Karina Walters
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Rangiora ▷
Waikuku Beach Holiday Park
First off, you get what you pay for so it is much cheaper than a Top 10 site and as such we didn't have as high expectations.
Unfortunately those were not even met... Although I can say the staff was very nice! First off, it is not actually on the beach, it is about a 5 min walk over to the beach. Second, there are a ton of (I counted 44) permanent campers there even though I didn't see people in half of them - very weird. And the spots are packed in like sardines. The facilities were very old and dilapidated. Granted we were there in the winter but even for the off season half the things didn't work. And hot water in the showers is limited to 6 minutes (token based) but forget getting it in the kitchen for dishes or in the bathroom to wash your hands (the water is pretty cold when it's 35 degrees outside). The dump station is just a hole in the middle of the driveway when you pull in... Again fortunately it wasn't busy when we came but very awkward when there were other cars trying to get by. We stayed the night for free down the coast right on the beach the night before so maybe we were just a little spoiled. I felt like we basically just paid for electricity... The amenities were not there.
Thank you for taking time to review us, and for your kind comments about the staff. There is a shelter belt of trees on the sand dunes between the holiday park and the sea. Out of 193 campsites, we have approximately 50 with annual parking privileges for which they pay a fee. They aren't actually living here. There are 3 kitchens. The boiler is off in one of those kitchens for the winter, but there is hot water available from the "zip" water heater, which is fairly common amongst older holiday parks. We apologise if you were not made aware of that.
waikuku_park
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South Island ▷ Kaikoura Region ▷ Kaikoura ▷
Meatworks Beachfront
AMAZING!
This was our favorite camp site by far - we were here in the winter and had the place to ourselves. The location is just phenomenal! We slept to the sound of the waves and woke up with the most amazing sunrise right out our window. It is freedom camping so expect as much. There is a bathroom that was actually quite clean with toilet paper but that's about it.
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Wellington ▷
Wellington Waterfront Motorhome Park
Very urban but excellent location and quieter at night than we expected (there is some road noise).
Walking distance to Cable Car, Botanical Gardens, shops/restaurants, Te
Papa and 5 minute drive to the ferry in the morning.
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North Island ▷ Hawkes Bay ▷ Hastings ▷
Eastbourne Street West
This is a parking lot in the middle of the CBD thus the location is ideal to walk out the door and check out all the shops or eat a bite - like staying in a hotel with the great location but no cost.
It was remarkably quiet at night except you are right next to the bell tower (it's really not that loud).
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North Island ▷ Hawkes Bay ▷ Hastings ▷
Richmond Road Reserve, Clive
This is a beautiful secluded spot but it is all soft gravel/rocks and not amenable to an RV.
We got stuck! But thankfully one of the very nice locals was there and towed us out.