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Corina Sima
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North Island ▷ Bay of Plenty ▷ Waihi ▷
Waihi Motor Camp
We were totally scared to go to this place after reading the reviews here.
Nevertheless, we decided to try it as it was the only camping in the area which had a kitchen & hot showers. So imagine my shock when a smiling old lady showed up at the reception, very friendly, extremely nice to us! Seriously, the complete opposite of who you'd expect after reading the older comments. She also gave us advice about seeing the old gold mine.
About the camping: it cost $40 for the 2 of us, we were told to choose whatever spot we'd like for our campervan. So we parked on grass, near some trees, quite nice.
The facilities are so and so. Ok for a night, but the toilets & showers are a bit dated and mouldy I think, they weren't very inviting. For this price, I expect better bathrooms. The kitchen was basic but ok. There's a covered area with tables and benches just outside. There's also a pool on the premises.
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Rotorua ▷
Cosy Cottage Thermal Holiday Park
We paid $40 for an unpowered site (2 people, 27 February), it's not cheap, but the facilities are quite ok, so all in all it was a good stay.
We were assigned a spot - on the grass, close to some bushes and then a stream. You don't have a lot of personal space, but at least it's all green. Some wooden tables and chairs are scattered around the grass area. A faint sulphuric smell came and went near our spot, but it wasn't very strong. Couldn't feel it around the facilities at all.
The facilities are nearby and are clean. Kitchen had fridge, kettle, microwave, dish soap etc. A few chairs to sit inside, more benches just outside (covered area). You can borrow some pots, plates etc from the reception (need deposit). The bathrooms are good: free untimed hot showers with good pressure, a hairdryer. There's a lounge upstairs, but it looks really old - it does have a piano, though. The cool part is that there are 3 hot pools (only thermal, natural water) - I really enjoyed those. There's also a colder pool. The lake is close, a very short walk away. You can rent a shovel and dig a hole in the sand to get hot water to sit in, it's hilarious (and dirty of course). They have a few Hangi steam ovens. Lots of leaflets with activities at the reception, also the staff can give you advice - though it's more about paid attractions and less about free ones...
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North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Coromandel Town ▷
YHA Coromandel
Nice camping.
An unpowered site cost $18 per person, we parked on superb grass and had a lot of space (you can choose your own spot). The kitchen and bathrooms are clean. The only downside with the showers is that they have a strange layout, the door that locks is shared by 2 showers, each having a curtain. So basically all your stuff is in the shared area, so not a lot of privacy if 2 people are showering at the same time. The kitchen is equipped with microwave, kettle, pots, cups and plates etc. There's a covered area with tables and benches right next to it. There's also a lounge. All in all, a good stay. The property looks like it's well looked after.
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Levin ▷
Levin TOP 10 Holiday Park
Overall OK.
We took an unpowered site ($16 per person), there's a large grass area where you can set camp, either near the trees or further away (your choice). The lady at the reception was nice and friendly. The facilities are clean. The kitchen is big enough, with stoves, sinks, tables, chairs, dish soap, kettle, microwave, fridge and a few pots. The showers are free and timed (5 min). But it was the silliest shower I've ever taken: they have good water pressure, which is great in itself, but not so great when you can only control the temperature and not the pressure. I spent half of my 5 minutes either freezing or being burnt, reaching for the wheel-like knob and trying to get it right. It probably gets better at the 2nd try. There's a big play area for kids. The laundry machines operate on coins, and you don't need washing detergent (liquid detergent is dispensed directly into the machine, included in the price). The strange thing is that the kitchen closes at 9pm - so if you arrive late at the camping, you need to hurry. No one kicked us out at 9 sharp, but the owner did come at 9.30 to close it (luckily, we had just finished doing our dishes). Same goes for the laundry room, open from 7am to 9pm. Good mobile signal. All in all, a good place for our one night stay.
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South Island ▷ Kaikoura Region ▷ Kaikoura ▷
Kaikoura Peketa Beach Holiday Park
I have mixed feelings about taking an unpowered site at this camping.
On one hand, you can park on the grass, close to the beach, which is really nice and picturesque. And you can have enough space around you and privacy. It's amazing to wake up facing the sea. We saw dolphins jumping in the water in the morning. On the other hand, you are quite far from the facilities in this way, and it's a dark and bumpy way through the bushes to get to them (not very convenient at night). The showers are free and timed, and it's really weird that the button for turning it on/off is located outside the cabin itself. It's nice that they have music/radio in the bathroom. The bathrooms are clean. No hairdryer. The kitchen is not very big, but it wasn't crowded either. $36 for 2 persons, unpowered site. Near the beach there is mobile signal, in other areas not so much.
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South Island ▷ Kaikoura Region ▷ Kaikoura ▷
Lobster Inn
Friendly staff, we arrived a few minutes after 8pm (after hours) and managed to get a spot for our sleeping van.
We were assigned a site on the grass for $40. It's definitely not a picturesque place, but it's ok for a night if you don't need a garden etc. The kitchen is very basic (sinks, stoves, tables and chairs). They don't even have dish soap, a kettle, etc. It is semi closed, meaning that there are glass walls, but no door. The bathroom is good, clean, free hot showers with good pressure. They have hand soap and toilet paper, but no hair dryer. We were there at the end of February and didn't see a lot of activity around the kitchen & bathroom, so you have plenty of space. There are a lot of long term trailers on the premises. The recycling area is a little confusing, the bins are not well marked except for the glass one, so it's not straightforward to find the correct bin. There's a supermarket across the road. All in all, it's fine for one night if you don't mind the parking style sites.
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South Island ▷ Southland ▷ Papatowai ▷
Papatowai Campsite
Good grassy area, but no view.
There are trees and you can choose your desired level of sun/shade and privacy. The toilets are clean, there aren't any showers, and there is tap water. No soap, but they do have toilet paper. The kitchen has sinks, tables, chairs. You need your own gas cooker. $6 per person per night.
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South Island ▷ Wanaka Region ▷ Wanaka Township ▷
Hampshire Holiday Park Wanaka
OK for a night's stay.
The bathrooms are clean, the hot showers are free and unlimited. The kitchen is not very big, but it has sinks, stoves, tables, chairs, etc. Its layout is not the most efficient, but it's workable. You can borrow some pots from the reception. They also have laundry facilities. We took an unpowered site, they assign one for you at checkin based on your preferences. The site itself was nothing to write home about, yellowish grass and not very picturesque. You can't see the lake from there, though you can take a walk to it. All in all, it was ok.
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South Island ▷ Fiordland ▷ Te Anau ▷
Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park & Motels
Nice camping, quite big.
Free wifi in the lounge (though none in the kitchen or outside the lounge). Very modern and clean bathrooms. Free and unlimited hot showers. They have hairdryers. The kitchen is equipped with sinks, stoves, fridge, microwave. No pots or plates etc, but you can borrow some from the reception. The boiling water dispensers are really useful for quick tea, coffee etc. We had an unpowered site ($21 per person), grassy area, you can choose your own spot. The lounge becomes full in the evening, but kitchen and bathroom don't have this problem. The camping is across a road from the lake. All in all, we recommend it.
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South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Hokitika ▷
252 Beachside Motels & Holiday Park
OK for a night's stay.
We have a sleeping van, so the site cost $40. It's basically a motorhome park, so you park on gravel and don't have a lot of space/privacy. However, there'a a hedge enclosing this area, so if you have a smaller van and you stay at the beginning or end of the row, you can get some privacy for your chairs and table. The kitchen and bathroom are super close, which is very convenient, and they are clean. Free and untimed hot showers. Only 2 showers and 2 toilets in the women's bathroom (it's the same on the men's side), so it tends to get crowded around 9 AM, otherwise they're fine. Same goes for the kitchen. There's a hairdryer in the bathroom and some utensils in the kitchen. The man at the reception was very nice and gave us a lot of info about the area. There are glowworms nearby. Free wifi (got 2 vouchers for 200 MB each as we were 2 people). We arrived around 8 pm in February, and were able to choose one of the 2 remaining spots.
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South Island ▷ Coastal Otago ▷ Oamaru ▷
Moeraki Boulders Holiday Park @ Hamden Beach
Really nice camping, we took an unpowered site ($15 per person) and the place is grassy and has a view to the sea.
You choose your own spot and can be in the sun or in the shade, as you wish. The beach is super close. The lady at the reception was very nice, gave us a lot of info about the tide times, when to go to the Boulders (only accessible at low tide) and when to go to the Lighthouse. The Boulders can be reached via a 20-30 min beach walk in low tide, or by car of course. The Lighthouse is further away, around 8 km if I remember correctly. The camping facilities are good and clean: the toilets and showers are super clean, though the showers are timed, there's a kitchen equipped with pots, plates, cups, cutlery etc, and also a lounge and a play area for kids. Not crowded at all when we were there (18 February). The only downside was that there was no mobile signal on the camp grounds, we had to walk to the highway to get it.