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Published: March 8th 2007
I've been meaning to upload a blog of free and cheap campsites on South Island, New Zealand for anyone hitting the road in a campervan without an on-board toilet. People will tell you that you can camp almost anywhere on the South Island but actually it can be a nightmare trying to find somewhere without a 'No Campervans' sign to call home for the night. These are the places we found on our month-long tour of this beautiful island. Hope it's useful to you!
1) Carpark on little peninsular before you get to Akaroa on the Banks Peninsular. It's by the water and there's a decent longdrop toilet just a minute's walk away. You can't park anywhere around Akaroa overnight. Free.
2) Le Bons Bay on Banks Peninsular is a great spot to stay for one or two nights. Drive right to the end of the road and park up in a bay under the big pines trees behind the sand dunes. Lovely beach there, flushing toilets and a free zipwire in the cricket ground through the gate by the toilet block! Free.
3) Lake Clearwater on the road to Mount Somers and Edoras Lord of the Rings location. When you reach the little holiday town, ignore the first lake with all the motorboats on it and instead head right through the town to the other lake (no motorboats allowed) where there's a DOC campsite with flushing loos for just $4 per pitch. Lovely views acorss the lake too and a waterfowl conservation area.
4) Lake Alexandrina on the left of Lake Tekapo. This little DOC campsite is on slightly sloping ground but has flushing toilets and a spring water pipe with safe drinking water nearby but you'll have to ask someone where it is! 1 minute away from the lake with nice views and lots of friendly ducks. $6 per pitch per night.
5) The Pines at Lake Pukaki. Superb big free campsite right by the glacier lake with awesome views of Mount Cook in good weather. Longdrop toilets and clean water tap. Not signposted at all so ask in the Tourist Office for directions. It's not far from there.
6) Picnic area near Shag Point. Driving south from Moeraki Boulders, it's the last picnic area on the main road before you reach Shag Point. There's a longdrop toilet but no water. Good access to sandy beach and some private corners to park in. Free.
7) Weir Road in the Catlins on the way to Slope Point, the most southerly bit of South Island. This is an official Freedom campsite by the river estuary with a longdrop toilet but no water. Nice and quiet location but not much of a view. Free.
8) Clifden Suspension Bridge. There was a nice looking campsite here with a good flushing toilet but it was roped off when we were there. Our friends had used it just a couple of weeks before us so maybe it's available again. You can still park on the less attractive gravelly bit by the tiny information centre if need be. Free.
9) Lake Monowai in the Fjordland. Campsite in the pine trees by the lake. Flushing toilets but full of flies. No water and so many sandflies that you'll want to leave asap. If you can put up with that though, it's free.
10) The second picnic area heading north after Kingston on the way to Queenstown. There's no toilet or drinking water but you can park under the pine trees by the lakeside with stunning views across the water that reminded us a little of Milford Sound. There's a pleasant stony beach and it's away from the road. Free.
11) Charleston, west coast north of Pancake rocks. Follow signs for the toilet when you arrive and it will lead you to a DOC campsite that has no stated fees, just a donation box. It's really pretty here, there's flushing toilets, and at night there are little blue penguins that come out onto the rocks a short walk from the campsite though this isn't advertised anywhere (a DOC worker told me). Techincally free.
12) Gillespie's Beach. I wouldn't recommend going there even though it's free because it's full of sandflies, the road to it is about 10km of gravel road in the worst condition and there's no view from the campsite. It's close to a driftwood strewn grey shingle beach and there's a longdrop toilet that was too scary to use! Free.
13) Robin Hood Bay, north of Blenheim near Picton. It's a tough drive up into the mountains on another bad gravel road but the little campsite is nice with views of the steep stony beach and a good longdrop toilet. You'll pass other DOC sites on the way but they all charge fees for camping. This one's absolutely free and in a nice area.
14) Owaki Scenic Reserve, south of Kaikoura. There's a picnic area off the main road that looks like a big circle with a roundabout in the middle of it. It's not very private and there's no toilets or water but you can get up close to a seal colony that like to bask on the rocks just a stone's throw away from the parking area.
15) Finally, this one's highly recommended at Amberley Beach just north of Christchurch. Here you'll find a local council run campsite with water, flushing toilets and electricity points for just $8 per pitch per night. Without power it's just $2.50 per person. The beach nearby is steep and stony but the campsite is excellent and frequented by friendly Kiwis and their giant buses and campervans.
It's worth noting that there are hundreds of DOC (Department of Conservation) campsites around but they typically charge $6 per person per night just for parking and using a toilet. For $25 you can always get a power site at a proper campground that has hot showers, cooking facilities, laundry etc etc. Don't let anyone tell you that you can avoid paying at DOC sites as most of them now come with a 'host' who comes round to collect your fees, sometimes at 7am...
Final bit of advice is that you're better off somtimes paying for proper campsites rather than wasting your time, energy and fuel driving around aimlessly for hours in search of a free place to stay. The worst places to find freebies for us was in the Catlins, around Bluff and Invercargill, on the entire west coast and in the north around Nelson and Picton.
I know I sound like your mother but please remember to keep every place you camp clean and tidy. As someone once told us, a good camper leaves nothing but a tyremark behind. That way the free and cheap places will stay free and cheap!
One last thing if you're heading to the Catlins, go to Porpoise Bay next to Curio Bay where you can swim with wild Hector's dolphins for absolutely free. It's cold so wear a wetsuit if you have one but we managed without and it was magical!
Good luck and happy camping!!!
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Sonya Bell
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Cheap powered camping in motueka
My property has plenty of space for camping. i have outdoor power, a toilet, bathroom and kitchen for use. We are in a beautiful location, right on the water. pets welcome.