S Webb
South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Christchurch ▷
5.0/5
Loved this campsite.
The host was very friendly and we chatted a while. The park is very well-equipped and very close to South Brighton beach for a lovely seaside walk by sunset.
Make sure you look up at night time as the stars are very bright from here!
South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Christchurch ▷
5.0/5
What a find!
We needed somewhere to stay the night before getting on a flight to Auckland and this was ideal! Adequate kitchen and bathroom facilities. Thatched roof picnic area for lovely al fresco dining. Petrol station nearby to fill up your camper and the airport parking is a 2 minute drive away.
The 2am start didn't seem too hard...
Thank you so much for your review - Great to hear you are enjoying some of the new features of the park. The thatched roof picnic area was built this year and our main kitchen is having a major renovation as well as our outdoor BBQ area. We agree with you that having the brand new petrol station and Burgerking right next door is such an added bonus for our guests and it is open 24 hours.
Dan Fraser
South Island ▷ Coastal Otago ▷ Dunedin ▷
5.0/5
Loved it here.
The host was very friendly. It's right on the beach - you can access it through a quick walk through the sand dunes. A very homely place with a well-equipped kitchen with pots and pans, cutlery and plates. Roaming chickens. Chilly bathroom and a bit of a sad shower but in terms of the location - was very enjoyable.
South Island ▷ Mount Cook - MacKenzie ▷ Lake Tekapo ▷
2.5/5
Loved the view!
Loved the proximity to Mount John. Michelle of reception was not very welcoming - she asked the lady in front "how old is the child?"... and told us that it had been very busy and hoped that no more people would arrive... Very odd! Facilities were clean and adequate.
South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Motueka ▷
5.0/5
Absolute bliss!
Watching the sunset over the river was one of my NZ highlights. Don the owner was very friendly and interesting to talk to. Bringing us over strawberries was a very kind gesture and one we very much appreciated. You can pay $10 each or fill in a tourism review form. We filled in the form.
Fresh herbs growing by our sites was a very nice touch and certainly brightened up our camp meals.
Go back to the good life and stay here!
Fresh, clean drinking water, a toilet and as much free WiFi as you can handle!
If only all campsites were as good as this one!
North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Porirua ▷
5.0/5
The place we were planning to stay at wasn't accessible as the road was closed, so this was a great find!
The views of the estuary were beautiful, although we stayed there during particularly unseasonably windy weather and the camper rocked us from side to side like we were on a boat. Perfect for accessing Wellington - catch a train from across the tracks for around $15 return. We also used this as a convenient stop off before catching the ferry to the South Island - took around 15 minutes in no traffic!
Proper flush toilets available down the lane a little way.
North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Hahei ▷
5.0/5
This picturesque walk was very enjoyable, with views of the pacific sea and all the bird wildlife and trees.
The cove itself, is cavernous when the tide is low you can walk through it and when it is high you can swim through it.
North Island ▷ Taranaki ▷ Stratford ▷
5.0/5
Although Mt Taranaki was shrouded in cloud, we headed for the hills and trekked through Dawson's Falls.
After a lot of rainfall, the water volume was huge and we got drenched by the spectacular spray.
South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Greymouth ▷
5.0/5
Loved the host, loved the location and the mountain / Rainforest views from our site, loved the clean bathroom, glass-fronted showers, the well-equipped kitchen, thehomely lounge with log burner, the free
glow worm dells (you can make your torch glow worm friendly with their red acetate in the kitchen) and Waterfall track! The hosts even offer fresh bread for the morning, which you can order from the reception/store the night before! Stay here after Arthur's Pass/Lake Pearson/Lake Grasmere on way to Franz Josef! We stayed here the day we got engaged - happy memories!
South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Punakaiki ▷
5.0/5
We loved the close proximity to the beach, right next to the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes.
The facilities are good, the bathrooms clean. Nice covered al fresco dining area with beautiful birds, including Tui and Wekas!
North Island ▷ Ruapehu ▷ Tongariro / National Park Village ▷
4.5/5
Welcoming father and son hosts.
We arrived in a monsoon, but the heaters in the kitchen diner area dried us off. A bit of an alpine lodge feel to the kitchen with the wood cladding. Facilities all good. Great access to the Tongariro National Park and DOC walking trails in and around the campsite.
North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Whitianga ▷
3.5/5
Great to access the Coramandel Peninsula!
More of a hostel feel to the kitchen and bathroom facilities in comparison to other campsites we visited around NZ.
You need to pay 50 cents for a 6 minute shower.
The on-site bar is worth a visit for good home-brewed beer but it is expensive!
Very welcoming host!
South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Cron street ▷
2.5/5
Great to access the nearby Franz Josef Glacier - make sure you walk to the face of it before it retreats entirely!
Rainforest Retreat is more for young party people than for couples or families, which was a bit of a shame as we imagined this place being a soothing oasis... We went to the Monsoon Bar during a monsoon for a drink and were ignored by the waitress until she had finished smoking a cigarette and chatting to her friend. We left!
The kitchen facilities are OK, bit small for the size of the park. The nature trail is lacking and they pack the campers in!
North Island ▷ Manawatu - Wanganui ▷ Whanganui ▷
5.0/5
We loved the friendly new hosts and their cat Cici (the campsite cat)!
Great access to the black sands of Kai Iwi Beach for a relaxing walk. The huge trees washed up on the shore fell from the eroded cliffs in a storm a year or so ago. Cosy kitchen and dining area - we sat outside and watched the sunset. Gorgeous! Very happy memories here.
North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Thames ▷
5.0/5
Loved this oasis!
In the middle of thick rainforest trails (do the 3 hour Tinker's Gully if you like an adventurous walk up steep inclines and over streams - we loved it). Sweet bathrooms and kitchen among the rainforest. This was our first experience of camping in NZ and we loved it. I actually thought we'd found paradise, until I realised that the rest of NZ's rural areas are simply blissful!
Stay here as a great starting point for exploring the Coromandel Peninsula.
We can also verify that Cindy is very friendly! Stay here!!
Thank you for your positive comments, we just love it here ourselves. We are in the process of upgrading the Holiday Park and enjoy meeting the travellers that come through:)
dicksonholidaypark
South Island ▷ Wanaka Region ▷ Lake Hawea ▷
4.5/5
Loved the divine views of Lake Hawea - very peaceful.
We had some unseasonally windy weather and it was still beautiful! Facilities are what you would expect. They do need to invest in a fly killer machine in the kitchen and bathrooms to take care of the influx of sandflies - we had to swat hundreds before having a shower! Also, the local shop up the hill, although quaint is ridiculously expensive. Stock up before you get here!
South Island ▷ Fiordland ▷ Te Anau ▷
5.0/5
Good facilities and loved the proximity to Lake Te Anau - do the Real Journey's Glow worm caves and Doubtful Sound trip from Manapouri!
On a 3 week driving tour of New Zealand, we spent one night in their 5 star luxury apartment for our anniversary and loved it! Gorgeous views of Lake Te Anau, framed by the wall-to-wall windows! The following night we stayed on a powered site - back to reality and loved that too!