Profile
Shelley
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Hanmer Springs ▷
Alpine Holiday Apartments and Campground
Very friendly and helpful staff.
Showers and toilets are clean and serviceable although a bit dated, but lots of hot water, good shower pressure and heater in the bathroom. Camper sites were fine and reasonably close to facilities. Internet available but on a pay basis and we didn't use it. Dump station was closed because access impossible over all the snow on the grass. It was fine for an overnight and a quiet peaceful setting just out of town.
Thank you for your response. Others like to know where affordable campsites are and that they are clean, and the price is all inclusive of hot showers and kitchens to use.
alpineholidayapartments
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Franz Josef ▷
Franz Josef Campervan Park
This site is part of quite a large complex that includes motel units.
We arrived at night and just stayed one night. It was fairly straightforward and $45 for three of us in a powered site. The bathrooms are fairly new and nicely done. Shower pressure average but nice and hot. Ventilation only via a ceiling vent which I hadn't a hope of reaching (at 5'4") so when I arrived in the bathroom it was already dripping in condensation from the previous occupant who perhaps had the same issue. Since they have electric lighting seems that an extractor fan would be easily included. Had to pay a $20 deposit to get the key to the bathrooms. The free wifi was limited to 400 MB but was only available on one device at a time and so glacially slow (no pun intended!) that we gave up and hot spotted our phone for faster service. The manager did apologise for the wifi the next day when refunding our key deposit and said the whole township has huge issues with having enough capacity for internet demands.
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South Island ▷ Wanaka Region ▷ Wanaka Township ▷
Hampshire Holiday Park Wanaka
Friendly staff.
Facilities are reasonably clean and ok, although hot water in shower tapered off towards the end making us wonder if they had set a timer on the hot water flow plus a bit strange having a group of people washing their dishes in the bathroom! We were in a camper so can't comment on sleeping facilities. Close to supermarket and shops which is an advantage. Having to buy wifi which would only work on one device at a time is a definite disadvantage and a rort, and if we had known earlier we'd have gone somewhere else as there are other options in Wanaka which have it free. Most places we have stayed now include unlimited wifi for multiple devices in their price which is cheaper than this place! It's a big camp and reminded us of a Butlins holiday camp - kind of dull and industrial but some people might not mind that. Site was not level. Would not choose to stay here again.
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South Island ▷ Southland ▷ Waikawa ▷
Whistling Frog Café & Resort at Cathedral Caves
We got snowed in here for an extra night and actually ended up glad that we did!
Very friendly and warm welcome in mid winter from the young people running the camp. The second night they canned the normal cafe menu and made a huge roast lamb dinner for any of the three or four groups who were stuck and keen to join them. We ate at the cafe the night before and the food was great. Talented and passionate chefs in the kitchen producing food far beyond expectation In such a far flung place. Great local knowledge gave us good tips on where to visit for good photo ops. Facilities were fine and hot showers appreciated. Sheltered powered sites on nice firm pebbled surface. Bellbirds in the tree outside our camper in the morning a major bonus. Only criticism (and it's pretty minor) is that the unlimited wifi, while welcome, would be more convenient issued in a 24 hour slot rather than having to enter another voucher number every two hours. But that doesn't detract from an enjoyable stay. We will definitely go back another time.
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South Island ▷ Coastal Otago ▷ Oamaru ▷
Waitaki Waters Holiday Park
Nice staff and grounds were fine.
We arrived late and left early so didn't really use the facilities much. Mid winter so we had our pick of sites and no other camper vans that we could see. Well positioned walking distance to river/sea and quick drive to Riverstone cafe which has great food
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South Island ▷ Southland ▷ Balclutha ▷
Kaka Point Camping Ground
Arrived on a Sunday in July to find ourselves the only campervan.
A very friendly lady arrived soon after to help us get sorted and give us the password for free WiFi. Kitchen and bathroom facilities were spotlessly clean and free showers definitely a bonus. Only downside is location is away from the beach but that is probably a bonus in a storm. It was fairly sheltered with nice trees around. We could choose our own site and there ended up being only one other camper, it being mid-Winter. It was a fine place to stay, and a quick drive to Nugget Point Lighthouse (well worth the visit) at dawn.
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South Island ▷ Southland ▷ Papatowai ▷
Cathedral Caves Walk
Visitors should beware that the caves are shut in winter.
There is nothing online or printed to indicate this. In fact the DoC website says that during their winter hours (May-October) they are only open weekends and school holidays, but having just tried to visit in the school holidays we can say this is not true and locals confirmed it. Huge disappointment if you have travelled all this way (as we did) and then got stuck there (snowed in) only to find that they are not open at all. Venture Southland should try to exert some pressure on the Kai Tahu owners to manage this attraction in a more tourist-friendly way. No wonder visitors get so cross! Feel sorry for the other businesses who cop all the flak from disgruntled tourists.
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
Wendekreisen Travel
4 berth (LT35) for 8 days.
Positives:
Company quick to respond to queries
Depot staff very friendly and helpful
Older vehicle, well maintained and serviced
Diesel turbo generally powerful and responsive
reasonably well equipped kitchen-wise
Stereo exceeded expectations as we could plug iPad in
Lots more space than anticipated
Negatives:
Uninsulated single glazed. Our daughter found her sheet had frozen to the wall, covered in icicles, but you get what you pay for.
No cup holders in the front cab maybe due to age and type of vehicle
Only 2 powerpoints is a hassle these days
Instruction manual awful for newbies. Tired, dated, inaccurate. When you get your walk-through at the beginning of the rental, there is so much to take in, you do need a better manual.
Rear seats definitely right at the back of the vehicle, not comfortable, tend to lead to a numb backside
Condensation a huge problem, even with ventilation
Gas cooker - maybe typical of camper stoves - but very low output so it took ages to cook anything; grill useless
No dishwash liquid, dishcloths so had to buy these in larger quantity than we would use in a week.
Snow chains included in our hire but had never used them before and had no idea which set of wheels they went on. No info in the instructions we were given, so had to email the company to find out as no cellphone coverage where we were. They were quick to respond though
Bed extremely hard and uncomfortable due to age and type of vehicle. If you can sleep anywhere, go for it!
Overall, a really good company for a budget camper-van holiday. Staff really friendly, definitely good value for money. So long as you are aware of the limitations of their older vehicles, you can save quite a lot this way. For our first foray into the world of motorhomes we really enjoyed our holiday - one of the best we've had actually.
Dear Shelley, thank you for your constructive feedback. You might like to hear that we are currently building 7 X Koru Star 2ST 2015 model prototypes. This fleet may be fitted with double glazed windows. All future models may also be fitted with double glazing. These units will be available as of 1st October 2015.
Reservations Wendekreisen