.5m campervan; you are very close to your neighbours and it’s tight to drive around. But a nice place to stay for a short while to “do” Queenstown.
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South Island ▷ Southland ▷ Owaka ▷
Waikawa Recreation Reserve
4.0/5
Great little site - perfectly adequate toilets, and a nice view over the adjacent inlet.
Note that the permitted camping area is now only the part by the water, not the large adjacent field. There were probably about 20 vans by the end, so it got a bit crowded - don’t leave it too late if you want a decent outlook. Great fish and chip van at the end of the road.
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South Island ▷ Coastal Otago ▷ Portobello ▷
Portobello Village Tourist Park
4.0/5
Decent sized pitches with plenty of room for our 7.5m campervan and good space between vans.
Individual power water and dump station was a nice touch. Very peaceful location within easy walking distance of restaurants and general store in Portobello village. Overall good value and a very pleasant stay.
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Wellington ▷
Evans Bay Marina Carpark
3.5/5
It is a car park, so vans are parked closely together.
Only the bottom end of the car park is for campers - beyond the yellow painted line. Adequate toilets, some distance across the car park. Overlooks the marina and a short walk to a swimming pool complex which has showers etc. It’s on quite a busy intersection so there is some traffic noise and it is close to Wellington Airport, though that didn’t cause a nuisance. But very conveniently located close to the city centre...and free.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Haast ▷
Lake Paringa Campsite
1.5/5
Beautiful spot but very expensive for what it delivers.
The toilets backed up and were unable to cope with the numbers on site. The site also got very crowded. We were in a campervan and arrived early enough to get a decent pitch - but those camping didn’t fare so well; the only space to pitch a tent is a small field right next to the lake, but in the (admittedly heavy) overnight rain that area got quite flooded. Oh, and the sandflies...so many sandflies!!! The DOC inspector was onsite very early to check payments.
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South Island ▷ Fiordland ▷ Te Anau ▷
Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park & Motels
4.5/5
Nicely situated campsite very close to the lake (just over the road) and a fair number of pitches having at least a glimpse of the water.
Easy walk into town and many tours pick up from the site. Excellent facilities, good quality and very clean. Perfectly adequate pitches for a larger campervan.
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South Island ▷ Southland ▷ Waikawa ▷
Curio Bay Camping Ground
1.0/5
Very busy, with very cramped pitches, tightly hedged in by the flax.
With a 7.5m campervan we booked for a powered site but were unable to find anything that would fit, despite being told there were a number to choose from. The best we could find was on quite a slope and the power outlets for the odd pitch we could find were poorly sited, requiring some long runs across areas where vehicles had to drive. This site is in a beautiful location but we ended up driving on elsewhere.