Waikaremoana Holiday Park
Lake Waikaremoana area
4.7 22 reviews
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Waikaremoana Holiday Park
Nau mai haere mai for a whānau holiday. Rest in tranquillity before and after conquering the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk.
The Waikaremoana Holiday Park is situated right on the shore of Lake Waikaremoana. This is a great place to base yourself at to explore the Te Urewera National Park. Check out the Aniwaniwa and Papakorito Falls, the 1,000 year old rata tree and the visitors centre.
There are heaps of amenities at this camping ground including a kitchen, laundry and camp store. Bookings are required year round.
- Well stocked General Store
- Petrol and Diesel
- Waikaremoana Great Walk - untouched native bush
- Trout Fishing
- Hunting/adventure
Please note that jet skis, house boats and float planes are not permitted on the lake.
Notices
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Te Urewera alerts
Check Ngāi Tūhoe website for alerts before your trip. Alerts will be not typically be posted on this website.
Visitors can also phone Ngāi Tūhoe on +64 6 837 3803 or email teureweravc@ngaituhoe.iwi.nz for information.
First published on 17 October 2022. Last reviewed on 20 April 2026. -
Road closures on SH38 March to July 2026
Monday 2 March to Friday 5 June
SH38 will be closed between Lake Waikaremoana Holiday Park and Tuai:
- 8 am–12 pm and 1 pm–5 pm
- Monday to Saturday (6 days each week)
The road will be open before 8 am, between 12 pm–1 pm, after 5p m, and all day Sundays.
There will be no access to Rosie Bay Campsite or the Great Walk entrance at Onepoto Bay during closure hours.
Monday 8 June to Friday 17 July 2026
Access to the Great Walk entrance at Onepoto Bay will be available for those travelling from Wairoa.
SH38 will be closed between Lake Waikaremoana Holiday Park and Onepoto Road:
- 8 am–12 pm and 1 pm–5 pm
- Monday to Friday (5 days each week)
The road will be open before 8 am, between 12 pm–1 pm, after 5 pm, and all day Saturdays and Sundays.
There will be no access to Rosie Bay Campsite during closure hours.
During the closures there will be no viable detours, so plan ahead.
For further details visit Alerts and Important Information: Tuhoe
First published on 23 October 2025. Last reviewed on 5 May 2026.
Accommodations
DOC Campsite Pricing
Waikaremoana Holiday Park is categorised as a DOC Serviced Campsite. The following pricing indicates usual pricing. Prices vary by campsite and season. Some sites have peak and off-peak rates. Visit the DOC website for exact pricing.
DOC Serviced Campsite
Serviced campsites have a wide range of facilities and services. Flush toilets, tap water that could be treated or untreated, kitchen/cooking bench, hot showers, rubbish collection and road access for all types of vehicles. Untreated water should be boiled before use to ensure it's safe. Serviced campsites may have laundry facilities, barbecues, fireplaces, cookers and picnic tables.
| Feature | Value | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Unpowered Site | Adult | $25.00 to $27.00 per night |
| Unpowered Site | Child | $12.50 to $13.50 per night |
| Unpowered Site | Infant | $0.00 per night |
| Powered Site | Adult | $25.00 to $30.00 per night |
| Powered Site | Child | $12.50 to $15.00 per night |
| Powered Site | Infant | $0.00 per night |
Adults are 18+ years, children are 5-17 years, infants are 0-4 years.
Details
| Feature | Value | Info |
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Organisation |
DOC East CoastCentral government organisation |
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Location |
North Island ▷ Tairāwhiti Gisborne ▷ Lake Waikaremoana |
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Camping Grounds
Dump Station
Google Maps
Reviews
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It was a nice campsite.
Bernhard Fulterer -
Very clean and tidy.
Rob & Makere -
Nice Place!
Roman Hauri -
Toilets, everything very clean!
Karl Wichmann -
Prices have gone way up.
Olav W
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Very big campground for all sorts of tents and campervans.
You can also rent a small room. It’s well maintained and the amenities are nice and clean. Kitchen is small for such a big place but you have room to sit indoors when the weather is bad. There are no pots or pans available but they have ovens, a microwave and four different spots with 2 induction heating hubs. Oh and bonus they have a fish cleaning station and a smoker.
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We were the only ones in our area (Zone 6 power site) as the weather wasn’t great even though it the last week of the Oct school holidays.
Fabulous view as we were right on the lake front. Basic washing up facilities, toilets and showers were right beside us. The showers were decent and hot and very thing was clean! Just just a short walk and there is a great block with fab toilets, showers, cooking area and common room including a fish filleting area! Staff were lovely and the shop has a range of food just like a dairy. Petrol was only 10c a litre more expensive then in Rotorua or Wairoa, so not devastating if you need to top up a bit. Be warned the road is mainly metal/shingle either way and from Rotorua a large camper would struggle- can’t be longer then 10m. Also there is absolutely no cell phone coverage which we loved and the kids dealt with remarkably well!
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Stayed at Waikaremoana Holiday Camp prior to starting walk.
Very comfortable stay. Picturesque setting. Cabins clean, more spacious than expected and lovely outlook over part of lake. Shared Kitchen and bathroom facilities more than adequate. Thankyou
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This felt like a great find for us.
The road through Te Urewera was tortuous, but we reckon it was worth it! So quiet and peaceful, big shared spaces and the lake was awe inspiring. The place could do with a bit of sprucing up- just to neaten the edges, but all in all a great place to unwind. Shame the walking trails were closed but you can't always have everything! The owners were very friendly and had a convenient shop and petrol pump for those that underestimated the drive
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Very clean and tidy.
Big improvements have been made over the past 12 months since our last visit to the camp. Great staff. The camp is worth staying at
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Camp kitchen scrupulously clean but absolutely barren, nothing at all, not very good as you are not able to pop down to the shops easily.
We had a cabin, again no crockery or cutlery supplied, luckily we had brought food that we didn't need to cook, or we would have had to eat raw food, managed to find some take away cups in the car to drink out of.
Sad that the DOC site doesn't mention to bring EVERYTHING including the kitchen sink!! We were not impressed.
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We were disappointed with this holiday park.
We thought from the map that you would have beautiful views of the lake from most sites, but hedges block all the views, which I guess does make it more sheltered. We also thought it would be a good place for our little kiddies to swim in the lake but seems to be more catered for boaties. The facilities are nice and I could see some of the cabins did have great views, but the kitchen seating was definitely inadequate.
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Prices have gone way up.
$38 for 1 person, 1 night on unpowered tent site. No Wifi. Nice walks close by. Shop is in the same price region.
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A torturous journey across mountains on gravel road from Rotorua but brilliant scenery and well worth it when you get there!
Power sites and very good facilities. Journey to Waipoa in the other direction much easier and quicker. Good walk 2hrs return to the falls.
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Very friendly, kitchen with a lot of gear.
Washer very cheap 2€ and only 1€ fro shower. But the night is around 20€/pers
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awsome view, very clean place, new and very well maintained facilities, very good value~ only need to be aware the drive to holiday park, quite long gravel road before reaching
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Long, winding, gravel road but worth the trek once you reach the site.
Beautiful lake, popular with fisherman and boats. Very clean and well maintained kitchen, washroom, bathrooms and hot showers. Great walk up to Lake Waikareiti if you get the chance (3hr return from camp).
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Just a stunning location.
Campsite is quite large and has very good facilities. When we were there it was quite cold and drizzling, some sheltered sites for small vans and sheltered walkways would be a good investment.
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Ein schöner Campingplatz mit zahlreichen powered sites.
Leider haben einige Stellplätze spürbares Gefälle, wodurch nur einer von zwei Stellplätzen neben einem Toiletten- und Duschhäuschen in Frage kamen (von Vorteil, da die Toiletten und Duschen sehr sauber waren!). Der Shop bietet ein bisschen Infomaterial und notwendige Lebensmittel.
Eine Wanderung (Beech Walk) führt in ca. 35 Minuten zum DOC Visitor Center, von wo aus viele weitere Wanderungen starten. Die Hunerai Wasserfälle sind auf jeden Fall sehenswert, ebenso der Papakorito Wasserfall.
Um zum Campingplatz zu kommen, müssen ca. 50-70 km Schotterstraße gefahren werden - wobei die Bodenwellen es in sich haben! Nehmt Euch genügend Zeit für die Strecke (egal ob von Gisborne/Wairoa aus oder von Rotorua aus!).
Unserer Meinung nach lohnt sich die Strecke und der Aufwand, diese zu fahren, nicht im Vergleich zu dem, was man dort sehen kann :-)
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We stayed here for 1 night whilst we did the lake walk (short one) $18pp power.
+ Reasonably priced,
+ Fantastic view and location (Right on the lake)
+ Very close to plenty of waterfalls and walks,
+ Very clean and tidy facilities,
+ Lovely are,
+ Petrol available.
Lovely campground, we were there in autumn so weather wasnt great but was still great there.
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Very big campground for all sorts of tents and campervans.
You can also rent a small room. It’s well maintained and the amenities are nice and clean. Kitchen is small for such a big place but you have room to sit indoors when the weather is bad. There are no pots or pans available but they have ovens, a microwave and four different spots with 2 induction heating hubs. Oh and bonus they have a fish cleaning station and a smoker.
-
We were the only ones in our area (Zone 6 power site) as the weather wasn’t great even though it the last week of the Oct school holidays.
Fabulous view as we were right on the lake front. Basic washing up facilities, toilets and showers were right beside us. The showers were decent and hot and very thing was clean! Just just a short walk and there is a great block with fab toilets, showers, cooking area and common room including a fish filleting area! Staff were lovely and the shop has a range of food just like a dairy. Petrol was only 10c a litre more expensive then in Rotorua or Wairoa, so not devastating if you need to top up a bit. Be warned the road is mainly metal/shingle either way and from Rotorua a large camper would struggle- can’t be longer then 10m. Also there is absolutely no cell phone coverage which we loved and the kids dealt with remarkably well!
-
Stayed at Waikaremoana Holiday Camp prior to starting walk.
Very comfortable stay. Picturesque setting. Cabins clean, more spacious than expected and lovely outlook over part of lake. Shared Kitchen and bathroom facilities more than adequate. Thankyou
-
This felt like a great find for us.
The road through Te Urewera was tortuous, but we reckon it was worth it! So quiet and peaceful, big shared spaces and the lake was awe inspiring. The place could do with a bit of sprucing up- just to neaten the edges, but all in all a great place to unwind. Shame the walking trails were closed but you can't always have everything! The owners were very friendly and had a convenient shop and petrol pump for those that underestimated the drive
-
Very clean and tidy.
Big improvements have been made over the past 12 months since our last visit to the camp. Great staff. The camp is worth staying at
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Camp kitchen scrupulously clean but absolutely barren, nothing at all, not very good as you are not able to pop down to the shops easily.
We had a cabin, again no crockery or cutlery supplied, luckily we had brought food that we didn't need to cook, or we would have had to eat raw food, managed to find some take away cups in the car to drink out of.
Sad that the DOC site doesn't mention to bring EVERYTHING including the kitchen sink!! We were not impressed.
-
We were disappointed with this holiday park.
We thought from the map that you would have beautiful views of the lake from most sites, but hedges block all the views, which I guess does make it more sheltered. We also thought it would be a good place for our little kiddies to swim in the lake but seems to be more catered for boaties. The facilities are nice and I could see some of the cabins did have great views, but the kitchen seating was definitely inadequate.
-
Prices have gone way up.
$38 for 1 person, 1 night on unpowered tent site. No Wifi. Nice walks close by. Shop is in the same price region.
-
A torturous journey across mountains on gravel road from Rotorua but brilliant scenery and well worth it when you get there!
Power sites and very good facilities. Journey to Waipoa in the other direction much easier and quicker. Good walk 2hrs return to the falls.
-
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Very friendly, kitchen with a lot of gear.
Washer very cheap 2€ and only 1€ fro shower. But the night is around 20€/pers
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awsome view, very clean place, new and very well maintained facilities, very good value~ only need to be aware the drive to holiday park, quite long gravel road before reaching
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Long, winding, gravel road but worth the trek once you reach the site.
Beautiful lake, popular with fisherman and boats. Very clean and well maintained kitchen, washroom, bathrooms and hot showers. Great walk up to Lake Waikareiti if you get the chance (3hr return from camp).
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Just a stunning location.
Campsite is quite large and has very good facilities. When we were there it was quite cold and drizzling, some sheltered sites for small vans and sheltered walkways would be a good investment.
-
-
Ein schöner Campingplatz mit zahlreichen powered sites.
Leider haben einige Stellplätze spürbares Gefälle, wodurch nur einer von zwei Stellplätzen neben einem Toiletten- und Duschhäuschen in Frage kamen (von Vorteil, da die Toiletten und Duschen sehr sauber waren!). Der Shop bietet ein bisschen Infomaterial und notwendige Lebensmittel.
Eine Wanderung (Beech Walk) führt in ca. 35 Minuten zum DOC Visitor Center, von wo aus viele weitere Wanderungen starten. Die Hunerai Wasserfälle sind auf jeden Fall sehenswert, ebenso der Papakorito Wasserfall.
Um zum Campingplatz zu kommen, müssen ca. 50-70 km Schotterstraße gefahren werden - wobei die Bodenwellen es in sich haben! Nehmt Euch genügend Zeit für die Strecke (egal ob von Gisborne/Wairoa aus oder von Rotorua aus!).
Unserer Meinung nach lohnt sich die Strecke und der Aufwand, diese zu fahren, nicht im Vergleich zu dem, was man dort sehen kann :-)
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We stayed here for 1 night whilst we did the lake walk (short one) $18pp power.
+ Reasonably priced,
+ Fantastic view and location (Right on the lake)
+ Very close to plenty of waterfalls and walks,
+ Very clean and tidy facilities,
+ Lovely are,
+ Petrol available.
Lovely campground, we were there in autumn so weather wasnt great but was still great there.
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We were out of season but it was fabulous - great location overlooking the lake, all the facilities of a Top10 in a lovely setting and cheap.
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