Jesse Leake
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South Island ▷ Fiordland ▷ Te Anau ▷
Cascade Creek Campsite
This is the final DOC campsite before Milford Sound and it gets super busy at night.
However as a tent camper there are tons of spots in the trees where you can be private and not bothered by all the noise of the caravans. It has two cook shelters. Water that needs boiling. Two creeks. Lots of toilets. For how busy it is they so a good job managing the crowds. Just need to fill in all the potholes in the road. I find the ratings on here quite entertaining as this one is rated much lower than some far inferior campsites I stayed in which had better ratings. My guess is that self contained vehicle campers are the primary reviewers not tent campers like me.
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South Island ▷ Wanaka Region ▷ Wanaka Township ▷
Kidds Bush Reserve Campsite
Great campsite right on the lake and about 45 min from Wanaka.
Trail to hike just from camp. Cooking area and water which does need to be boiled. Some wind with less protection than ideal. Plenty of private spots for a tent camper which is essential for a good campground.
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South Island ▷ Southland ▷ Papatowai ▷
Papatowai Campsite
Great spot super close to the beach.
We tent camped here during a very stormy night and found that there was some surprisingly good bush to protect from the wind. The sights are mostly grass and despite arriving late we were able to find a nice private spot to pitch our tent. Also has a cook shelter, water that needs boiling, and toilets. The convenience store and restaurant at the entrance to the campsite was amazing
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Springfield ▷
Lake Pearson (Moana Rua) Campsite
Small campsite right on the lake with good views and a toilet.
No cooking shelter. Very crowded and limited space to find any level of privacy. Some bugs. More of a place to sleep than a nice place to camp
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South Island ▷ Mount Cook - MacKenzie ▷ Mount Cook ▷
White Horse Hill Campground
Super busy super crowded campsite but has bathrooms, clean water, a cook shelter, and as a tent camper offers a number of fairly private separate campsites which is a huge plus for a tent camper.
Overall very happy with my many stays here. I think DOC should build a second similar one elsewhere in the park as this one is nearing capacity. Also registration is a bit un clear in it's wording and doesn't spell out what to do if you have a campsite pass. I talked to a ranger who said just register on the paper form and right you pass number in the payment spot.