Kelly Roxanne
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Springfield ▷
Lake Pearson (Moana Rua) Campsite
Big campsite but very popular and crowded.
Only one long-drop toilet that comes with toilet paper and hand sanitizer. It stays rather clean considering the number of people here in summer (February). Not much sandflies when we arrived around 8pm but they were there in the morning when we woke. You can camp right by the lake if you come early enough!
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South Island ▷ Mount Cook - MacKenzie ▷ Mount Cook ▷
White Horse Hill Campground
$13/pax, not $10.
Very big and popular campground (you'd have to be, since you're catering for the Mt Cook crowd)! Picnic tables dot the site so you can enjoy a cuppa with views of the snow-capped mountains even in summer -- if you get a good spot. The wind can get really strong so a spot under the trees will be good. Access to public shelter for you to cook and no open fires are allowed out of it. Large toilet with quite a few cubicles and another toilet with about 2 cubicles further along the campground. This is where you start your Hooker Valley, Sealy Tarns, Kea Point treks amongst others. A tad expensive but for the facilities provided and great accessibility to the park, it is an excellent campsite!
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South Island ▷ Mount Cook - MacKenzie ▷ Lake Tekapo ▷
Lake McGregor
Not to be confused with Lake Alexandrina campsite which we saw a sign to have to pay $20 for!
Don't do it! Head to the end of the road and you should see a turn off for this camp instead for $5/pax. Less packed and thus better views of the smaller McGregor lake. The cleanest long drop toilet you'll ever see at a campsite -- it looks almost just like a flush toilet.. but without the flush. Pump sinks outside. No sandflies but there are midgies at night. We arrived at 5pm and personally find the views of the mountains and lake then most beatiful.
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South Island ▷ Mount Cook - MacKenzie ▷ Lake Tekapo ▷
Lakes Edge Holiday Park
$18/pax for an unpowered site and $2 for a 10 minutes shower in a large bathroom.
Really, really big holiday site and extremely crowded since they are about one of the only places to stay in Tekapo. There were 3 reception counters when we went in February. They have two separate kitchen and toilet sites at the park, plus a TV room and laundry. The kitchens can be overcrowded and you need your own cooking utensils. They provide rice cookers, stoves, a microwave oven and dishwashing liquid, so bring your own pots, pans and what not. Great site to see stars and the lake is beautiful.
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South Island ▷ Mount Cook - MacKenzie ▷ Twizel ▷
Lake Poaka Campsite
Pretty campsite with a river on one side (I think manmade) and Lake Poaka on the other.
Huge and popular campsite with a small lake and no sandflies. About 45 minutes drive away from Mt Cook. The only con is probably that there was one long drop toilet for the entire site which means there will almost always be a queue for it and you need your own toilet paper. Clean enough toilet. You can camp right by the lake if you come early enough!
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South Island ▷ Coastal Otago ▷ Dunedin ▷
Ocean View Reserve Carpark, Dunedin
The website says for campervans only but when we arrived, the sign said tents are allowed too and so we stayed.
Just a row of hedge bushes separate you from the ocean and the campsite. It's a very small campsite but has new flush toilets (2 or 3 in total) and water tap outside. An excellent free campsite that easily beats some paid campsites. Just come early to get a good spot; there are only about 5 campervan slots and 5 tent sites available.