camping Archives - Travels New Zealand

3 Nights Freedom Camping in Taranaki – Waverley Beach

January 12, 2024

by Traveling NZ Destinations Van Life

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.

Freedom Camping at Lake Whakamaru Reserve

August 25, 2022

by Traveling NZ Destinations

Twenty minutes drive from Tokoroa you’ll find some of the best freedom camping at Lake Whakamaru Reserve.

Freedom camping at Lake Whakamaru Reserve is governed by the South Waikato District Council – they’ve provided a number of wonderful freedom camping areas in the district including this one. Whakamaru, not far from Mangakino sits alongside the Waikato river. Lake Whakamaru Reserve is accessed off state highway 30.

Freedom camping at Lake Whakamaru Reserve is ideal if you want somewhere lakeside, peaceful, and beautiful, but with a few of life’s luxuries on site – cell phone coverage, internet coverage, and hot showers!

Freedom Camping at Lake Whakamaru Reserve

Lake Whakamaru Reserve is one of a number of camp sites in the area that now have free hot showers on site. Water tanks supply the showers which are heated by gas. That being said, the camp rules allow for a 2 minute shower only. However, when you’re the only campers there, you could probably stretch that limit a little?!

Each end of the campsite has a shower and toilet block, they’re longdrop toilets, but the facilities are clean, fresh, and well maintained – with toilet paper and handwash gel. Unfortunately one shower block was closed when I visited due to vandalism. However, the showers at the end I stayed at were great!

There are barbecue facilities on site and a number of picnic tables scattered throughout the grounds.

The area is huge, there’s plenty of room for campers. There were about 5 other campers staying while I was there. Enough to have a bit of security, but also not be crammed in and living next door to each other! This was in August and I’d imagine the area gets a lot busier over the summer season.

Cell phone reception was good, as well as adequate internet coverage on Spark / Skinny – good enough to get some work done.

Dogs are allowed – must be on a lead at all times.

You can stay for 2 consecutive nights at a time. Longer stays require a camping permit which is available from the South Waikato District Council.

For a look around, watch our short video here on You Tube.

Lake Whakamaru Reserve is a stop on the Waikato River Trails, once surrounded by many tall trees, the area is now cleared of trees. The northern end has a boat ramp. Apparently the swimming is good too in the summer time. The reserve is quiet, and felt like a safe location to stay.

Freedom Camping at Lake Whakamaru is highly recommended by us. Another great spot to stay is Lake Aniwhenua. Check out our article about freedom camping at Lake Aniwhenua here.

Top Freedom Camping Spots: Arapuni Landing

June 9, 2022

by Traveling NZ Destinations

Arapuni Landing, approximately 20 minutes drive from Putaruru, or 40 minutes from Cambridge is one of the districts beautiful freedom camping spots. Nestled on the shores of the Waikato River, the hydro lake is a popular spot for anglers and water lovers. Both brown trout and rainbow trout can be caught, with Fish and Game releasing several thousand fish into the lake annually.

As far as freedom camping spots go, Arapuni Landing makes for a safe, enjoyable stay. Of note is the fact it’s not isolated. There are a number of houses scattered within a few hundred metres of the freedom camping spots.

Arapuni Landing is free to stay at. In the summer months the area gets busy so if you plan to freedom camp then it pays to be early. If you’re staying during the off- season, the winter months it’ll be quiet with very few other campers. Get the diesel heater going and enjoy the stay. Don’t have a diesel heater? Check out my thoughts on why a Chinese Diesel Heater is a must have item.

There’s a boat ramp with access to the lake and it’s popular with watercraft.

There’s a maximum of 15 vehicles allowed freedom camping at any one time. The camp is only for certified self contained vehicles, and you’re allowed 2 consecutive nights stay maximum. But don’t let that put you off. Once you’ve stayed two nights, Bulmer’s Landing is a short drive up the road – another of the areas awesome freedom camping spots.

There’s a flushing toilet available. See the above photo. It’s the small buildings at the left of the photo, on the road into the camp at the left.

Arapuni Landing is also dog friendly.

Arapuni Landing has good coverage for WIFI and Cell Phone reception on Spark and Skinny. You’ll be able to get some work done on the lakefront or stream your favourite YouTube channel.

Arapuni Landing is part of the Waipa District Council. Check out their website for more information on freedom camping spots in the area.

Freedom Camping Spots: Jones’ Landing

Jones’ Landing is opposite Bulmer’s Landing – on the other side of the river. I’ve not been there and checked it out yet. However, from what I could see on the other side of the river, from Bulmer’s Landing it looks like a nice place to check out. It’s on my list of “to dos'” According to Camper Mate, it’s closed to vehicles between 8.30pm and 6am and there’s no cell phone coverage there. Jones’ Landing is named after Gordon Jones’ father who had a boat shed there.

Certified Self Contained vehicles are able to stay two nights for free and then a camping permit is needed for a longer stay. These can be purchased from the South Waikato District Council offices or the district’s Information Centres.

Freedom Camping Spots: Bulmer’s Landing

Bulmer’s Landing is a nice freedom camping spot, opposite Jones’ Landing. Bulmer’s Landing is a short drive from Arapuni Landing. There’s a maximum of 10 Certified Self Contained vehicles allowed per night, for another 2 consecutive nights.

Although I didn’t check out the toilet block, it’s a much more substantial sized building than the toilets at Arapuni Landing.

For the water sport lovers – there’s a boat ramp at Bulmer’s Landing. Again, in the summer it pays to get in early if you want lake front views from your motorhome.

Arapuni Hydro dam near some great freedom camping spots — Arapuni Hydro Dam

The small village of Arapuni is about a ten minute drive from Arapuni Landing. Arapuni power station and dam were built between 1924 and 1929. The dam is 64 metres high from its foundations to the roadway and raised the water 42.7 m above its old level.

If you’re in the Arapuni area, be sure to check out the Arapuni Suspension Bridge. It’s a popular tourist attraction. Again, another one of those items on my ‘to do’ list for next time I’m though. I was in a bit of a rush this trip on my way to Lake Aniwhenua. Lake Aniwhenua being one of my favourite places to stay, probably due to the free hot showers when van camping…. check out our thoughts on Lake Aniwhenua here.

Lake Arapuni as seen from Arapuni Landing

Lake Aniwhenua, arguably one of the best freedom camping spots in the district

Lake Aniwhenua: One of the Best Freedom Camping Spots?

June 5, 2022

by Traveling NZ Destinations

Nestled about an hours drive to the south east of Rotorua, in the Bay of Plenty is Lake Aniwhenua. Although classed as ‘free’ there is a donation box, but well worth a donation to stay at arguably one of the best freedom camping spots in the area.

The Best Freedom Camping Spot Because….

I’ve stayed a couple of times, and the free hot showers are a contributing factor to making this one of the best freedom camping locations. That, combined with the beautiful location, scenery, and such a nice large grassed area with plenty of parking.

As well as the hot showers there’s also flushing toilets. The showers are heated by the sun – solar powered, so as long as there’s been sun they seem to be adequate for a good wash. If you’re doing the van life thing, without a shower on board, the hot showers are welcome.

Cover from the elements and the toilet and shower block

Cell phone coverage is adequate on Spark and Skinny. A couple of bars in most parts of the campground – enough to get some work done on WIFI or watch YouTube once you’re done kayaking or sailing on the lake.

Part of the Rangitaiki River, Lake Aniwhenua is relatively shallow, but provides some great fishing opportunities. On a good day you should be able to catch both brown and rainbow trout.

There’s plenty of parking for vehicles of all sizes, no matter if you’re a small van, bus, motorhome or tent. You can park right alongside the lakefront, or if the ground is soggy there’s parking up the top if you don’t want to risk getting stuck. Camping is allowed in both Certified Self Contained (CSC) vehicles and non-CSC vehicles including tents.

You’re allowed to stay for a maximum of 7 nights in any 4 week period. You can read more about freedom camping in the Whakatane district here. Get along and enjoy one of the best freedom camping locations in the Bay of Plenty!

Lake Aniwhenua is awesome in the summer time, but beautiful in the change of seasons as the trees colour up. It’s idyllic in the winter, but you might want to have some good heating. Check out our article about installing a Chinese Diesel heater – whether they’re really worth it or not…

If you’re off to your next destination you might like to consider Arapuni Landing, Jones’ Landing, or Bulmer’s Landing. Another couple of great freedom camping locations, about a 2 hour drive to the west, and located about a half hour south of Cambridge.