DOC campsiteAuckland
Tāwharanui Regional Park
An open sanctuary an hour north of Auckland, with camping behind one of the region's best beaches.
Read more about Tāwharanui Regional ParkNew Zealand campsites directory
Where to camp across Aotearoa — DOC campgrounds, holiday parks and coastal spots, sorted by island and region. Each one is an easy stop in a self-contained camper. Pick a spot, then choose your camper.
We're adding campsites region by region. Facilities and fees change — always check the official page before you go.
North Island
DOC campsiteTāwharanui Regional Park
Holiday parkAuckland
Piha
Black iron sand, Lion Rock and serious surf, forty minutes west of Auckland through the Waitākere Ranges.
Read more about PihaHoliday parkAuckland
Muriwai Beach
A gannet colony on the cliff, fifty kilometres of black sand, and camping under the pines.
Read more about Muriwai BeachDOC campsiteAuckland
Te Haruhi Bay, Shakespear Park
Beachfront camping inside an open sanctuary at the tip of the Whangaparāoa Peninsula, 45 minutes from Auckland.
Read more about Te Haruhi Bay, Shakespear ParkDOC campsiteAuckland
Ambury Regional Park
A working farm on the Manukau Harbour — the closest campground to central Auckland, twenty minutes out.
Read more about Ambury Regional ParkHoliday parkBay of Plenty
Mount Maunganui beachside camping
Surf beach on one side, harbour on the other, and a walk up the Mount in between.
Read more about Mount Maunganui beachside camping
Holiday parkCoromandel
Hot Water Beach & Cathedral Cove
Dig your own hot pool in the sand, then walk to the arch at Cathedral Cove.
Read more about Hot Water Beach & Cathedral Cove
Holiday parkCoromandel
Hahei
The base for Cathedral Cove, with a pink-tinged beach and Hot Water Beach twenty minutes down the road.
Read more about HaheiDOC campsiteCoromandel
Waikawau Bay
A long empty beach on the Coromandel's north-east coast, with a big DOC campground and no shops.
Read more about Waikawau BayHoliday parkCoromandel
Whangamatā
A long surf beach on the Coromandel's east coast, with an island you can walk to at low tide.
Read more about WhangamatāHoliday parkHawke's Bay
Napier & Hawke's Bay
An Art Deco city on a sunny bay, surrounded by vineyards and a long pebbled coastline.
Read more about Napier & Hawke's BayHoliday parkNorthland
Bay of Islands & Paihia
Subtropical beaches, 144 islands and the country's early history at Waitangi.
Read more about Bay of Islands & PaihiaHoliday parkNorthland
Cape Reinga & Ninety Mile Beach
The far north, where two oceans meet and Ninety Mile Beach runs to the horizon.
Read more about Cape Reinga & Ninety Mile BeachHoliday parkNorthland
Kai Iwi Lakes
Three freshwater dune lakes in Northland, so blue they look artificial. Camping right on the sand.
Read more about Kai Iwi Lakes
Holiday parkRotorua
Rotorua
Bubbling mud, geysers and Māori culture around a string of volcanic lakes.
Read more about Rotorua
Holiday parkTaranaki
New Plymouth & Mount Taranaki
A near-perfect volcanic cone above a lively coastal city with a famous coastal walkway.
Read more about New Plymouth & Mount TaranakiHoliday parkTaupō
Lake Taupō
A lake the size of Singapore in the middle of the North Island, with hot springs and volcano views.
Read more about Lake Taupō
DOC campsiteTongariro
Mangahuia Campsite
A handy DOC campsite between National Park and Whakapapa — a base for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
Read more about Mangahuia CampsiteHoliday parkWaikato
Te Kopua, Raglan
Raglan's campground sits on a sand spit in the harbour, with a footbridge straight into town.
Read more about Te Kopua, RaglanHoliday parkWairarapa
Castlepoint
A dramatic lighthouse on a reef, with a sheltered lagoon beach and towering Castle Rock.
Read more about CastlepointFreedom campingWellington
Evans Bay Marina
Self-contained parking on Wellington's harbour edge, ten minutes from the city and the ferry terminal.
Read more about Evans Bay MarinaSouth Island
DOC campsiteAbel Tasman
Totaranui Campground
A large DOC campground behind a golden-sand beach at the northern end of Abel Tasman National Park.
Read more about Totaranui CampgroundDOC campsiteAoraki / Mount Cook
White Horse Hill Campground
A basic DOC campground right under Aoraki/Mount Cook, at the start of the Hooker Valley Track.
Read more about White Horse Hill CampgroundDOC campsiteArthur's Pass
Arthur's Pass
A high alpine pass through the Southern Alps, with cheeky keas, beech forest and big peaks.
Read more about Arthur's PassHoliday parkBanks Peninsula
Okains Bay
A sheltered bay on Banks Peninsula with a big grassy campground and almost no phone signal.
Read more about Okains BayHoliday parkCanterbury
Hanmer Springs
An alpine spa village with hot thermal pools, forest walks and a mountain backdrop.
Read more about Hanmer SpringsHoliday parkFiordland
Te Anau & Fiordland
The lakeside gateway to Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound and the Kepler Track.
Read more about Te Anau & FiordlandHoliday parkGolden Bay
Pakawau Beach
Golden Bay's quiet north end, on a beach that goes out forever at low tide.
Read more about Pakawau BeachHoliday parkKaikōura
Kaikōura coast camping
Wake up between the Seaward Kaikōura Range and a coast famous for whales and crayfish.
Read more about Kaikōura coast campingHoliday parkMackenzie
Lake Tekapo
Turquoise glacier lake, the little Church of the Good Shepherd and some of the clearest night skies on earth.
Read more about Lake TekapoHoliday parkMarlborough
Marlborough Sounds & Picton
Where the Cook Strait ferry lands — a maze of forested bays, kayaking and the Queen Charlotte Track.
Read more about Marlborough Sounds & PictonDOC campsiteMarlborough Sounds
Momorangi Bay
A DOC campground right on the water in Queen Charlotte Sound, twenty minutes from the Picton ferry.
Read more about Momorangi BayHoliday parkNelson Tasman
Marahau
The village at the southern gateway to Abel Tasman, where the coast track and the water taxis start.
Read more about MarahauHoliday parkOtago
Dunedin & the Otago Peninsula
A characterful Scottish-heritage city and a wildlife peninsula of albatross, sea lions and penguins.
Read more about Dunedin & the Otago PeninsulaFreedom campingOtago
Warrington Domain
One of the few free self-contained sites near Dunedin, on grass behind a long empty beach.
Read more about Warrington DomainHoliday parkQueenstown
Queenstown & Lake Wakatipu
New Zealand's adventure capital on a zig-zag alpine lake, ringed by the Remarkables.
Read more about Queenstown & Lake WakatipuHoliday parkThe Catlins
Curio Bay
Camp above a petrified forest and a beach where yellow-eyed penguins come ashore at dusk.
Read more about Curio BayHoliday parkWānaka
Wānaka lakefront
A relaxed lake town with the famous #ThatWanakaTree and Mount Aspiring on the doorstep.
Read more about Wānaka lakefrontDOC campsiteWest Coast
Lake Mapourika
A mirror-calm rainforest lake just north of Franz Josef Glacier, with kayaking and kiwi country nearby.
Read more about Lake MapourikaHoliday parkWest Coast
Punakaiki & the Pancake Rocks
Layered limestone stacks and blowholes where the rainforest meets the wild Tasman Sea.
Read more about Punakaiki & the Pancake RocksHoliday parkWest Coast
Punakaiki Beach Camp
Camping a two-minute walk from the Pancake Rocks, with the Tasman surf on your doorstep.
Read more about Punakaiki Beach Camp