Camping Grounds

White Horse Hill is the One to Book First

If you're doing the Mackenzie in a campervan, White Horse Hill is where you want to be. It puts you right at the start of all the big walks, and only campervans and campers can stay overnight. Everyone else has to leave. That's a genuine advantage. Book it early though, it fills up fast, and the good news is you can shift your dates for free up to 2 days before arrival. So if you're watching the weather (and you should be), you can shuffle things around to land there on a clear day without losing anything.

Promo code RANKERS - good deal done!

Silver River Stargazing

Promo code RANKERS. 10% Off

If White Horse Hill Is Full, You're Still Sweet

Glentanner Park is the full-facilities option further down the valley, and honestly the views from there are pretty hard to beat for a holiday park anywhere in NZ. Then there's Lake Pukaki freedom camping at the southern end of the lake, which has no right to be free. It's a massive site, you can always find a spot, and the sunsets looking up toward Aoraki are something else. We'll often do a night there and then move up the valley closer to the mountain. Two very different experiences of the same place.

Over in Lake Tekapo, Lakes Edge Holiday Park sits right on the lake and puts you close to the Mount John walkway and the stargazing action. The whole Mackenzie Basin is a Dark Sky Reserve, so wherever you're camping, step outside on a clear night and just look up. If you want to go deeper on the stars, there's stargazing nearby with promo code RANKERS for 10% off.