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Solscape Eco Retreat, Raglan. PC- Solscape |
New Zealand’s ever-changing landscapes – from
coastal to alpine, lakeside or volcanic – provide spectacular settings along
with impressive facilities for camping holidays. It’s not just about a summer
holiday because New Zealand resorts and camping grounds are typically
year-round operations enjoying some of the best camping conditions right
through spring, autumn and even winter. Summer’s great, of course, but expect
to find lots of local campers occupying their favourite and most popular
holiday spots.
The South Island has two of New Zealand’s newest
camping locations. On the rugged west coast, Ross Beach Top 10 Holiday Park is
New Zealand’s newest beach resort, opened in October 2017 and within sight and
sound of the roaring Tasman Sea. Looking for a loftier perch? New Zealand’s
highest campsite is the Geo Dome Heli Camp on a mountain slope in the Southern
Alps which operates as a base for guided climbing and trekking tours over
warmer months and for guided ski touring in winter.
NEW Ross Beach Top 10 Holiday Park – West Coast
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Ross Beach Top10 Holiday Park, Tasman Sea. PC- Ross Beach Top10 Holiday Park |
Nestled on the South Island’s untamed western coast,
Ross was once rich with gold, now its appeal is found in the solitude of
walking the surrounding hills or the coastline. Ross Beach Top 10 Holiday Park
is a great base to relax and explore the area. Pitch a tent, park a motorhome
or settle into a comfy cabin in a re-purposed shipping container. The Ross area
has good walking tracks and a great new mountain biking experience, the West
Coast Wilderness Trail.
Travel Tips: Ross is a small town 20 minutes south of Hokitika or 1.5 hours north of Franz Josef. The camp ground is on Ross Beach Road.
Travel Tips: Ross is a small town 20 minutes south of Hokitika or 1.5 hours north of Franz Josef. The camp ground is on Ross Beach Road.
NEW Geo Dome Heli Camp - Wanaka
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Geo Dome Heli Camp in the Southern Alps is the base for guided ski tours over spring and winter. PC- Geoff Marks |
You can’t just drive your motorhome into this
campsite as you’ll have to be on a guided alpine tour (skiing, climbing or
trekking) with alpine adventure specialists First Tracks Wanaka. Their Geo Dome
Heli Camp is the base for guided tours – ski, climbing and trekking. The
geodesic domes – a steel-framed structure covered in insulated PVC and with a
wooden floor – sit at an altitude of 1600 metres in the McKerrow Range between
Lakes Wanaka and Hawea. It’s an amazing space, warm and cosy, even a bit
elegant though definitely over-shadowed by the majestic mountain environment.
Activities vary, according to season, from ski touring and basic mountaineering
to trekking. International mountain guiding company Adventure Consultants,
based in Wanaka, operate First Tracks Wanaka.
Travel Tips: Wanaka is a smaller alpine resort, an hour north of Queenstown in the Southern Lakes region, three hours from Dunedin and 3.5 hours’ on SH6 from Franz Josef on the West Coast.
Travel Tips: Wanaka is a smaller alpine resort, an hour north of Queenstown in the Southern Lakes region, three hours from Dunedin and 3.5 hours’ on SH6 from Franz Josef on the West Coast.
NORTH ISLAND HOLIDAY RESORTS
Urupukapuka Island Recreation Reserve – Bay of
Islands
Best visited in the shoulder season when there’s
more space, less activity than in summer, this idyllic island is a conservation
reserve with three camping areas - tiny Sunset Bay has just two tent sites,
along with the larger Cable Bay and Urupukapuka Bay campsites. Urupukapuka
Island is a pest-free sanctuary for rare New Zealand native birds such as the
toutouwai (North Island robin), tīeke (North Island saddleback) and pōpokotea
(whitehead) and tiny NZ dotterels nesting on the sand. Explore an early Māori
settlement, and dive in on a snorkelling expedition. NOTE: Island visitors must respect the island's
precious locals and it's very important that they are careful not to introduce
any living pests in their luggage when arriving from offshore.
Travel Tips: The scheduled ferry service between Paihia and
Russell stops at Urupukapuka or book a water taxi. This secluded pest-free
wildlife sanctuary is part of the Project Island Song restoration project, and
visitors to the island can help maintain this status by respecting the
Department of Conservation advice and supporting the successful rare bird
reintroductions.
Ohope Beach Top 10 Holiday Park – Bay of Plenty
With camp sites on the waterfront and a water park
for the young at heart, Ohope Beach Top 10 Holiday Park is a popular family
holiday destination and a safe, friendly environment in one of New Zealand’s
sunniest coastal locations. There’s a café onsite and a bakery, and a seasonal
fresh market to supplement the fresh fish you’ll catch.
Travel Tips: Ohope is just east of Whakatane. The holiday park is
at the far end of Harbour Road, heading towards the golf club.
Solscape, Raglan – Hamilton Waikato
Find yourself at Solscape while overlooking the
thundering corduroy waves of Raglan’s Manu Bay – a famed surfing spot on the
North Island’s rugged west coast. Take to your yoga mat or the waveson one of
many yoga and surfing workshops and retreats, or just relax – BYO tent, or book
a belle tent or teepee where the work is done for you.
Travel Tips: Raglan is around two hours south of Auckland, and
west of Hamilton on state highway 23.
Himatangi Beach Holiday Park - Manawatu
Experience a real Kiwi welcome beachside at
Himatangi Beach Holiday Park, ‘spirit of hospitality’ winners at the 2018
Holiday Park Awards. This little gem
beside driftwood-strewn Himatangi Beach is a family-run camp ground for family
adventures, with a large playground, skate park and BMX track on hand. It’s
pet-friendly too so, while you can’t bring your own furry family-member with
you on a New Zealand holiday, you can still make friends with the locals during
stay.
Travel Tips: Himatangi is 30 minutes from Palmerston North and
two hours’ drive from Wellington.
SOUTH ISLAND HOLIDAY RESORTS
Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve Camp – Nelson Tasman
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The Kaiteriteri Reserve is the perfect place to to visit throughout the year.
PC: Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve
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Get a quintessential Kiwi camping experience on
absolute beachfront Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve Camp at the entrance to Abel
Tasman National Park. This Department of Conservation reserve is booked out
during the peak festive season (December and January), but with planning you
may nab a site outside of school holidays. Take to the water in kayaks, SUPs or
the water taxis to explore the national park’s bays and walking tracks, either
book-ending a multi-day trip with a camping stay or using it as a base for day
trips.
Travel Tips: Kaiteriteri is a one-hour drive west from Nelson, where the closest airport is located.
Travel Tips: Kaiteriteri is a one-hour drive west from Nelson, where the closest airport is located.
Punakaiki Beach Camp, Punakaiki – West Coast
Punakaiki is about as west coast as it gets in New
Zealand, and the Punakaiki Beach Camp’s limestone cliffs add some spectacular
style to a camping excursion. The camp sites are just a minute’s walk to the
beach and close to the famed Pancake Rocks, and offer an excellent base for
adventures - climbing, caves, surf-casting and hikes. The camp is near the
start of New Zealand’s newest Great Walk, the multi-day Paparoa Track, due to
open in late 2019.
Travel Tips: Punakaiki is 40 minutes north of Greymouth on State Highway 6, or 3 hours 40 minutes from Nelson, also on SH6.
Travel Tips: Punakaiki is 40 minutes north of Greymouth on State Highway 6, or 3 hours 40 minutes from Nelson, also on SH6.
Akaroa Top 10 Holiday Park - Christchurch
Nestle into the sides of an ancient volcano and
drink in the harbour views at Akaroa Top 10 Holiday Park. On-site amenities
include a swimming pool, outdoor BBQ area, adventure playground, wifi and
internet lounge, and separate viewing rooms for adults and children. It’s a
short stroll to French-style Akaroa village and varied bars, cafés, restaurants
and shops.
Travel Tips: Akaroa is on Banks Peninsula, an hour’s drive south and east from Christchurch.
Travel Tips: Akaroa is on Banks Peninsula, an hour’s drive south and east from Christchurch.
Mrs Woolly’s Campground – Glenorchy, Queenstown
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Mrs Woolly's Campground features 32 unpowered tent and campervan sites and three well appointed glamping tents. PC: Sharee McBeth |
Mrs Woolly’s occupies a prime spot, overlooking the
spectacular Humboldt mountain range, on the doorstep of dozens of good day
walks, and the start of the Routeburn Track. Hire electric bikes, grab lunch
from the General Store and take off on the country roads around Glenorchy. Make
an unmissable photo stop at the Glenorchy ‘red shed’, just a short walk from
the camp ground, and sit back and take in the views after a day’s exploring.
Travel Tips: Mrs Woolly’s Campground is on the main road into Glenorchy, a 40-minute drive northwest from Queenstown, on a spectacular driving route following the shores of Lake Wakatipu.
Travel Tips: Mrs Woolly’s Campground is on the main road into Glenorchy, a 40-minute drive northwest from Queenstown, on a spectacular driving route following the shores of Lake Wakatipu.
Creeksyde Queenstown Holiday Park & Motels
Right in downtown Queenstown, Creeksyde has evolved
over 30 years from a simple camp ground to a park offering campervan, caravan,
tent sites and motel apartments— all only a 5-minute walk from the main
Queenstown action. The camp’s history of caring for the environment goes back
to the 1980s and today it is one of only 15 properties internationally to have
achieved the rigorous EarthCheck Master Certification for its world-class
environmental initiative.
Travel Tips: Creeksyde is located in central Queenstown, and a 20-minute ride from Queenstown International Airport.
Curio Bay Campground – The Catlins
Travel Tips: Creeksyde is located in central Queenstown, and a 20-minute ride from Queenstown International Airport.
Curio Bay Campground – The Catlins
Rare dolphins and penguins nesting beside a Jurassic
fossil forest, preserved in the rocks above the pounding waves, are the main
attractions at Curio Bay’s beachside campground. Off-the-beaten track in the
southern South Island, the Catlins coast is a unique and unspoiled coastal
environment which visitors can learn about at Tumu Toka Curioscope – a new café
and visitor centre. Look for rare Hector’s dolphins swimming in Porpoise Bay,
the homecoming little blue penguins at night, and you may even catch sight of a
rare yellow-eyed penguin hauling itself up onto the rocks.
Travel Tips: Curio Bay is on the ‘Southern Scenic’ driving route between Dunedin (3 hours) and Invercargill (1.5 hours).
Travel Tips: Curio Bay is on the ‘Southern Scenic’ driving route between Dunedin (3 hours) and Invercargill (1.5 hours).
Responsible camping
Visitors to New Zealand are encouraged to travel as
responsible campers by planning journeys and camping in the right places, using
provided camping facilities and leaving no trace by disposing of litter
correctly.
Free Wi-Fi is available at 10 visitor information
centres along the country’s main camping route. To access it people must first
watch a video about responsible camping.
More information is available in the network of 80
i-SITE visitor centres across the country.
The campaign reflects the principles of the recently
launched Tiaki – Care for New Zealand initiative.
A visiting driver safety campaign encourages drivers
new to New Zealand roads to take the AA’s online Visiting Drivers Training
Programme to experience what it’s like to drive on New Zealand roads.
More about Tourism NZ
Tourism New Zealand markets New Zealand to the world
as a visitor destination. In the year ending October 2018, 3.8 million
international visitors arrived in New Zealand: an increase of 3.6% on the
previous year. International tourism is New Zealand’s largest earner of foreign
exchange, pumping over $16.2 billion into the economy and directly employing
over 216,000 people.
Visa procedure: One may forward their application to
the TT office in Mumbai or Delhi, which will then be directed to Immigration
New Zealand. www.immigration.govt.nz
Airline connections: Connecting flights to New
Zealand are available on Singapore Airlines/Air New Zealand, Thai Airways,
Cathay Pacific and Malaysia Airlines with stop-overs in their respective
hubs. New Zealand’s international
gateways are Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown.
Domestic services: You can fly between all New
Zealand cities and most major towns using domestic air services. Air New
Zealand and Jetstar are the main providers. Their services are complemented by
regional airlines, charter companies and scenic flight operators.
For more information, check: newzealand.com/in
More such amazing experiences on our facebook group Hop On and Hop Off
Follow us on instagram: @hoponandhopoff
Twitter: @hoponandhopoff
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