damaca
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Wellington ▷
Capital Gateway Motor Inn
We were pleasantly surprised here.
Although it's basic, it is quiet (surprisingly), with reasonable facilities. It is expensive, but this is near to a city centre and extremely convenient for the ferry terminals. These is a nice bar where bar snacks (good quality ones) are available, as well as a more formal restaurant. You can sit comfortably with a drink, read the free papers they supply, watch TV and eat a bit. For travellers passing through, it's pretty well perfect.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Fox Glacier ▷
Fox Glacier Guiding
went on the half-day afternoon walk, which was excellent and gave us amply enough time on the glacier.
We'd booked the previous day, which is probably advisable. Personable guides (Jono and Tyler) who knew their stuff and made sure we all had a good time. We were glad we chose this rather than the more hectic Franz Josef glacier, and didn't miss doing the heli-tour which takes you higher - we got great views from the lower level we went to.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Kaitaia ▷
Whatuwhiwhi TOP 10 Holiday Park
beautiful remote place by a nice beach.
Clean site with nice sheltered BBQ/eating area.
Our park is off the beaten track but we think that adds to its charm, great place to get away from it all and relax and enjoy our beautiful beaches and park.
Sally Shirkie
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North Island ▷ Hawkes Bay ▷ Napier ▷
Kennedy Park Resort Napier
a reasonably OK site, if a bit crowded, but far too expensive in comparison with Top 10 parks elsewhere
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Whangarei ▷
Whangarei TOP 10 Holiday Park
very nice site, well appointed, reasonably priced.
There is an excellent walk directly from the site to the top of Mount Parihaka (40 mins)
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North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Whitianga ▷
Kuaotunu Campground
Lovely simple quiet camp next to a beautiful beach.
The sites are alongside a stream.The price is very reasonable - a great place to stay.
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North Island ▷ Manawatu - Wanganui ▷ Taihape ▷
Taihape Riverview Holiday Park
Basic but adequate site, reasonably priced.
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
Touchwood Camp
A great place, convenient for downtown Auckland by a not-too-long bus ride, and for the good local shops, cafés and public library.
Extremely nice, friendly and helpful staff. Not too much space, but this is in a big city area. Clean, tidy and reasonably well lit.
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
Auckland North Shore Motels & Holiday Park
Without doubt,this was the worst of the 31 campsites we stayed at in NZ – being outrageously expensive (almost double the price of the next most expensive we visited), crowded, muddy, with a low quality
TV and the cheek to charge extra for a shower. The friendliness of the girls at reception didn't come anywhere near compensating for the rest.
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Warkworth ▷
Sandspit Holiday Park
In a boating & fishing resort near a little island ferry pier.
Quiet, next to the beach, good for seaside walks, quirky buildings (go to visit to find out !), expensive internet connection, nice BBQ area
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Paihia ▷
Waitangi Treaty Grounds
Interesting place and well done, but as others have also said it is much too expensive.
Also, I know they pay their taxes, but why let in New Zealanders for free when foreigners have to pay ? Not many such places in other countries do that. There are too many staff who seem to spend time chatting and joking with one another instead of attending to visitors.
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
South Auckland Caravan Park
quiet, fairly basic, excellent value
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North Island ▷ Taupo Region ▷ Taupo ▷
Taupo DeBretts Spa Resort Holiday Park
nice tidy place, a bit expensive but the discount voucher for the hot pools makes it worthwhile.
Although next to a main road, we were not disturbed by noise.
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North Island ▷ Bay of Plenty ▷ Waihi ▷
Waihi Beach Tasman Holiday Parks
lovely place, clean, great views and beach walks possible
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South Island ▷ Marlborough ▷ Blenheim ▷
Blenheim Bridges Holiday Park
large peaceful extensive site, by a river.
You can't see, but can occasionally hear, the close-by road and railway. Good BBQ facilities.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Russell ▷
Russell TOP 10 Holiday Park
A large, well appointed site with great views.
A short walk from the town and beach, as well as from the other beach on the south side of the isthmus. A touch expensive though.
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North Island ▷ Taupo Region ▷ Taupo ▷
Taupo DeBretts Hot Springs and Pools
A great experience, pools of different temperatures, nicely laid out with attractive shrubs and trees, - a simple place for excellent enjoyment.
And a discount if you stay at the motor home site.
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
Auckland Botanic Gardens
Extensive gardens, relatively new so some of the planting still needs to fill out.
Well signposted with informative signboards. Good selection of New Zealand flora and shrubs, as well as some from other places - we liked the African section. Good quality leaflet to help guide yourself around. Free ! Pity the café & info centre close at 4pm, although the gardens stay open till 8pm
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South Island ▷ Marlborough ▷ Pelorus ▷
Circle Walk
nice walk through typical New Zealand forest.
The signs are a bit confusing so we had to retrace our steps a couple of times, but it wasn't too difficult.
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South Island ▷ Coastal Otago ▷ Dunedin ▷
Dunedin Holiday Park
OK they had a lot of demand for the rugby world cup, but they did milk it for all it was worth.
We had to pay for 2 nights when we only wanted to stay for one night, the cost for an unpowered place on the next door sports field per night was more than for a powered site at many lovely places,and the showers and toilets were incapable of coping with demand.
Many thanks for your comment.
The part of the tournament which Dunedin hosted was a huge success including the areas designated as overflows for the large numbers of campervans and tents. A lot of forward planning and infrastructure (provided by the Dunedin Holiday Park and the Dunedin City Council) was involved to assist with the increased demand as well as an increase in staff, preceding and during the tournament.
We did not increase our prices during the tournament. Buses to and from the game, extra toilet and shower facilities with constant hot water, security staff, extra dump points and water fill areas, were just a few of the many details which were increased.
We trust you enjoyed the event and hope you can come back to New Zealand in the future and we look forward to welcoming you in the future.
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South Island ▷ Southland ▷ Owaka ▷
Pounawea Motor Camp
Beautiful riverside location, tree-lined shady sites, nice short walks next to the site possible, friendly and helpful staff, - and a fire to sit around in the kitchen/lounge in winter.
What more could we want ?
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Hutt Valley ▷
Wellington TOP 10 Holiday Park
Noisy, crowded,expensive, poorly lit with a dirty kitchen (blamed by the site on other campers, but most other sites manage somehow to keep their kitchens clean).
Next door to an industrial estate where lorry and machinery activity starts noisily in the early morning.
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South Island ▷ Marlborough ▷ Picton / Marlborough Sounds ▷
Edwin Fox Maritime Centre
This is a wonderful museum, and we could easily have spent lots more time at it.
As it was, we were there for 2 hours but had to leave in order to catch our ferry. The local society have decided on 'preservation' rather than 'restoration' of the old ship, and the displays and video tell you why. It's a good idea, and the result is a much more interesting ship to look at, compared with restored ships elsewhere. There was a nice helpful lady volunteer there, too.
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South Island ▷ Coastal Otago ▷ Oamaru ▷
Oamaru TOP 10 Holiday Park
Relatively expensive - why ?
The site is clean enough but as other reviewers have pointed out, it lies between a road (not that busy, but nevertheless with some traffic) and a railway along which a noisy train occasionally rumbles, and the facilities aren't that good for the number of campers. Still, the walk through the local park/botanic garden into the town is pleasant
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South Island ▷ Marlborough ▷ Picton / Marlborough Sounds ▷
Picton Tasman Holiday Parks
A very nice, clean and well appointed park with great views.
A bit more expensive than other Top 10 parks we went to, though
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South Island ▷ Southland ▷ Invercargill ▷
Southland Museum
an interesting museum with good exhibits, giving information about Southland.
Some art works too, but these are of moderate interest. The baby tuataras are worth seeing. In the entrance hall there are computers with internet access.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Okarito ▷
Okarito Camping Ground
A wonderful peaceful site, a hop and a step from the beautiful beach (full of fishers for whitebait in late September), and a short walk from the excellent kiwi tour hq.
The showers are hot, the kitchen is basic but absolutely adequate. A DOC lady (of Canadian origin) came by when we were there - perhaps to check that we'd paid - to do a bit of site maintenance and she was an interesting fund of local knowledge. The site was clean, tidy and well-kept.
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South Island ▷ Coastal Otago ▷ Dunedin ▷
Dunedin Public Art Gallery
A very good city centre experience, with interesting works.
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South Island ▷ Southland ▷ Tuatapere ▷
Tuatapere Motel
A cheerless place.
Poorly lit. The main building was freezing cold despite there being a stove (which wasn't lit for long). The metal showers and toilets had a prison-camp feeling. Not that cheap, for what it was.
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North Island ▷ Wairarapa ▷ Masterton ▷
Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre
This was the most disappointing place we visited in NZ.
They have really lost the plot. 5 of the ‘spacious avaiaries’ were empty (signs on them saying so), and only 3 therefore contained birds. One of them had birds that are scarcely endangered – red crowned parakeets. There were 2 poor kiwis kept in night cages. The maintenance of the site was a bit lacking too. We reckoned that we each paid $20 for a shortish bush walk which we’d had for free, and better, in many other places.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Westport ▷
Cape Foulwind Walkway
Saw lots of seals here - families, babies, big daddies - and, 200 metres or so out at sea, a few orca who were diving and showing their flukes.
We were anxious for the seals, but that's nature in the raw.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Fox Glacier ▷
Fox Glacier Lodge
We used the camper van park attached to the lodge.
Nice friendly people, very conveniently a short walk from the village centre but nevertheless quiet. Slightly old fashioned kitchen a bit inconveniently located in the far corner of the site but overall a fine place to stay.
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South Island ▷ Fiordland ▷ Milford Sound - Fiordland National Park ▷
The Chasm
A very well-maintained short walk through lovely forest to an impressive view of waterfalls and holes bored in rock by the water.
Time your walk to avoid the same time a tour bus, or buses, arrive !
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Christchurch ▷
South Brighton Holiday Park
pleasant grassy semi-private hedged site areas, good facilities, and there are nice walks either to and along the ocean beach, or along the estuary right by the site
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Akaroa ▷
Akaroa Museum Te Whare Taonga
a very nice local museum with plenty to see, and friendly helpful staff
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South Island ▷ Southland ▷ Invercargill ▷
Lorneville Holiday Park
This is a nice if pretty basic little rural site, but far far too expensive.
Also, the sites are right by a main road, protected by a hedge.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Okarito ▷
Okarito Kiwi Tours
very enjoyable night walk with Kiwi expert Ian, and 5 other guests, we were patient and saw a kiwi close up in the wild.
Brilliant !
Many thanks for the review - I am glad you had a great night.
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South Island ▷ Wanaka Region ▷ Lake Hawea ▷
The Camp
Nice friendly simple place, very spacious and shady, with beautiful lake views.
Slightly outdated facilities but perfectly good. Reasonably priced.
Hi damaca, Thank you for your comments. We have had the camp for 2 years now and agree the views are gorgeous. We will keep doing things to it every year so next time you are back come and visit. regards Sarah
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South Island ▷ Wanaka Region ▷ Makarora ▷
Makarora Bush Walk
A well maintained and interesting little walk.
The visitor centre cum café will tell you what to look out for, and serve you refreshments on your return.
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South Island ▷ Wanaka Region ▷ Makarora ▷
Blue Pools Track
lovely little walk, nice bridge to cross, and like almost everywhere else the walk was excellently maintained.
The pools were very blue.
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Motueka ▷
Motueka TOP 10 Holiday Park
Nice site with friendly, helpful and knowledgeable staff.
Our only negative was that the laundry was a bit more expensive than other places we'd been to.
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Abel Tasman ▷
Abel Tasman Sea Shuttle
We had a brilliant day out.
Bus picked us up in Motueka and took us to the very pretty Kaiteriteri, from where the boat took us along the coast to Totaranui, stopping along the way to pick up and drop off people. We saw lots of seabirds - gannets and shags especially, seals, and a few penguins. The boat driver was informative too. We were dropped at Bark Bay and walked back the lovely, and well-signposted, if on occasion steep, coast path back to Anchorage - the last km over a sandy estuary when the tide was out. The boat came to the beach to pick us up as promised. A perfect day out.
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South Island ▷ Fiordland ▷ Te Anau ▷
Te Anau Wildlife Centre
peaceful walk to excellently maintained little park, with informative notices.
Two takahe were wandering about uncaged, but were shy of being photographed, so we've got a few photos of their backs!
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South Island ▷ Fiordland ▷ Te Anau ▷
Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park & Motels
We'd give this place 11/10 if that were possible !
Beautiful site, clean, great views, spacious pitches, more than enough excellent showers/toilets and laundry facilities for everyone. Two very well appointed giant kitchens with ample cutlery, crockery and cooking equipment to hand (this is not that usual, we found). Nice dining and sitting areas with big screen tv - although you can get away from it if you want to, Lovely lakeside walks from the door - either into town, or away along the lake and past the free bird sanctuary.
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Akaroa ▷
Akaroa TOP 10 Holiday Park
a lovely site with brilliant views, and very clean and well equipped
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South Island ▷ Fiordland ▷ Manapouri ▷
Doubtfulsoundcruise.com
This is a smaller operation than its main rival, with smaller boats and a nice intimate connection between the crew and the guests.
It was also significantly cheaper when we went. (Even so, the price is indeed high). We had a great full day out, starting in warm sunshine in Manapouri, going through falling snow on the Wilmot Pass, and experiencing rain, drizzle and mist on the Sound. Nigel, the part owner, is a mine of interesting information. A highlight of our tour to New Zealand.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Westport ▷
Carters Beach TOP 10 Holiday Park
perfectly acceptable site, reasonably priced, - and the hard standing is very useful in wet weather !