Camping Grounds and Holiday Parks

New Zealand is a wonderful country for camping. With beautiful scenery, wide open spaces and harmless wildlife (no snakes!), there are amazing camping experiences for all types of people.

New Zealand offers three main types of camping:

Holiday Parks and Camping Grounds
Holiday Parks and Camping Grounds are designed to cater to a wide range of people for a small cost. Within an attractive landscaped setting (often beside a beach or lake) they provide sites for tents, caravans and campervans. You can park your campervan or motorhome at a powered or non-powered site. You will find easy access to a shared kitchen and bathroom facilities, and often also access to a dining area, TV lounge and games room. Many Holiday Parks have play areas, heated swimming pools, trampolines and barbecues – ideal for families. Bicycles, canoes and boats can sometimes be hired.

Holiday Accommodation Parks of New Zealand
The HAPNZ (Holiday Accommodation Parks of New Zealand) website contains details of 290 holiday parks throughout New Zealand.  

Top 10 Holiday Parks
Top 10 Holiday Parks are the leading providers of good quality holiday parks and campgrounds throughout New Zealand.

The New Zealand Camping Guide
A comprehensive Camping Guide with campground listings nationwide.

Department of Conservation camp sites
The Department of Conservation (DoC) is in charge of conserving New Zealand’s natural and historic heritage for all to enjoy. DoC provides campsites in many locations throughout New Zealand. The campsites are usually quite basic, offering 'back to nature' style accommodation and facilities. A full list of camp sites can be found on the DoC website.

Freedom camping
Each district in New Zealand has different rules around where freedom camping (and parking of campervans) is permitted and where it is not. We suggest that you contact the nearest i-SITE Visitor Centre to find out about camping in a particular location. The impact of freedom camping on the environment, as well as safety concerns, means that KEA Campers does not recommend freedom camping in New Zealand. Please note that only fully self-contained motorhomes and campervans should be used for freedom camping. Campervan and motorhome toilet and waste water must be emptied at approved dump stations. Please visit www.camping.org.nz to find out more about freedom camping in New Zealand.

We also recommend Native Parks Motorhome Havens - a network of rural properties which offer a gateway to a real New Zealand experience.