Melanie
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North Island ▷ Taupo Region ▷ Turangi ▷
Tongariro Junction
Very unfortunate that the local marina banned Freedom Camping last month, as we had intended on making use of it.
Instead, we ended up here... From the beginning we probably should have kept going and tried something closer to Tongariro National Park, but we didn't... the owner/manager was lovely, but the park itself was from a horror movie! Lots of "construction", toilets and showers dirty and floor was like a pool after a shower, kitchen was very basic and overdue for some working appliances, found the laundry and thought Jack Nicholson's character from "The Shining" might pop his head in! I guarantee that all the "guests" stayed close to each other for "safety in numbers" and the only saving grace of our campsite was the view to the Turangi police station should we need to make a run for it... we made it out ok, but would recommend people stay well away from this campsite until it is "renovated", and stay out of Turangi in general as it wasn't a very nice town to visit in.
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Waiotapu ▷
Kerosene Creek
Road was very bumpy gravel, for a couple of kms from the highway.
But once you got there it was totally worth it! We had two preschoolers with us and it was as warm as bath water and not too deep and not fast-flowing. Lots of people, but we expected that. A great little stop! Highly recommended!
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North Island ▷ Waikato ▷ Kawhia ▷
Oparau Roadhouse and Bills Backpackers
We were cautious about this accommodation after having been burned by the Turangi freedom campsite the night before, but at 5pm we pulled into the Oparau Roadhouse and found quite a few campers already
there on the grassy area next to the Roadhouse. The toilets, shop and food available were welcome after a long day and the site is lovely and grassy and landscaped with lots of space to park. If you get a spot closer to the road you get some lovely views down the valley and the road wasn't too noisy. Can definitely recommend!
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North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Whangamata ▷
Waiponga Reserve, Opoutere
Amazing spot!
We arrived at about 4pm and found only 2 campervans already there, by dusk all allocated parks were full (fit maybe 7 vans side by side?). After we parked we walked the 700m through the forest (the way is marked) to the most gorgeous and quiet beach. There were only about a dozen people there playing in the small waves and relaxing on the white sand with a spectacular view of some islands. The water was quite pleasant and not too cold (mid-January stay). We left after one night but if we did this trip again we should stay the two nights allowed. Toilets are available a few meters back up the exit road and there is one picnic table and a small grassy area too.
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North Island ▷ Bay of Plenty ▷ Tauranga ▷
McLaren Falls Camping Area
Great spot, $10 per adult per night.
Includes free hot showers and toilets. No reserved spots, it is first come, first served. We had a self contained motor home and stayed in the campsite near the showers (here are multiple camp sites) and there were a mix of campers and tents, but it wasn't crowded or loud. Our campsite was only a short walk from the waterfall track (a 10 minute loop) that is a free glow worm walk at night. Lovely spot with sheep and ducks and horses (being ridden) wandering the site too.