Moanaroa Reserve
Lake Karapiro - Overnight Campervan Parking
Reviews
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Laura
Ranking: 10/10
Lovely place to stay. Stunning views. Note: dogs are allowed. Must be on a lead
Max maxwell
Ranking: 6/10
It's a lovely spot by the river, however the dealbreaker for us was that there is place to swim. The whole setup was for boats and water skiing, snd there were plenty of those. As other reviews have mentioned, there is also road noise. We didn't stay - moved on to Horahora reserve where there is allocated swimming area
EvaBelle
Ranking: 10/10
Beautiful spot, nice and quiet, heaps of space, reasonably tidy toilets.
Hayley
Ranking: 10/10
Great spot for freedom camping. Public toilets were open. No drinking water or dump station.
Shane Howe
Ranking: 8/10
Great spot is a little close to the motorway but as most newer motor homes are so well insulated isn't a major issues and fairley quiet at night, a great short stop over location
Toilets Clean and Flushable
Heaps of Space available
No shops close by
No walks close by
Suzanne J
Ranking: 10/10
Great place, highly recommend for a night or two. Some hwy noise but this is more than compensated by tranquility of the river. Plenty of room for a dozen or more vans and motorhomes. Toilets open all night. We would definitely go back. Weekends could have waterskiers as there is a boat ramp on the rivers edge.
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Bakers
Ranking: 9/10
Great place. As described. Beautiful outlook and toilets dated but neat and functional. Still can't believe you can camp for free here. Can hear road noise but not a problem.
Chris
Ranking: 8/10
Beautiful, well kept camping spot with clean toilets. Very basic.
The views are great. However it is right next to the motorway. Worth it though.
Leonardo
Ranking: 10/10
Absolutely free. Excelent spot with a great view of the lake. Park under the trees and enjoy the view. Toilet clean and very close, no light. Noise from the near road not so bad. No problems with insects for us. Super recommended
Jeanne
Ranking: 9/10
+ nice scenery
+ toilets right next to it, pretty clean
+ lots of space
- right next to the road, but the noise didn’t disturb our sleepGood place to stay for a night.
Chelsea
Ranking: 7/10
We spent a night here to be close to Hobbiton the next morning. Very muddy as it had been raining, toilets were clean, couldn’t find fresh water. If it raining don’t park under the trees, the drip of them on the camper is unbearable! Haha
Margaret Q
Ranking: 9/10
Beautiful view of the river. Great spaces for our motorhome.
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Jenna Atkinson
Ranking: 7/10
Great free spot with lots of room. Beautiful vista, but very noisy. Thought it would be quieter later into the evening, but noise levels remained steady.
Su Jung Han
Ranking: 9/10
Just lovely.
Sarah Hammond
Ranking: 1/10
Nice location but obviously a hot spot for hooligans to taunt campers! Car full of teens beeped continuously to wake us up then proceeded to shout things and go round the camper with a chainsaw running! Didn't feel safe at all.
Jeremy Wienert
Ranking: 8/10
Great free spot overlooking the lake. Fairly hidden from the SH1, can still softly hear the highway but park up under the trees and overlook the lake and boat ramp which isn't utilised often.
Bob Fontaine
Ranking: 7/10
Lovely spot next to a lake. Very easy to access (it's right next to the highway). Good place to spend the night when travelling towards Hamilton or Rotorua. No facilities except toilets.
James Webster
Ranking: 9/10
Pleasant stay for one night. Lots of space next to the water, quiet and decent toilets.
auré bis
Ranking: 6/10
Park on grass under trees facing the lake.
Toilets and rubbish bin available.
This spot is next to the main road so unfortunately very noisy all day and night.
Was ok to spend one night before heading to Hamilton.