Profile
Phillippa McLernon
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North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
Avondale Motor Park
Good option for Auckland, out in the suburbs so you avoid driving into the city and parking which is apparently a nightmare.
10 minutes walk to train station, 30 minute pleasant train ride into the city. Decent facilities, lots of permanent residents with caravans onsite. Was a good place for us to finish our trip and spend our evening sorting out the van. $45 for 2 adults on a powered site. Book ahead or get there early as it fills up very quickly.
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North Island ▷ Waikato ▷ Hamilton ▷
Narrows Park Camp
Even though this place is a Christian kids camp primarily, you can camp there and treat it as if it is a normal campsite.
The grounds are very pretty and spacious, we practically had the place to ourselves! It's an easy 15 minute drive to Hamilton city centre, and the Hamilton Gardens which are very beautiful and worth spending an afternoon at. The kitchen is very basic but if you have your own pots and pans in your van you will be fine. They have actually plumbed really good showers in so you can have unlimited, hot, powerful showers which was great! All in all, a great stay.
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it :)
narrowspark
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North Island ▷ Waikato ▷ Waitomo ▷
Waitomo TOP 10 Holiday Park
Finally a Top 10 that lives up to its name!
For a start, it's much prettier and more tranquil than other Top 10's because it's set in beautiful lush rolling countryside. The grounds are immaculate. It's compact but has everything you need on site, including a very nice pool and hot tub. The staff are friendly and helpful. It's only a 600m walk to the glowworm cave, and I believe the other caves are just a bit further on. Basically, Waitomo is a great place to linger and recharge because it's very small, beautiful, and everything can be reached on foot. We only planned to stay 1 night but ended up staying 2 as it was so nice. Highly recommend the HUHU cafe which is just next to reception, the Top 10 staff will probably mention it to you. We had a fantastic lunch there - innovative menu and very friendly staff. Great for veggies/vegans too. They also have a kids menu I noticed.
Only reason I give this Top 10 a 9 instead of a 10 is because the showers weren't very powerful (although they are hot) - this makes it difficult to wash your hair quickly when you're on a timer! Otherwise, a great experience.
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North Island ▷ Taupo Region ▷ Taupo ▷
Taupo DeBretts Spa Resort Holiday Park
Expensive ($50 for one night on a powered site) but you do get a discount on their hot springs ($11 per person instead of $22) - private pools were a particularly nice treat and great for adults/couples
. Included in entry for the springs. We had a restful nights sleep here, it was good for one night.
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Rotorua ▷
Rotorua Tasman Holiday Parks
Free WiFi, good location for the Maori evening trips, 2 x thermal pools that are free to use as a guest!
Facilities could definitely do with upgrading, very tired but kept relatively clean.
That's right Free Wifi!! Glad you had a great experience in Rotorua and hope you enjoyed the rest of the trip :)
Thanks
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North Island ▷ Hawkes Bay ▷ Te Awanga ▷
Clifton Road Reserve
We were there on an incredibly treacherous night, the wind and rain never let up!
Word of advice - park behind one of the hedges if you can as a wind break, we didn't and our van got battered by the wind all night long! Very scary at times! I could see it would be a great spot in calm conditions. The sea views are fantastic. Clean, well designed toilets, bins and a water supply.
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North Island ▷ Manawatu - Wanganui ▷ Dannevirke ▷
Dannevirke Holiday Park
If only all campsites were like this!!!
Affordable ($24 for 2 adults on a powered site), unlimited hot showers, free wifi, beautiful setting, plentiful wildlife (ducks, deer, cows) - highly recommended! The best we've experienced yet.
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North Island ▷ Wairarapa ▷ Masterton ▷
Mawley Holiday Park
A really lovely campsite.
Well maintained, excellent facilities and nice and peaceful. The only thing that lets it down slightly is the public access at one end, as many others have already mentioned. It just meant we didn't feel as comfortable moving around the site freely and leaving our van unattended. A pity because otherwise it was excellent.
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Wellington ▷
Wellington Waterfront Motorhome Park
It's not a campsite, it's a makeshift car park next to a very busy stretch of road.
The level of noise you experience completely depends on the site you're allocated - some are on the other side away from the road, some are right next to it. NB - site 28 is on top of a pedestrian crossing which ticks all night!! Suffice to say it wasn't a good nights sleep, combined with the traffic noise and the streetlights shining through the curtains. The only good thing is the location, you can walk everywhere from here - Te Papa, the waterfront, parliament buildings, botanical gardens. It was OK for one night, then we escaped as soon as we could to the quieter country campsites again!
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Wellington ▷
Evans Bay Marina Carpark
Essentially a concrete car park but with a nice marina back drop.
A good find for one night's free camping but wouldn't have wanted to stay longer. Very busy in high season and noisy late at night with people arriving off the last ferry. We also had a van of young backpackers close to us who were drinking and screeching well into the early hours (but that was just unfortunate, nothing to do with the campsite itself). The public toilets on site are pretty grim.
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South Island ▷ Marlborough ▷ Picton / Marlborough Sounds ▷
Picton Tasman Holiday Parks
Friendly check in lady.
Campsite much smaller and older facilities than Kaikoura, as many have said, but it still had a nice feel. Some complimentary WiFi. We stayed for the location - just a 10-15 minute stroll to town through the marina which is very pretty. Picton is a lovely little place.
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Nelson ▷
Nelson City TOP 10 Holiday Park
We had a really pleasant two night stay here.
It was a very calm, civilised campsite and felt very safe. The older gent who checked us in was very smiley and friendly. The sites feel really private due to being tree lined, and we had our own fresh water tap and dump station on our plot! 15 minute walk to a very big New World supermarket, 25 minute walk into the city. Nelson is a very sweet little city - we went to the cinema, provincial museum (recommended for early colonial history and Maori culture) and also walked up to the cathedral at the top of the hill. Lots of nice cafes and bars, a few particularly nice looking ones at the foot of the cathedral steps. Recommended!
Hi Philippa
Thank you for taking time to share your experience with us.
I am glad to hear you had a great stay at our park, sounds like you made the most of your holiday!
Jenny McNamee
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South Island ▷ Marlborough ▷ Blenheim ▷
Spring Creek Holiday Park
Very close to all the main wineries, 5-10 minutes drive maximum.
Very friendly lady at reception. Feeding the eels & ducks was a fun novelty. We enjoyed the ducks wandering around and the sound of them quacking waking us up. Get a site by the creek if you can, it's very pretty and peaceful. Very dated and basic facilities. Could benefit from a deep clean, as someone else said on here. Have to pay $1 for a 6 minute hot shower, which wasn't quite enough for me and I got caught by it turning freezing cold at the end both times! The communal kitchen was reminiscent of being back in student dorms, not the most pleasant cooking experience. OK for 1-2 nights but couldn't have done longer!
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South Island ▷ Kaikoura Region ▷ Kaikoura ▷
Kaikoura TOP 10 Holiday Park
We stayed at the height of the peak season and it was very busy but felt very safe, in large part because there were so many kids and young families around.
The staff were very friendly and helpful. There's a really nice cafe called Hislops directly opposite the entrance to this Top 10, really nice food and good veggie/vegan options too! We enjoyed the complimentary 30 min hot tub sessions at the campsite after a chilly afternoon swimming in the sea with dolphins :) A nice 10-15 minute stroll into town from here for booking activities, shops, cafes. There's also a really sweet 1950's cinema on the esplanade where we enjoyed a film on our first night which I would recommend - it was like stepping back in time! Only downside I can think of is that the spaces are small - it didn't bother us much but if you're someone who likes to spread out you would be disappointed. Overall though a good stay.
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Hanmer Springs ▷
Hanmer River Holiday Park
Family run place which is always nice when you turn up in a new area.
They were welcoming. Close to hot springs which we enjoyed for a couple of hours that afternoon! Beautiful drive in and out of Hanmer Springs. Facilities quite old but well maintained. Basic but clean.
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Christchurch ▷
Amber Kiwi Holiday Park and Motels
Very friendly lady running it, who was very kind to us when we arrived after a traumatic day on the road.
Decent modern facilities and powered sites. More expensive due to the proximity to the city ($48 for 2 of us on a powered site) but overall a good experience.
Thankyou Phillippa for your feedback
Regards
Braden
amberpark
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Hawarden ▷
Waipara Sleepers Motor Camp
Friendly owners, fresh bread, cosy and homely kitchen.
We were in a camper but the railway sleepers looked amazing! Pegasus Bay winery close by is stunning.
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Banks Peninsula ▷
Okains Bay Camping Ground
Very peaceful campsite.
Basic but clean facilities. Powerful hot showers, kitchen with lots of plug sockets, washing facilities etc. Try and park near them if you can. Stunning little beach within steps from the camping areas, you can hear the sea at night! Overall we had a great stay here.
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Banks Peninsula ▷
French Farm
Stunning lake setting.
Incredible views of the Milky Way by night. Only 10 minutes or so drive into Akaroa town from here, nice place to spend the night if you don't need access to showers.