Holidaymakers urged to book now or miss out on Northland campgrounds for long weekends

Popular spots in Northland, such as the Bay of Islands, are booking out fast as long weekends approach.

Whether you’re looking to squeeze in the last of summer in the “Winterless North” or celebrate this year’s historic Waitangi Day, you’ll need to get in quick to stay at one of Northland’s popular holiday parks or campgrounds.

With record crowds expected to travel North for the upcoming Waitangi Day and Northland Anniversary public holidays, bookings are filling up at many of the region’s holiday parks and campsites.

According to Te Tii Waitangi Trust B3 (which owns Te Tii Waitangi Holiday Park) this time of year was always busy for their park operators.

Trust manager Tania Sigley said given its location and connection to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, the park normally filled up with Waitangi Day volunteers, stallholders and workers, with whatever remaining availability going to holidaymakers.

She said the park could comfortably hold around 400 people and while there was still some availability, people would need to get in as soon as possible.

“Our peak time is between February 2-6, so if anyone wants to attend Waitangi Day, they need to book now.

“All of our motels and cabins are booked out, plus most of our powered sites, so there’s really only camping sites available.

“In terms of Northland Anniversary we’ve already got some good bookings, so subject to the weather, we’ll see how that goes.”

According to Northland Inc’s head of destination and communications Tania Burt, both long weekends were looking on par with previous years, with many Northland holiday destinations experiencing a busy 2023/24 summer season.

Waitangi Day long weekend was always busy Burt said, which is set to be busier than ever, with around 60,000-80,000 or double the usual visitors expected to visit the area.

Burt said while she never discouraged people from coming to stay in Te Tai Tokerau, she did urge them to get in early and prepare well in advance for this time of year.

Northland Inc's head of destination and communications Tania Burt.

“At last year’s annual Holiday Parks Association of New Zealand meeting, the report back from Northland holiday park owners was that bookings were all looking really strong, particularly for the long weekends and school holidays, which is exactly what we need.

“This year is looking the same and for us, Waitangi Day long weekend generally always sells out in the Bay of Islands area, but you could be surprised, so I invite people to do their research.

“The Northland Anniversary weekend [January 29] might still have some availability too as it comes off the back of the Bay of Islands Sailing Week [January 23-26], so you might still find what you’re looking for.”

Holiday parks make up around 50 per cent of available accommodation across Te Tai Tokerau, which tend to attract a range of holidaymakers including retirees, domestic families and international travellers.

Burt said this was largely due to the variety of options on offer, from powered and non-powered sites, quiet locations, cabins and access to swimming beaches.

She said if people were wanting to travel to Te Tai Tokerau for either long weekend, she expected there would still be pockets of available accommodation around the region.

“You’ll generally always be able to find somewhere to stay, either in the beautiful Hokianga, Tutukaka or Whangarei coasts, as well as places in the Far North like Doubtless Bay, Kaitaia or Ahipara.

“If people staying outside of the Bay of Islands area were wanting to attend Waitangi Day, then we suggest driving in early, to book a park in advance and ride with a shuttle bus to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds.

“That’s because you can’t normally find a park on the day, but it’s still doable, as long as you are prepared.”

For those looking to utilise their own mobile homes, freedom camping is also an option and permitted in some areas in the region, with most camping sites well-marked for this type of camping.

Anyone looking to freedom camp is encouraged to do their research before parking up for the night.