Campsites II

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I’ve been on the lookout for more campsites.  Most of these campsites I found most recently are either out towards Opotiki, or towards the Urewera National Park.

Opotiki is a beautiful little town just along the coast from Whakatane.


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Its beaches include Waiotahi Beach, Hukuwai Beach, Tirohanga Beach and Kutarere.  

We drove out there .....





with Alice’s mum and dad recently.  We stopped for coffee and cake at HBS Café on the corner of Bridge St and St John St, and bought some sandwiches to eat on the road.  Alice's dad recommended HBS; it's his favorite when he's passing that way.  The food was very hearty and delicious.  

We also bought a really nice basket and a tshirt at a shop called “Tangata Whenua” on Elliot St, Opotiki's main shopping street.  

Then we headed towards Gisborne (still State Highway 2) through the Waioeka Gorge (say "why-oh-'weh-kah).  This is a very long, windy, mountainous road which used to be very dangerous to travel but has over the years greatly improved.  There are a lot of rest areas along the road, and some free camping sites.  In the future, I’ll try to tell you more about the gorge.

Here is a photo of the Tauranga Bridge:

...and some photos of the Waioeka River.  There are some nice places to swim, angle for trout, and camp along this river.

The other locations in this list are near the Urewera National Park.  This is nowhere near the beach, but it is a vast area of New Zealand bush, and Alice says it is quite cold there.  It would be a good place to go if you enjoy the rugged life!

All the prices in the list below are for a powered campsite for two adults, just like in my previous survey.  Where there is no power or limited facilities, I made a note.  We haven't been to visit any of these campsites yet.  When we do, we'll take some photos and write about it.  To see the other campsites that I surveyed before, click here. 

Ohiwa Beach Holiday Park

Harbour Rd, Ohiwa

$40

Island View Family Holiday Park

Waiotahi Beach

$36

Mangonuku Campsite

Run by the Department of Conservation ph: 06 837 3803

$14, just toilets and BBQ, drink from the river (no power)

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Bushaven

End of Te Waiti Stream Rd, Opotiki
$36 for a powered site.  Power is only available to a few campers, so if you can't get power, it's just $30.  Make sure your camper isn't any wider than 2.2meters wide or 6 meters long as the road is narrow in places.

Nature’s Edge Family Campground

Waioeka River.  No power or rubbish collection.  Toilets and cold showers.

$20

Opotiki Holiday Park

Opotiki

$33

Boulders Campsite

Te Waiti Valley Rd

Opotiki

This camp ground is free.  You can’t get a campervan or caravan into the site.  The terrain is rough, so you have to park your car in the carpark and then walk to the campsite.  There is just a long-drop toilet and a BBQ, and water from the stream.  No power.

Camp Kaitawa

Waikaremoana

$34 but they want a huge deposit for bookings and seem to be mainly focused on school groups.

Urewera Bush Camp

Ngaputahi

Tent site $30 (tent, bedding, hot showers and cooking facilities provided, probably no power)

Here's a photo of an old derelict house we spotted along the Waioeka Road.