The Best Campgrounds on the South Island of New Zealand
To make the planning of your New Zealand trip easier, we’d like to share with you some of the best campgrounds on the South Island of New Zealand.
Our priority was to find great places that were uncrowded and that offered breathtaking views and clean toilets. Even better if the campground was free of charge. Sounds utopian? It’s not!
Recommended Apps
In order to find our favorite campgrounds, we used the app CamperMate for the best campsites on the South Island of New Zealand. Later on in our trip, we bought the app WikiCamps, which we wish we would have used earlier. Both apps are great. In our opinion, CamperMate is very easy to use with a good and useful selection of categories. But WikiCamps sometimes offered campsites that CamperMate didn’t have.
At just under 3 euros, WikiCamps is an investment that quickly pays off. And, WikiCamps also includes Australia, so if you plan to travel to both New Zealand AND Australia, you only have to pay once.
CamperMate is free of charge.
There are other apps like Rankers NZ or Campable, but we didn’t use them.
Self what?
If you plan to travel in New Zealand in a campervan, sooner or later you will stumble upon the phrase “Self-Contained”.
Our campervan Lorna was fully “Self-Contained”. And we found that most campsites you can only stay in if you are self-contained.
Self-Contained means that you have a toilet in your campervan as well as a “grey water” container. This is your sewage, which can only be dumped in permitted places. In New Zealand, campervans that are self-contained are marked with a blue sticker, and it is often checked at campsites whether you are entitled to stay there or not.
But there are also plenty of non-self-contained campsites. It is always best to check the respective app for information in advance. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee completeness here.
Now finally to the best campsites on the South Island of New Zealand:
Tōtaranui Campground
This is a campground directly in Abel Tasman National Park and has a large layout. There are parking spaces on gravel and many individual sections on grassy areas that have toilets and showers. The location is outstanding!
Permitted length of stay: no information found. Only at certain times, such as Christmas, there is a minimum of 3 nights and a maximum of 14 nights indicated.
Cost: $15 per person/per night (approx. EUR 9 pP/night)
The costs are higher during certain holiday periods, so please check their website:
Contact:
Phone: +64 3 528 8083
Address: 62 Commercial Street, PO Box 166, Takaka 7142
Email: totaranui@doc.govt.nz
Location:
In Abel Tasman National Park
NZTM2000 coordinates: E1600414, N5481379
Latitude: -40.81860657, Longitude: 173.00490919
Kawatiri Beach Reserve
Kawatiri Beach Reserve is a free campsite located directly at the sea just north of Westport. It has toilets but does not have showers.
There are certainly cooler places, but the fact that it is free was great.
Besides, is there anything better than falling asleep to the sound of the ocean?
Permitted length of stay: max. 2 nights
Cost: free of charge
Contact:
https://www.rankers.co.nz/experiences/6534-Kawatiri_Beach_Reserve_Westport
Location:
Westport
Cobden Tiphead (Shipwreck Point)
This was one of our favorite campsites! Not only it is located directly at the sea, but it also has unrestricted sea views!
The toilets were very clean and there was a (cold!) outdoor shower.
However, we recommend being there very early if you want a place in the front row. The campsite fills up very quickly.
Permitted length of stay: 3 nights
Cost: free of charge
Contact: Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any contact information.
Location:
Cobden, Greymouth 7802, New Zealand
42°26’20.8″S 171°11’51.3″E
https://goo.gl/maps/bPoDCyi4n88Ytpx3A
White Horse Hill Campground
If you want to visit Mount Cook National Park and take one (or several hikes) you have three options:
You can either camp at Lake Pukaki or Lake Wardell, 24.2 miles away (info below), or at the White Horse Hill Campground. Although this was not free, we decided to stay here and were rewarded with breathtaking views. We love the ocean and always try to be at the water somehow, but the view of the mountains was spectacular. We had never seen anything like it!
Since we are self-contained, we didn’t use the hot showers or the communal hut (it rained heavily, so we stayed in our camper in the evening).
But the next morning, as the skies cleared, the view of Mount Cook was stamped into our memories.
If you are planning a trip to New Zealand, you MUST visit the glaciers!
Permitted length of stay: no information found.
Cost: $15 per person/per night (approx. EUR 9 pP/night)
Contact:
Phone: +64 3 435 1186
Email: mtcookvc@doc.govt.nz
Address: 1 Larch Grove, Aoraki/Mt Cook
Location:
Mt Cook National Park 7999, New Zealand
NZTM2000 coordinates: E1365711, N5155153
Latitude: -43.71964561, Longitude: 170.09146595
https://goo.gl/maps/w129EGBvTL7oyFUP6
Lake Pukaki
If you love blue and turquoise colored water, you won’t ever want to leave this place!
Lake Pukaki was an absolute dream come true for us. A turquoise lake that looked like it had been torn from the pages of a travel magazine. We have never seen a lake with such colors!
Just make sure that your camera and phone batteries are charged before you arrive! These spectacular views make you stop more than once for pictures.
Permitted length of stay: 1 night
Cost: free of charge
Contact: Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any contact information.
Location:
4589 Tekapo-Twizel Road, Pukaki 7999, New Zealand
44°11’03.2″S 170°09’02.8″E
https://goo.gl/maps/XMaKVzDGrp3aBdAu7
Lake Wardell
Just around the corner from Lake Pukaki, this campsite is a nice small green area that was sheltered by trees.
Since the stay at Lake Pukaki is unfortunately limited to only one night, we spent another night here.
Go up to the main road and watch the people fishing in the river, which is as turquoise as Lake Pukaki!
Permitted length of stay: max. 3 nights
Cost: free of charge
Contact: Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any contact information.
Location:
Tekapo-Twizel Road, Pukaki 7999, New Zealand
44°11’42.2″S 170°07’16.6″E
https://goo.gl/maps/y1GmujBfHh2KVwho6
Lowburn Harbour
This campsite is in such a beautiful and peaceful location just before Cromwell. Within a few minutes, we experienced a change of weather at this lake that was incredible. From blue skies and sunshine one minute, to end of the world grey skies and hail the next. But when it’s not raining, the scenery is quite spectacular.
Don’t miss the 45° South marker just north of the campsite, and a delicious pie at Cromwell Bakery.
Permitted length of stay: max. 3 nights
Cost: free of charge
Contact: Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any contact information.
Location:
45°00’37.5″S 169°12’38.2″E291 Luggate-Cromwell Road, Lowburn 9384, New Zealand
https://goo.gl/maps/NMqz7ZrkqAVe9AxT8
Fortrose Township
Even if there is not much here (except for a golf course that we wanted to play), we thought it was so beautiful. The Fortrose campsite is located directly at the sea and, for us, there is nothing better than waking up and having direct ocean views.
Permitted length of stay: max. 2 nights
Cost: free of charge
Contact: +64 800 732 732
Location:
Fortrose 9875, New Zealand46°34’31.3″S 168°47’48.0″E
https://goo.gl/maps/JJwgmwo2y65DV5oW8
Purakaunui Bay Campsite
Are you ready for an incredible campsite? Getting there takes a little effort, but believe us, you will be more than rewarded at the end. It was one of the most beautiful places on the South Island of New Zealand!
Even though we were unlucky with the weather, and it poured buckets while we were there, we would go back in a second!
Be sure to set your alarm so you don’t miss the sunrise!!
Permitted length of stay: –
Cost: $8 per person/night
Contact:
Phone: +64 3 211 2400
Email: invergarcill@doc.govt.nz
Location:
Purakaunui Bay Road, Purakaunui 9586, New Zealand
46°32’42.1″S 169°36’42.6″E
https://goo.gl/maps/m4aeztVwKdncecsg9
Ocean View Recreational Reserve Brighton
Another incredible campsite. And when we say beautiful, we usually mean the location. The Ocean View campsite is actually located on a beautiful beach, white as sugar! The campsite itself is a square asphalt place without frills. But it does have clean toilets, a dump station, and even drinking water. The proximity to Dunedin is another plus point.
Permitted length of stay: max. 2 nights
Cost: free of charge
Contact:
Phone: +64 3 477 4000
Email: dcc@dcc.govt.nz
Location:
Ocean View 9035, New Zealand
45°56’15.0″S 170°21’23.5″E
https://goo.gl/maps/yEXi9SYNucjY92Z28
Katiki Beach North Reserve Rest Stop
At first, we thought this place was too close to the highway. But in the end, we were glad that we spent a night here. The ground is very uneven, but the direct access to the ocean is simply fantastic.
Time seemed to stand still while we were here. We walked down the kilometer-long beach, looked at the most diverse stones and shells, and fell asleep to the sound of the crashing waves.
Permitted length of stay: max. 3 nights
Cost: free of charge
Contact:
Phone: +64 3 433 0300
Email: service@waitaki.govt.nz
Location:
4142 Hampden-Palmerston Road, Hillgrove 9482, New Zealand
45°24’01.2″S 170°50’20.4″E
https://goo.gl/maps/pzSJRAWApjn4WKKk9
Marine Parade
This is actually a parking lot, but it is located directly at the sea, next to a surf school, with toilets and a cold outdoor shower, and just a few minutes’ drive from central Christchurch. It is too bad that you can only stay two nights, because we would have liked to spend more time at the end of our trip.
There are picnic tables, and if you arrive early, there are a few parking spots with direct ocean views.
For us, this was a very pleasant stay in a nice location, because in the morning we were only two steps from a nice grassy area where we sipped our coffee and let our gaze wander out over the sea.
Permitted length of stay: max. 2 nights
Cost: free of charge
Contact: Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any contact information.
Location:
Below New Brighton
Marine Parade, Christchurch
Donegal House
The Donegal House was a huge surprise to us! When we went to Kaikoura, we couldn’t come across a single free campground at first.
Thanks to WikiCamps, we found this free campground, the only free campsite in Kaikoura. It is a few kilometers away from the sea, but we didn’t want to spend any more money on campsites. All paid campsites were just ok for us, because they were mostly too crowded, which is not our thing.
The Donegal is an Irish pub that offers unpowered sites for free, and powered sites for $29 per night. Those who spend the night free of charge can order a cool beer and/or eat something at the pub as a thank you. We did both on two different evenings. The beer tasted sooo good, especially because the weather finally warmed up. The sun was laughing and so were we!
The Donegal is superbly laid out. Each parking spot is divided so that no one can park too close. And, each spot even has its own water connection! And all for free!
The toilets were clean, but you need to bring your own toilet paper. Alternatively, you can buy a roll in the pub. The shower also costs extra.
Given that all other campsites are many times more expensive, we thought that the Donegal was a very great deal!
We liked it very much, both Kaikoura and Donegal, and we stayed here for four nights.
Permitted length of stay: no limit known to us
Cost: free of charge
Contact:
Phone: +64 3-319 5083
Email: donegalhouse@xtra.co.nz
https://www.donegalhouse.co.nz
Location:
Schoolhouse Road, Kaikoura, New Zealand
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Go7MouviagsvXnze7
Our opinion:
For us, these were some of the best campgrounds on the South Island of New Zealand.
It was our very first time traveling in a campervan, and we had so many questions at the beginning.
Is it safe? Will we find beautiful places? Are there enough places to find drinking water on the go? And so on.
But we have to say: Freedom Camping in New Zealand is just fantastic, and New Zealand is perfectly designed for camper travel.
We had many other overnight stays, which we did not list here. Either because it was just a parking lot, or nothing special. Or other paid campgrounds that we found only good to terrible.
If you have any questions about campgrounds in New Zealand, please leave us a comment. Maybe we stayed there and can share our experiences with you!
The best campgrounds on the South Island of New Zealand