Profile
Robert Warner
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South Island ▷ Fiordland ▷ Milford Sound - Fiordland National Park ▷
Milford Sound Lodge – Rainforest Campervan Park
The facilities are pretty good (but very limited wifi), and the staff are okay.
I just wish you had some choices, because this was a big disappointment. We had a very limited view from our cramped campsite, and it was a bit of a walk to the bathroom from the campsites. On the map it appeared that this campground was closer to the lake, but that's not the case.
Maybe the lodge experience is better, but we elected to forfeit 35% of our prepaid reservation to leave a day early.
Milford Sound is stunningly beautiful, but not from here. It's very crowded, and unfortunately that detracts from the experience.
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South Island ▷ Queenstown Region ▷ Queenstown Township ▷
Queenstown TOP 10 Holiday Park
Excellent staff and facilities in a small, but quiet environment.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Haast ▷
Haast River Motels and Holiday Park
The only thing this campground lacks is ambience.
It's pretty sterile, but very new, very clean, and very nice.
The campground host was very friendly, and we enjoyed our one-night stay.
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South Island ▷ Fiordland ▷ Te Anau ▷
Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park & Motels
Not much to say.
Everything was perfect except the weather.
Friendly accommodating staff. Clean well-maintained facilities. And a beautiful view of the lake.
Solid 10.
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South Island ▷ Queenstown Region ▷ Queenstown Township ▷
Queenstown Holiday Park Creeksyde
Without a doubt, the facilities at Queenstown Top 10 Creeksyde are top-notch.
The toilets are decorated with amazing artwork, and everything is very clean and very well-maintained.
The location is within walking distance to the tram or downtown. Groceries are available at a supermarket just 2 blocks away.
Nice view of the surrounding mountains from the campsites, and decent atmosphere, but a little confined. And Queenstown itself was a bit more hurried than we would have liked on holiday. No fault to anyone, just the way it is.
Staff were very pleasant. Had the weather cooperated this would have been a great stay. If I went back to Queenstown I might look at more spacious options out of town, but those with powered sites are limited.
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Christchurch ▷
Amber Kiwi Holiday Park and Motels
Amber is well-maintained, and well-managed.
As some reviewers have stated, the spaces are a bit small, but my 7meter RV was off the road, safe, and there was even a car wash there. It's convenient to the airport, and as we were turning in our RV the following morning, this was a plus.
Hello Robert
Thanks for the feed back.
Regards
Braden
amberpark
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South Island ▷ Mount Cook - MacKenzie ▷ Mount Cook ▷
Glentanner Park
Make no mistake, you won't find a better location than Glentanner Park for a powered RV site near Mt Cook National Park.
The views are pretty nice. The sites are fairly spacious, and although the park is right off the main highway, the campground is fairly quiet. Cabins near the airfield may experience occasional helicopter, or airplane traffic, but as we were in late, and out early both days, it was not an issue for us.
I did not find the staff to be very friendly, with the exception of a girl working in the Gift Shop. Otherwise, it seemed like everyone wanted to be somewhere else.
This was one of the more expensive parks we booked, and the campground store and café was very expensive as well. If you want wifi you pay $5, but unless you're close to the kitchen/bathrooms, or the office you'll find it very slow.
Facilities are very well-maintained, or I'd rate them lower. Not one of our most memorable campground experiences.
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Christchurch ▷
Euro Campers
We rented a 5 berth RV from Euro, and were very happy with our choice.
The vehicle was in excellent condition and performed very well. The diesel motor had pretty good power, and handled nicely.
We spent 5 weeks on the road, and appreciated the owner Volkmar's recommendation that we make a one-way rental. That saved us time and money. The flight back from Christchurch to Auckland was much quicker than if we had driven a loop back, and saved us fuel, and ferry fares as well.
The only problem we had was with the refrigerator. For some reason it failed to switch over at times when we went from AC to propane or vice versa. Euro helped us with phone support, and when we were unable to get it working 100% of the time they helped us find a mechanic to look at it. Of course it was working when we took it in, and he was unable to determine the problem. We let it go at that point, as we had only about a week or so left.
Other than that we were completely happy with Euro, and would recommend them to anyone.
Hi Robert,
Thanks for your review. We are supper glad that you had such a good holiday and sorry again about the fridge. We have since fixed this problem with our local electrician.
Laura Albrecht
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Banks Peninsula ▷
Okains Bay Camping Ground
Okain's Bay is a beautiful location, but be aware there are no powered sites.
It's very rustic, and you just pick a spot to park - they're not marked. But the shower/kitchen/toilet facilities are very clean and in great working order.
From any direction the road into Okain's Bay is long, narrow, and winding. But the view from the Summit Road is fabulous, and if you have the time, it's well worth the drive.
Also, the park manager Michelle was very nice, and responded quickly to communications. All in all, it was a very pleasant experience.
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South Island ▷ Kaikoura Region ▷ Kaikoura ▷
Gore Bay Camping Ground
As other reviewers have said, Gore Bay is a throwback to the classic Kiwi campgrounds.
It is very well-maintained by the camp hosts Sue and Kerry are the nicest people you could meet.
The campground is small, but right on the cliff above Gore Bay with a short stairway to the beach. It's a beautiful beach, and wonderful location. We would definitely go back.
Only downside for us was the lack of wifi or cellphone service, so we had to go into Cheviot to make some communications. This would not have been a problem in the previous five weeks, but we were finishing up our journey, and had some details to wrap up. As it would not have been a problem but for the timing of our stay, I still give Gore Bay a 10.
Thank you for a wonderful, relaxing two night stay!
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South Island ▷ Coastal Otago ▷ Palmerston ▷
Moeraki Village Holiday Park
Beautiful location overlooking the coast to the north.
We woke up to an oceanview, and that's always a great way to start the day.
The space for our 7 meter RV was very sufficient, and the park manager Kristina was extremely pleasant, helpful, and prompt in communications.
We would stay here again in a heartbeat!
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Wellington ▷
Wellington Waterfront Motorhome Park
Excellent clean facility right on the harbor, and just a few minutes from the Interislander Ferry terminal.
As we were travelling to the South Island early the following morning, this location was perfect.
The young lad who was our camp host was very pleasant, and helpful with recommendations for activities for our afternoon and evening in Wellington. There's a lot to see and do, and numerous dining options close by.
The ambiance is the only aspect of the experience that wasn't great, but it's what we knew we were getting. Still, it was surprisingly quiet overnight.
For anyone headed to the ferry, I'd highly recommend this campground.
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North Island ▷ Bay of Plenty ▷ Waihi ▷
Waihi Motor Camp
Great facilities, and nicely staffed.
Decent view of the surrounding hills, and very quiet park.
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North Island ▷ Taupo Region ▷ Turangi ▷
Tongariro Holiday Park (Eivin's Lodge)
Tongariro Holiday Park's facilities are clean, and well-maintained.
I was very pleased with the showers, toilets, and laundry.
The surrounding views are okay, nothing real special, but nice enough.
The camp hostess was very unpleasant, and set a very unwelcome tone. Yes, we were late getting in, but only because we had bad directions for another campground and ended up here. I was apologetic, but she cut us no slack. The male caretaker, or perhaps her husband was very pleasant, but she set a very poor tone for our stay.
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Cable Bay ▷
Cable Bay Holiday Park
A lot of reviews note the narrow, winding road that leads you to Cable Bay, so I was expecting the worst, but I didn't find it as narrow as others we experienced, and it wasn't that far off the
main highway to Nelson. Well worth the drive in my opinion. And the facilities are very clean and well-maintained.
The camp host Hamish was super nice, and held us a great spot since we'd booked well in advance. The view of the wetlands and surrounding hills was great, and the beach isn't even a 5 minute walk.
Be sure to take the hillside track that starts at the south end of the beach. Beautiful views.
I highly recommend Cable Bay.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Punakaiki ▷
Punakaiki Beach Camp
First of all, our camp hostess was very nice, and responsive.
I think she was still working the office until after 10PM.
My wife would give the campground a 9, but I'd give it a 7 just because of the congestion around the common areas. Fairly crowded for me, but my wife took an early shower, and barely rubbed elbows with anyone.
The kitchen and bathrooms were very crowded, and people were lined up waiting to cook, wash dishes, dry clothes, etc. Kind of a typical large campground.
Still, we had a nice powered RV site backed up to the foliage fronting the beach. No view, but we could hear the ocean. And we had very nice neighbors.
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
NZ Discount Car Rentals Limited
We had excellent service from New Zealand Discount Car Rentals, and they saved us about 20-25% over major rental agencies.
We rented cars through them for weeks 1 and 7 of our trip, and were in an RV the rest of the time.
Granted, their cars have a few miles on them, but they're well-maintained. No problems with either car.
They are not far from the airport, and have prompt pickup and dropoff service. They even took us to where we needed to pick up our RV for the second leg of our visit.
My wife lost her cellphone during the trip, and left Jo's card from NZDCR. Jo was most helpful in assisting with the communication regarding the return of the phone when it was found.
We will visit New Zealand again, and we will be contacting NZDCR for our car.
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Golden Bay ▷
Wharariki Beach Holiday Park
This campground is set in one of the most scenic, and visually stunning areas in all of New Zealand.
I was hugely looking forward to our stay at this camp, and was greatly disappointed.
The scenery was beautiful, and it was wonderful to wake up to such stunning beauty, but the facilities, and staffing needed some work.
The facilities are fairly young, and in good condition. Everything was in good working order, but the toilets were so disgusting (between the stench and the hordes of sandflies) were almost unbearable. Second time using the long drop I brought a can of insect repellent, and killed all of the sandflies before proceeding.
The second day we were relieved to see the bathroom was being cleaned, and it was much more tolerable that night.
The other issue I had was with the camp host who seemed more interested in a couple of girls hanging out by the office than with our needs.
All in all, I'd stay a little further away, and drive to the parking lots to walk the trails. The area is well worth seeing, but I wouldn't stay at Wharariki again.
Sorry about your experience. We do have a problem with sand flies at times and can spray several times a day but they come back.The only time there is a "Stench" is if NO wind which is a rarity. Bathroom is cleaned every day between 10am and 11.30am. The "Camp Host" you encountered was a "worker" not the owner, and he is no longer there.
Glenda
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Kaitaia ▷
Ngapae Holiday Park
Very nice campground.
Great facilities, and very friendly staff. With a view I'd give it a 10.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Kerikeri ▷
Aroha Island
Our stay at Aroha Island was pleasant.
We were there for just one night, and the facilities were pretty good. I found that I can take a four minute shower, but my wife cannot.
Everything was clean and well-maintained, and the camp hostess was pleasant.
We were situated in a powered site in the upper campground. There is no view in that area, but non-powered tent sites below have a view of the bay.
It's a nice area, and if we could have stayed awake we might have seen some Kiwi's.
The campground is situated on a peninsula that's almost like an island since the land bridge to the peninsula is so narrow. There's a trail around the campground that is a nice short hike, and the views of the bay are nice.
Might stay here again sometime.
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North Island ▷ Taupo Region ▷ Taupo ▷
Mountain Shuttle
The attitude of the pair who actually drove us to the park saved this review from totally trashing Mountain Shuttle, but here is how it went.
We'd intended to stay at Mountain Shuttle Freedom Camp the night prior, but couldn't find it because there was no signage. Our contact from the website basically told me to "look at the map."
Had I been given some adequate information I'd have rated the experience an 8, because the shuttle was only about 15 minutes late (waiting for a late passenger) leaving for Tongariro, and the driver and the other staff person were pleasant, so I don't fault them.
Shame on Mountain Shuttle for not giving adequate information, and causing undue stress to their customers.
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North Island ▷ Bay of Plenty ▷ Te Puke ▷
Maketu Beach Holiday Park
This park was an unexpected gem.
We had no expectations, and were extremely pleased with the outcome.
First, we were situated in a powered RV site directly overlooking the beach. The weather was great, and to wake up to the surf lapping at the shore was so pleasant.
We met some very nice neighbors from near Hamilton, and enjoyed their company greatly, such nice people.
Then another plus was the café situated at the corner of the property. Our RV was about 30 feet away. We ate there twice, and really enjoyed the staff. Food was a 7 or 8, but ambience was a 10!
Facilities were dated, but in decent shape. And the folks operating the park were very nice, and very responsive.
We would go back to Maketu Beach without hesitation.