CoastyCamper
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Ashburton ▷
Lake Heron Camping Ground
Lake heron campsite was a pretty disappointing stay.
As mentioned in other reviews there are numerous caravans with most of them being pretty run down UK style and a few newer campers (at a guess 20 in total), half of which had “fenced” sections using netting etc. There was only one campsite being used during our stay (week before Christmas) yet still minimal camp site options due to all the taken sites - can imagine it being near impossible to find a site during peak season. Overall the whole camp had a super antisocial and trailer park vibe.
On a better note, the facilities were rather good with flushing toilets, a makeshift urinal in the men’s (can flush) and water available (required boiling).
There is lake access although not ideal for swimming etc and we found a good amount of rubbish strewn around the camp including used condoms. The trees provided a nice amount of cover from the winds in comparison to lake camp and Clearwater so could be a better choice if the weather packs in. Though the price online is not up to date, at the time of our stay it was $20.
Overall it’s probably not worth your time and the risk of not finding a campsite. Added to that, access is via a 14ish km gravel road used by the station and traveler’s, not very suitable for smaller vehicles. Just go to lake camp or lake Clearwater for a better experience.
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South Island ▷ Mount Cook - MacKenzie ▷ Omarama ▷
Lake Middleton Campsite
A gorgeous and secluded campsite away from most of the tourist traffic.
Gorgeous views of lake Middleton and lake ohau right over the road. The wind was howling across Lake Ohau for part of our stay but we remained largely sheltered down in the campsite.
The facilities were pretty good too with flushing toilets and access to water (requires boiling and only available over the summer).
Would recommend this camp for short stays.