Pim Brackenie
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North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Thames ▷
Danby Field
We stayed here for the night to walk the pinnacles trail the next day.
It is just a parking lot, but it is fine if you stay just one night. Playground for kids, clean toilets (no shower) and supermarket nearby. A piece of grass next to the parking area to sit outside. For a free spot, it was allright.
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North Island ▷ Ruapehu ▷ Ohakune ▷
Raetihi Holiday Park & Cabins
Simple campsite for $15 per person for an unpowered campervan spot.
$4 to use washing machine and $4 to use dryer. Hot shower and toilet facility was very outdated and was not clean, but a new facility was under construction. Kitchen and dining room seemed new and were quite spacious. Owners were very friendly.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Kaikohe ▷
The Cowshed
Nice campsite in the middle of nowhere.
Quite cheap to stay and simple but ok facilities. Only 1 shower, but a very nice one. WiFi didn’t work when we were there, but would have been free. Owner was really friendly
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Waiotapu ▷
Lake Ōkaro Reserve
Campsite with just a few places for campervans.
Toilets were broken, so temporary toilets were placed, which were not clean. Grass area next to it, but was not level to park a campervan. Was crowded too when we were there in november. Upside was that we did not have to pay that night, possibly because of the broken toilets.
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North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Whangarei ▷
Uretiti Beach Campsite
Beautiful campsite near the beach.
Very quiet in the beginning of november. At night it is very dark, so bring a torch. A downside was that there were a lot of mosquitos in the toilet facility. $12 per person with a campervan, plus compulsory $2 for a waste bag. Cold shower is free, hot shower an additional $2.
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North Island ▷ Bay of Plenty ▷ Waihi ▷
Anzac Bay, Bowentown Domain
Nice free seaside campsite on grass.
Place for about 10 campervans. When we woke up, we had a beautiful view on the bay when lying in bed in our campervan. Toilet and cold shower facility (bit outdated) 100 meters away. Shower was outside, which was pretty cold in november.
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North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Rotorua ▷
Affordable Willowhaven Holiday Park
Campsite at the lake nearby Rotorua.
It had very clean and modern toilet and shower facilities, with nice hot showers. Also a power point for European plugs to shave in the men’s facility. Kitchen available to cook your meal and do your dishes. Downside was a very strong wind that came from the lake, which was cold in november. There were also quite some passive agressive notes in the kitchen that were not really customer friendly, communicating the camp rules. Campsite owners probably had a good reason to do it this way.
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North Island ▷ Taupo Region ▷ Turangi ▷
Motuoapa Bay Holiday Park
Small campsite for $20 pp with campervan.
Nearby the lake, but there was not much of a beach to go for a swim. Facilities were fine but bit outdated, two showers for men and two for women. Kitchen was pretty big and a barbecue outside. Electricity at our spot did not work. Very friendly campsite managers. Should have been cheaper, not real value for money. But it is nearby the Tongariro Crossing shuttle pickup point (30 minutes)
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North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Coromandel Town ▷
Little Bay Recreational Reserve
This free campsite at a small parking lot (only two spots) deserves the maximum score.
It is next to a beautiful beach, playground next to the campsite, toilets and a (cold) shower inside a facility 20 meters away. This is the only free campsite we spent the night, that had an indoor shower nearby. From here you can go to New Chum’s Beach by foot, where you can have your own beautiful private beach (in november).
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North Island ▷ Wellington Region ▷ Paraparaumu ▷
Garden Rd Carpark
Free campsite right at the beach.
Only three campervans are allowed, but there are no designated spots, so eventually there were about seven campervans that stayed for the night in november. Toilet facility (No showers) were nearby, but were not very clean and had no lights. Toilets closed at 9pm. Good spot to stay when you head out for Wellington the next day.
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North Island ▷ Taupo Region ▷ Turangi ▷
Urchin Campsite
Very scenic spot in the middle of the forest.
No shower, but simple toilet facilities available. You have to drive 15 minutes on a gravel road to get here, but it was doable with an old campervan. Really worth it, however, beware of the bugs that show up at night. From here it is 25 minutes driving to the Tongariro shuttle pick up point.