Great Barrer Island is Auckland's off grid island paradise - no central power grid, no mobile phone coverage, no worries for three days on the Aotea Track.
A definitive guide to some of New Zealand’s most primo spots to pitch a tent.
Stony Bay, Coromandel
Right at the the top of the Coromandel Peninsula, this DoC campsite is situated at one end of the glorious Coastal Walkway (mountain bikes permitted). Remote, peaceful and with no cellphone signal,it’s perfect for an off-the-grid break from reality with walking and swimming in tow. Basic camping is spread through meadows with pōhutukawa for shade, as well as facilities limited to little more than showers, toilets and water. At the other end of the walkway, DoC’s Fletcher Bay campsite offers a different view.
About as windswept and interesting as the east coast gets, Castlepoint boasts a formidable lighthouse (which is spectacularly illuminated at night), wild beach, limestone reefs, dunes and a peculiar lagoon overlooked by the striking Castle Rock. The beachfront campground punches above its weight with million-dollar views from its waterfront and terrace sites, while an array of sites down the back allows tenters to escape the nor-wester. Recent years have seen the campsites undergo some wonderful upgrades.
Looking back over Castle Point township from the lighthouse lookout. Photo / Rosalie Willis
Himatangi Beach Holiday Park, Manawatu
The holiday hamlet of Himatangi is located in the centre of New Zealand’s largest coastal dune system and is the perfect place to get some serious sand between your toes. A top contender for the country’s best-kept campground, this site has sharp, sparkling facilities while still boasting that classic Kiwi feel. We adore the cute cabins, but there are some lovely grassy sites spread across, too. The epic beach is popular for swimming and fishing, but we’re personally big fans of cycling the hard sand down to Foxton and coming back at sundown.
Mistletoe Bay Eco Village, Queen Charlotte Sound
This campsite occupies a bushy wee valley just an hour’s drive (or 20 minutes by boat) from Picton. A pretty simple place, it has the atmosphere of a DoC campsite but with a few more facilities to brag about, such as some superbly stylish cabins. Spend your days swimming, jetty jumping, or lazing around in the sunshine, or hit the Queen Charlotte Track for walking or mountain biking. It’s right on the scheduled boat service route and nearby to Portage where the restaurant and bar are on song.
Wharf jumping in Marlborough. Photo / MarlboroughNZ, Mike Heydon.
Creeksyde Holiday Park, Queenstown
This isn’t just a campsite, it’s a labour of love for owners Erna and Tonnie, who’ve spent more than thirty years evolving one of Aotearoa’s most genuinely environmentally sustainable campgrounds. Small but perfectly-formed and just a five-minute walk from town, it includes salvaged heritage materials and other upcycled stuff crafted into buildings, garden sculptures and other curiosities within thoughtfully-landscaped grounds. And there’s a bed for every budget, such as cabins and lodge rooms.
This is an amended version for a story by Sarah Bennett, which ran in the Herald on October 27. For more New Zealand travel ideas and inspiration, go to newzealand.com
