Caroline Bay
Caroline Bay
Overnight Campervan Parking
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This is a great place for the self-contained gang to stay for the evening. You can park up very close to the beach, just on the edge of the CBD in Caroline Bay (adjacent to roller skating rink).
Please make sure you vacate the area between 10am and 4pm everyday. This site is limited to 10 campervans/motorhomes at any time.
At certain times of the year you can fully get in amongst the carnies when the circus comes to town. Go the candy floss!
Details
| Feature | Value | Info |
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Location |
South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Timaru |
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Reviews
Showing 13 reviews of 29.
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Karin
Ranking: 6/10
Decent spot with reasonable toilets. But expect a parking lot, not nature. Plenty of space but only few spots available for overnight camping.
FZ
Ranking: 8/10
Good free place for a self contained camper. Reasonable toilets and dump point nearby too. The actual free camping area was a bit small (and full) for our 6 berth RV so we set up in the adjacent car park with some other bigger RVs. Not sure if this was allowed but no one said anything. Penguins nearby were a hit with the kids. Good playground but a bit of a walk to get there. Bit of noise from the port but didn’t worry us.
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Lua
Ranking: 10/10
If I could I would give 11 of 10 stars for this spot. It is very close to the beautiful beach of Caroline Bay and also in a walkable distance to the nice little town centre of Timaru. Moreover there a good and clean facilities, rubbish bins, drinking water, changing rooms and even showers. One of the two showers is almost a private shower - if you have a friend who can stand in the little gap between the cover walls you can have a shower without being observed. The best about this spot is that it is not far from the penguin colony. At sunset or sunrise you can observe the little penguins coming from or walking to the water. It is magic!
EmStems
Ranking: 7/10
Good location, very close to beach and also a nice wander to a good children’s play ground and paddling pool. Good self contained options for a night, especially when the weather is good.
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Keith & Kay Finlayson
Ranking: 10/10
This is a popular free camp. It has great facilities with a dump point and toilet block. A very short walk takes you straight to the bay where you can view the penguin colony for free.The penguins were very close and you got a great view of them. The port is very close but we didn’t find the noise to be a problem.
Tarsha
Ranking: 5/10
Noisey as across from the shipping container port. Lovely place to park, great views of bay. Toilets flush and clean but not waterproof will get wet if raining. Good access to dump station with fresh drinking water available separate to water to use to clean waste.
Arndt
Ranking: 9/10
Dump station and waste management is great. Only one toilet and sink. No shower. Perfect for self-contained motorhomes.
Nice park. I liked staying there for the night.
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Aaron
Ranking: 10/10
This is a great location with proper parking lot. It feels more like a holiday park with toilet amenities, dumping facilities and fresh water refill available for our motorhome.
Brice
Ranking: 6/10
If there’s only 10 vehicles, it could be fine... but when you are 15 to 20, the place is a little bit less interesting. Especially when there is cars in which people sleep...
But still, it’s better than nothing and you’re close to the beach which is nice.
Therese
Ranking: 10/10
This place was great- very close to a beautiful beach, great for swimming. In the evening when the sun has gone away people gather at the footpath to see penguins return from sea, an absolute amazing experience.
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Flying Kiwi
Ranking: 9/10
Great little spot to stop but super busy during Nov - Feb period best to arrive between 3 and 5pm. Clean washrooms and outdoor shower. No noise for us but we stayed on a sunday
Mike Fricker
Ranking: 7/10
31Oct18. Went there after our stay at Patiti Point the previous night. Glad we went to Patiti Point!
Right next to the port so must be a little noisy at night.
However, we went to the car park nearest the beach and parked up. Ok in off season in a big van but the spaces are too small so difficult if busy. Had coffee there and went for a walk on the beach. Good.
Greg Southcombe
Ranking: 8/10
Right on the edge of the town and next to the Port. The Port generates noise through the night so not ideal for light sleepers. Easy access, basic loos and dump site for campers. Only 3 other vehicles in there so plenty of space.
