If you’re looking for freedom camping in Taranaki, north of Wanganui on the West Coast of New Zealand, then you can’t overlook Waverley Beach. About an hour from Wanganui is the small town of Waverley and on the coast is Waverley beach. If you’re looking for the ideal location for freedom camping then this is it!
After grabbing a coffee at the Main Street Cafe or the Four Square if the cafe is closed, turn left and head out to Waverley beach.
There are a number of options for staying at Waverley Beach. There is a paid campground and there are some beautiful locations with ocean views for freedom camping in Taranaki.
Waverley Beach Campground
Waverley campground is a popular location for those who wish to stay in a paid location. The facility has 28 unmarked powered sites. There’s a hot shower, toilet, basic kitchen facilities, a playground and free use of a BBQ for campers.
As of 2024 the fees for Waverley Campground are:
Powered Site – $21.00 per powered point/powered site/per night
Non-Powered Site – $17.00 per site/per night
Freedom Camping in Taranaki at Waverley Beach
If you don’t need to use the paid campground and intend freedom camping, then you can choose from some amazing cliff top locations with beautiful ocean views.
Cell phone coverage on Spark is adequate. Enough signal to make phone calls, text message, and use the internet. Internet is adequate for streaming video content.
Signs indicate that three vehicles per night are allowed and you can stay for three nights in a calendar month. There are signs indicating where dogs are allowed, with dogs permitted on Long Beach but not on Cave Beach.
A short walk from the freedom camp parking there is a toilet block. It’s serviced daily, flushing toilets and cold showers are available.
Waverley Beach is a beautiful black sand beach. A short walk – 50 to 200 metres from your freedom camping site at the end of the gravel road is beach access. There are amazing cliff and rock formations as well as deep caves where the crashing waves are slowly eroding the cliffs. It can be windy freedom camping at the cliff top location, but it’s certainly worth staying here on a beautiful sunny day. You’ll be treated to amazing West Coast sunsets.
There is a dump station in Waverley – Chester Street as you drive into Waverley from Wanganui.
For more information about freedom camping at Waverley Beach or freedom camping in the Taranaki region check out the South Taranaki District Council website.
Read our blog about Tongaporotu – the 3 Sisters and elephant rock, if you’re looking for more locations for freedom camping in Taranaki.
