Profile
Morgane
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Greymouth ▷
Cobden Beachfront, Greymouth
Lots of spots, but very packed.
Don't get here too late. Very windy, it's completely exposed. Nice beach for surfing, very clean (flushing) toilets, outdoor shower, bins.
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Golden Bay ▷
Riverinn, The River Inn
It's simple and rustic, basically a big grass field behind a pub.
But it's very welcoming, chill and homey. You have 24h access to the private area with kitchen, big comfy living room, toilet... The shower is 2$. Both shower and toilet don't lock but I've had no issue, everyone just respects closed doors. Owner, residents, daily customers are really nice and chatty. Also cute dogs who want to play fetch and get pets. There are sandflies depending on time/weather but you can just hang out in the living room. Would definitely stay here again, two nights weren't enough !
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Westport ▷
Kawatiri Beach Reserve – Westport
Pretty basic gravel parking next to beach.
Long drop toilet that can get pretty smelly, but it's well cleaned every morning. Lots of room for big and small campers, you can easily find room so no need to rush to get there early (at least from our experience). Sandflies but not too many. Lots of curious Wekas always roaming around, very cute
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North Island ▷ Wairarapa ▷ Carterton ▷
Carterton Holiday Park
Nice owner, clean and organized camping.
Hot showers 1$/5min, laundry for 4$, clothes lines, dryer. Big common space with outdoor and indoor dining area, couch, well equipped kitchen... Great !
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Rotorua ▷
Rotorua Family Holiday Park
For the price (45$ for 2, powered) it's such a great camping.
Everything is clean and well equipped. Great hot showers, quiet, nice kitchen, laundry for 4$ with dryer and lots of outdoor clothes lines. Picnic tables at almost every spot. Also a swimming pool ! Nice owners.
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Wellington ▷
Owhiro Bay Overnight Campervan Parking
IMO the best camp to explore Wellington and take the ferry.
Right next to a 2h return walk to see fur seals. 2 toilets open 24h, rubbish, fresh water (with really high pressure so you will get it everywhere). Very beautiful view. Downsides : you need to get there before 4 or 5pm, we saw plenty of campers turning back because of how full it was. Also veeeery windy.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Dargaville ▷
Waipoua Forest Camping Area
Very quiet and beautiful camping lost in the middle of the forest.
Rustic facilities, but still : toilets, hot showers (be mindful of water use), common room with fridge and stove... Plenty of space on the grass (+ 2 powered spots on gravel). There's a river just behind the campsite, very peaceful to walk around, with bird sounds.
In terms of price it's 15$ per adult for unpowered site (3 ways to pay are described at the entrance).
The only downside : lots of mosquitoes at night, though it shouldn't be surprising considering the location
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North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Whitianga ▷
Riverglen Motor Park & Lodge
Lots and lots of space, next to a nice river with a little rocky beach.
Kitchen and living area well equipped. Laundry for 2$. Showers are 2$ for 7min. Dump station, fresh water. Owner was nice
Downsides : it's really big so there were a lot of big family groups, not really a calm camping (it did get quiet around 10pm). It was 44$ a night for 2 (unpowered), would be nice if showers were included.
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Hutt Valley ▷
Wellington TOP 10 Holiday Park
Good camping, nice hot showers, kitchen is nice but no utensils + could be bigger.
Big trees, grass... And close to Wellington.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Whangarei ▷
Ruakaka Beach Reserve
Just by a beautiful beach.
Toilets open all night (can be a bit grubby because they're part of the beach facilities). Outside cold shower, tap for drinking water. Only a couple of spots in the back of the parking, it was pretty crowded so I wouldn't suggest getting there late. Very quiet at night.
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North Island ▷ Taranaki ▷ New Plymouth ▷
Belt Road Seaside Holiday Park
Situated next to the coastal walkway, and about 25min from the city centre.
Good common areas and full bathrooms with shower/toilet/sink/mirror. We paid 64$/night for unpowered and got lucky with an ocean view. A bit expensive, wifi doesn't reach the end of the campsite (so all unpowered spots).
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Porirua ▷
Ngāti Toa
Good spot with nice view.
Lots of space but very few are level. Toilets are just ok, fresh water, rubbish. If you come during the weekend expect noise after 7:30am because of sports games, kids etc. Close to a supermarket by foot
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North Island ▷ Taranaki ▷ New Plymouth ▷
Lake Rotomanu, New Plymouth
Only free camp spot in the area, so obviously very very busy.
There are tons of spots, though not many are level. Flush toilets, not that clean but ok. Water, rubbish bins, picnic tables. There were still lots of cars driving around the lake in the beginning of the night, with music, fireworks...
People using really noisy boats and jetskis, stopped during the evening but started again at barely 8am.
Wouldn't stay here more than one night but again no other choice. It is nicely located for a walk though.
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North Island ▷ Taranaki ▷ Mokau ▷
Tongaporutu (The Three Sisters)- Overnight Campervan Parking
Lots of space, grassy areas.
Long drop toilets almost always being used so the cleanliness is not a guarantee. Best perk is being right next to the Three sisters and being able to enjoy the beautiful beach multiple times, especially at sunset. No fresh water.
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North Island ▷ Wairarapa ▷ Masterton ▷
Castlepoint Carpark
Plenty of spots but not adapted to big vehicles/motorhomes (we saw some turning back even though the the parking was not full because they couldn't fit in).
Toilets and sinks, no fresh water. Great location for Castlepoint. There can be lots of wind and the parking is getting consumed by sand.
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
Valonia Reserve, New Windsor
It's a parking next to a field in the Auckland suburbs so it's not expected to be amazing.
With that said, it feels safe and is quiet at night. There are 4 toilets, one of them can't lock so I'm pretty sure it stays open all night, they were pretty clean. There's a tap for drinkable water. Didn't try the ''referee'' shower, it was locked. Only 1 other van with us. Overall a safe bet for the area.
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North Island ▷ Bay of Plenty ▷ Omokoroa ▷
Waitui Reserve
I told myself I wouldn't rate a free camp 10/10 but if it had to be one I think it deserves it.
Extremely quiet, right next to the water, you can peacefully watch the tide rising and lowering. Great sunsets. Clean 24h toilets, cold outdoor shower, drinking water, picnic tables. About 5 or 6 spots depending on the size of vehicles. Security came by in the evening to check license plates.
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Motueka ▷
Port Motueka Beach Reserve
Right next to the saltwater pool.
Lots of perks : clean flushing toilets, big sinks for dishwashing, BBQ (not free), changing rooms, outdoor shower, picnic tables, rubbish... It gets full by 4pm. Rangers came by to check SC cards and where everyone was parked, also police. Quiet and very chill, considering how many people were there. Got a bit smelly, don't know if it was the tide or the industrial facility next to the parking.
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North Island ▷ Ruapehu ▷ Tongariro / National Park Village ▷
Whakapapa Holiday Park
It's not the cheapest (64$/night for 2p, powered) but the location is very practical for hikes.
The kitchen area is very big (though they should do something about the stove tops which are really wornt out). Bathrooms could be cleaner. The spots have lots of shade and trees between one another.
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North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Thames ▷
Tapu Creek Campervan Park
Great campsite, well-kept and cutely decorated.
The owners were really nice, as well as the residents we met. Clean toilets and showers. Fire-pit, pizza oven, outdoor kitchen, dump station...... Overall well equipped. Easy access to a stream. Favourite camping so far ! (34$ for 2 people, unpowered)
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North Island ▷ Taranaki ▷ Mt Taranaki ▷
Stratford Plateau Carparks
Beautiful spot where if you're lucky with weather you get : unobstructed view of Mt Taranaki, sunsets, great stargazing (even a faint Milky way!), and sunrise.
Long drop toilets, not smelly with sink with soap. No bins. Downside is the lack of level spots. We parked at the very bottom of the parking after trying many spots, I think either there or right by the toilets are the only level ones.
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Nelson ▷
Maitai Valley Motor Camp
14,5$ pp for unpowered.
2$ showers for 6min. Laundry 2$. Little kitchen with some equipment (airfryer !). It's rustic but clean. The site is very beautiful, offer lots of shade and is quiet. Next to a river. We did get the odd sandfly here and there but it wasn't too bothersome.