Kaitlyn Lieschke
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Rotorua ▷
Government Gardens Thermal Area
Great free camping spot right in the heart of town.
The nearby pool definitely has a sulfurous smell, but it's worth it for the location and the (free) price tag. Toilets are just a 1-2 min walk away. It can get very busy so best chance for a spot is before mid afternoon, but we got lucky with a spot in the evening too. Note there's no dump station or water refill at this spot.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Kaitaia ▷
Awanui Reserve
Convenient spot and not too busy.
It's on the main road through town so it's quite noisy, but there's a toilet and a park with tables right by the carpark.
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North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Tairua ▷
Waitoko Stream Esplanade (Grahams Creek), Tairua
A great backup spot if the nearby Paku Drive location is full.
The toilets are at the Paku Drive location, about a 5 min walk away. But there's a dump station and potable water tap at this spot, which is excellent!
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North Island ▷ Taupo Region ▷ Turangi ▷
Waikoko Campsite
Great site!
Lots of room for plenty of campers around the shelter. We parked down a little road on the right just as you enter the campsite and had that little area to ourselves. There's a pit toilet but no dump station or potable water. And it's super close to the end of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, so a great spot to go right after that hike.
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North Island ▷ Ruapehu ▷ Taumarunui ▷
Te Maire Carpark
Such a pretty spot to camp off the main roads!
It's just a small carpark at the start of the forest track. There's a pit toilet, but no potable water or dump station. There was only one other camper when we were there and there was plenty of room for both of us.
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North Island ▷ Waikato ▷ Kawhia ▷
Oparau Roadhouse and Bills Backpackers
Great free camping spot.
Just register at the shop and then camp on the grass. Toilets are open all night and there's a dump station too. The shop has great fried chicken if you're after some food too! But note there's no potable water tap.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Whangarei ▷
Hatea East Carpark
A perfectly decent spot to park.
Near a main road through town but not too noisy. There are good flushing toilets are a couple of minutes walk away, but they close overnight. There are more toilets a couple of minutes further away. There's no dump station or potable water around, but the view by the river is nice. The site was quiet and easy to access nearby restaurants.