Camping in New Zealand
Ever wondered about your camping options and where to park your campervan in New Zealand? Well, wonder no more! We’ve put together this quick guide for you to reference.
We love campervans for the freedom they bring when travelling throughout New Zealand. There are a lot of options when it comes to camping. To help you plan where you should camp, we recommend you download one of these apps which will provide you with information featuring thousands of campsites, key attractions and popular activities.
Travelling in a Certified Self Contained campervan allows you the freedom to travel as you please. There are a few ways to camp while travelling throughout New Zealand. We’ve outlined the main ones below.
Freedom Camping
Freedom camping or free camping is the practice of putting up tents or parking campervans in areas not generally designated for camping. This type of camping typically means that freedom campers cannot access facilities such as clean drinking water, toilets (either flushing or long drop) and waste disposal facilities.
Freedom camping is not illegal in New Zealand, but local by-laws can specifically restrict it in certain areas and freedom campers not complying can be instantly fined. Usually there will be signage to indicate where you are not allowed to camp. However, to be certain about local camping laws, we recommend you ask at an i-SITE information centre, Department of Conservation visitor centre or holiday park before camping for the night.
More information on freedom camping can be found here and here.
DOC Campsites
The Department of Conservation or DOC, a government agency, manages over 250 vehicle-accessible camping areas on conservation land within New Zealand’s 14 National Parks. These campsites are a great affordable option while travelling and are usually located on scenic camping spots.
Read more about DOC campsites here.
DOC also offers a campsite pass, which is great if you plan to camp at DOC campsites. The weekly pass can save you up to 50% on campsite fees at more than 90 of DOC’s most scenic campsites. Have a look here.
Holiday Parks
Holiday Parks are generally on the more expensive end of the options presented here. However, they generally have more facilities (showers, toilets, laundry etc) and allow you to choose between powered or unpowered campsites. Powered sites mean you can hook up to 230v and run appliances such as a heater (nothing better in winter).
Holiday parks are generally located near beaches, lakes, or rivers meaning booking are usually required over the summer months. Make sure you call in advance to book a campsite or you might miss out. We use the Campermate app to find all campsites throughout New Zealand.
Final things to remember when camping in New Zealand!
To keep New Zealand beautiful, please respect the environment and camp responsibly by doing the following:
Don't camp anywhere that it's not permitted (you risk a instant fine). Usually there will be ‘no camping’ signs to help you understand where and where not to camp.
Camp near toilet facilities (i.e don't use the side of the road or the bush, it’s yuck).
Waste water tanks and toilets must only be emptied at dedicated dumpstations. Most campsites will have one and there are also many public ones around the country. A list of these can be found here.