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Nick and Flic
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South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Golden Bay ▷
Pakawau Beach Camp
We paid $34 for 2 people, 1 night in a non-powered site.
We'd recommend booking ahead with the friendly owners as this place was really busy despite the rest of Golden Bay being pretty quiet. If you can get a spot on the beachfront, this would be a perfect place to camp. However, if, like us, you get a spot in the parking lots set back from the beach, it isn't great and you kind of feel like you could be anywhere. You can't really see the sea through the other campervans and the vibe from the other campers isn't too friendly.
There's a spacious, clean kitchen to use and it wasn't too busy around dinner time even though the campsite seems to be full. However, the bathrooms are old and tired and not all that pleasant. Still, untimed hot showers are included in the price
Overall, a little disappointing for us, but if you get a spot by the sea, it would probably make up for all the shortcomings.
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South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Akaroa ▷
Akaroa Lighthouse, Akaroa
We stayed at this great spot for 1 night.
It was very peaceful with only a few other vans there on a Friday night. It's close to the centre of town and public toilets are about a 10 minute walk away along the waterfront.
Unfortunately a council representative came by in the morning and told us that from 01 December, Christchurch city council will no longer be allowing overnight camping for self contained vehicles here. She recommended checking the council website for information about closures of other self contained spots in the area too. Guess we were the last lucky folks to enjoy this spot...