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.
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.
