Profile
GN100
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North Island ▷ Hawkes Bay ▷ Hastings ▷
Haumoana Domain
Good spot close to the beach - relatively quiet.
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North Island ▷ Ruapehu ▷ Tongariro / National Park Village ▷
Whakapapa Holiday Park
Very sheltered campground near the chateau, and at the base of the climb up Bruce Road to Whakapapa ski field.
Spaces for campervans amongst tall beech trees keeps the wind out, but therefore reduces the amount of sun. Good clean facilities , and very close to visitor centre, tavern and café.
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North Island ▷ Manawatu - Wanganui ▷ Palmerston North ▷
Himatangi Beach TOP 10 Holiday Park
Very good holiday park, with immaculately clean facilities.
The campground has many permanent facilities (caravans with annex's built around them, meaning most sites are taken, but will often be empty. Very friendly hosts. Only issue staying here is the hoons/bogans on motorbikes and cars, either on the road or the beach - nothing wrong with the campground itself, which is excellent
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North Island ▷ Ruapehu ▷ Tongariro / National Park Village ▷
Mangahuia Campsite
Nice campsite near the base of Mt Ruapehu.
Moderately sheltered, there are about a dozen spots for campervans and a few tent sites. Whakapapiti walking track starts from the far end of the campground.
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North Island ▷ Taranaki ▷ Patea ▷
Waverley Beach Camping Ground
Good, reasonably priced campground ($12 for powered site for the family).
Great location by beautiful coastline, with children's playground on adjacent grassed area. Nice grassy site at end of road, so quiet. Facilities a bit tired but good hot showers
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Wellington ▷
Wellington Botanic Gardens
Great spot, so close to the CBD but feels like you are a long way from civilisation.
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North Island ▷ Tairāwhiti Gisborne ▷ Gisborne ▷
Gisborne isite Visitor Information Centre
Plenty of information and helpful staff.
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North Island ▷ Wairarapa ▷ Masterton ▷
Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre
Lovely bush, but limited wildlife.
Well situated cafe and birdlife.
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Wellington ▷
Museum of New Zealand
Excellent displays, very interactive, so good for people of all ages.
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North Island ▷ Ruapehu ▷ Tongariro / National Park Village ▷
Mount / Mt Ruapehu
Brilliant walk with stunning views.
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North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Coromandel Town ▷
The Waterworks
Excellent activity for young kids - quirky but different.
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South Island ▷ Queenstown Region ▷ Queenstown Township ▷
TSS Earnslaw Cruise
Dinner cruise - excellent - well maintained steamship in a stunning location.
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North Island ▷ Wairarapa ▷ Masterton ▷
Mount / Mt Holdsworth Jumbo Circuit
Very good walk with good views, but prone to wild weather on top so be prepared.
During summer both Powell and Jumbo huts require pre booking.
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South Island ▷ Marlborough ▷ Picton / Marlborough Sounds ▷
Picton isite Visitor Information Centre
Helpful staff.
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Golden Bay ▷
Golden Bay Holiday Park
Nice campground with private access to golden sand beach.
The beach was very tidal (as is all of Golden Bay). Some sites had good shade, while others were a bit open. Facilities generally older, but very clean and well maintained, except the kids playground that could do with some work. Great café a short walk up the road, along with a couple of galleries
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Golden Bay ▷
Pohara Beach TOP 10 Holiday Park
Nice campground with good clean well maintained facilities, but very expensive.
I imagine in peak season this would be a bit packed with rows and rows of campers. Adjacent to lovely beach, which is very tidal, but the water is much warmer here than at other beaches
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Motueka ▷
Koha Camping
Lovely spot on the Motueka River.
The invitation to pick fresh fruit and veges from the organic gardens was a very pleasant surprise, especially considering this site is free. The camping area is a gravel parking area and got a little packed, but plenty of space on the rest of the property to wander. Don, who was looking after the site was extremely friendly and helpful.
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Cable Bay ▷
Cable Bay Holiday Park
Small campground with very friendly owners - nice quiet atmosphere.
About 200 metres from the beach, which is mostly stony, but good swimming at low tide, when the flatter sandy part of the beach is exposed.
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South Island ▷ Marlborough ▷ Picton / Marlborough Sounds ▷
Whatamango Bay Campsite
Nice campsite in close proximity to Picton.
Windy, but sealed road from Waikawa Bay. Beach is stony and tidal, but very pleasant and well maintained. Would definitely return.
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South Island ▷ Marlborough ▷ Havelock ▷
Smiths Farm Holiday Park
Small campsite, but very nice - immaculately maintained and very friendly owners.
Muffins on arrival was a very pleasant surprise. Each site is small, but there is heaps of shared space and the kids loved feeding the animals and exploring the property. A few Kms from the beach, but a lovely spot, and reasonably priced.
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North Island ▷ Wairarapa ▷ Masterton ▷
Holdsworth Campsite
Excellent large campsite at the base of Tararua Forest Park - nice river and plenty of tracks to walk.
Surrounded by mature bush
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North Island ▷ Hawkes Bay ▷ Tutira ▷
Lake Tutira Campsite
Lovely tranquil lake and campsite with a number of mature trees to offer shade.
Feels more remote (600 metres from main road SH2 ), but some traffic noise. Apparently the water quality is poor in the lake, but OK for a paddle.
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Abel Tasman ▷
Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve
Well maintained, clean campground across the road from lovely beach.
Very busy - both campground and beach - rows and rows of campers, a little sterile.
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North Island ▷ Tairāwhiti Gisborne ▷ Tokomaru Bay ▷
Tokomaru Bay
This is not 1 site but 3 separate sites that are run by the council for self contained campers.
Very cheap, permits can be picked up from a variety of locations. The northern site has toilets, but is closer to the road/skate park. The other 2 towards the southern end of the bay have no facilities but are quieter
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North Island ▷ Hawkes Bay ▷ Napier ▷
Hawkes Bay Holiday Park
This park is best suited to campervans, and not so much for children, as there are no kids facilities.
Nice, quiet except for road noise as right next to SH2, and easily the cleanest facilities at any campground I have seen (as clean as a good hotel!). Not as much around, so ideal as a base, but need to drive to get to shops etc
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North Island ▷ Bay of Plenty ▷ Waihi ▷
Anzac Bay, Bowentown Domain
Great location - nice grassy sites facing in across the harbor (as opposed to the open sea), ender pohutukawa trees.
Limited to 3 vehicles at a time
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North Island ▷ Tairāwhiti Gisborne ▷ Gisborne ▷
Pouawa Beach
Great beach, need permit which can be obtained from several locations (eg Gisborne iSite).
Small area of land between main road and beach. In the peak season it is cramped and so you may end up next to the road ......we moved on but outside of peak season, get a site furthest away from road (eg right by the beach), where there are some good sites
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North Island ▷ Tairāwhiti Gisborne ▷ Tolaga Bay ▷
Tolaga Bay Freedom Camping
Nice spot by the sea - for self contained campers only.
Council permit needed in advance that can be picked up from a variety of locations. Very cheap
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Paraparaumu ▷
Paekakariki Holiday Park
Good campground close to the beach and reasonably sheltered.
Facilities pretty good / clean.
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North Island ▷ Taupo Region ▷ Turangi ▷
Oruatua Picnic Site
No facilities, but a great spot to spend the night, right by the lake edge.
Lake was warm for swimming. Quiet spot with plenty of room
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North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Coromandel Town ▷
Port Jackson Campsite
Great campsite right on the water's edge.
DOC site with limited facilities, but well maintained. The drive in is demanding in a large campervan, but take care and time, and enjoy this great spot.
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North Island ▷ Tairāwhiti Gisborne ▷ Wairoa ▷
Opoutama Beach Reserve, Mahia
Nice spot near a great beach.
Seaweed etc seems to collect in the first 100 metres of the beach, but beyond is great. Basic toilet block is the only facility, but its free. We spent some time at the other end of the beach where holiday homes and the commercially run campground were, and retreated back here. Only problems were the high proportion of bogans .... but we were there on December 30/31
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North Island ▷ Tairāwhiti Gisborne ▷ Tokomaru Bay ▷
Anaura Bay Campsite
Cramped in peak season, but a great spot next to a great beach.
We didn't stay the night, but are keen to stay another time outside of the Christmas seasoin
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North Island ▷ Tairāwhiti Gisborne ▷ Gisborne ▷
Turihaua Beach
In peak season this place is crazy and it is so cramped and tents pitched right next to SH2 (dangerous!).
The strip of land between the main road and the beach is so skinny, you will always feel the trucks rumbling past. Great beach though, and maybe worthwhile outside the Christmas/January time period if you can nab a site away from the road ..... but probably better to head a couple of kms north to Pouawa (similar but more land between road and beach)
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North Island ▷ Wairarapa ▷ Masterton ▷
Kiriwhakapapa Campsite
Nice compact campground surrounded by steep bush covered slopes.
Mostly grassed and would probably be a bit soft in winter (and no doubt would have limited sun in mid winter due to the surrounding hills) for vehicles. The 7km road in is windy and gravel for the last 4kms so care needs to be taken, especially in a campervan.
Basic facilities like most DOC campsites, with good walking tracks (steep climb up to Blue Range and beyond, a more leisurely 2hr walk (each way) to the Mikimiki road end, and a shorter loop walk of less than an hour. Would definitely return.
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North Island ▷ Wairarapa ▷ Greytown ▷
Morison Bush Picnic and Camping Area
Nice campsite with no facilities - rural setting (some animal poo around) beside the Ruamahanga River with shade from manuka or kanuka trees.
Phone ahead if you want to camp.
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North Island ▷ Manawatu - Wanganui ▷ Palmerston North ▷
Scotts Ferry Camping Ground
Small grassed section about 1 kilometer short of the beach, just as you come into Scotts Ferry.
Toilets not great, gents didn't have hand-basin. Both toilets and showers are in concrete water tanks. Kitchen seemed fine. Nice and cheap ($5 for non powered site for the family), but permanent caravans etc seemed to fill half the site and were in a state of disrepair. Seemed to have a bunch of strange long stay residents, which made for slightly uncomfortable atmosphere.
Custodians very friendly. Difficult to access the beach as sometimes you have to ford through 50-100m stretch of water just beyond the carpark.
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Hutt Valley ▷
Kaitoke Regional Park Camping Ground
Very good, very large campsite close to a river.
$6 adults, $3 kids. This is run by the Regional Council, but similar to DOC campsites.
Excellent walking tracks nearby, suitable for all ages, through pristine native bush.
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North Island ▷ Manawatu - Wanganui ▷ Whanganui ▷
Turakina Beach Camp / Koitiata Camping Ground
Excellent site in small community.
The powered sites are in a nice grassed section, while the non powered are beside the road, albeit the end of the road. Good kids playground 100 metres away, and beach access is from the playground. A bit of a walk (10 minutes) to the beach as you follow the Turakina river to the mouth. A wild black-sand beach. Toilet and shower block a bit gloomy. There is a dump station for campervans. Friendly custodians across road.
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North Island ▷ Ruapehu ▷ Waiouru ▷
National Army Museum
Pretty boring site, being a sealed carpark, but clean, tidy and excellent security, and plenty of space to park.
We arrived at 1am and the friendly security guy came past and checked within 5 minutes. Highly recommended if just stopping for a sleep and/or maybe a look through the excellent museum, but otherwise nothing else to see/do.
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South Island ▷ Marlborough ▷ Blenheim ▷
Whites Bay Campsite
Excellent DOC campsite - very sheltered with established native bush surrounding several small camping areas.
Lovely sandy crescent shaped beach - great for swimming.
Take note that the road from Rarangi to Whites Bay, while only about 5kms, is very steep and very windy and reasonably narrow (we were in a 6-berth campervan and had to be careful!)
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North Island ▷ Taupo Region ▷ Taupo ▷
Taupo DeBretts Spa Resort Holiday Park
Clean and tidy campsite on outskirts of town.
Expensive for what it offered.
The adjacent hot springs were looking a little tired, and while campers got a discount, there was no free entry
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Otaki ▷
North River Bank
Bare, barren stony beach but reasonably isolated.
Plenty of space for many campervans - we were 150m from the nearest van. Slightly tricky to find as initially an old sign indicates no camping, but go past this onto the beach and a new sign indicates self contained campervans are welcome
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South Island ▷ Kaikoura Region ▷ Kaikoura ▷
Meatworks Beachfront
Good campside right by the Pacific Ocean - reasonably exposed, but very good for a free spot
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South Island ▷ Marlborough ▷ Blenheim ▷
Kekerengu
Great camping alongside the Pacific Ocean.
Just drop down to the beach on the north side of the cafe to plenty of spots. Main road and railway line aren't far away, so a bit of noise. Moderately sheltered (except from the east!)