Posts Tagged tourist information

Tips on New Zealand Camping Choices

New Zealand very much lends itself to campervan or motor home touring and it has become extremely popular with locals as a holiday mode.Tourists with families in particular, also find this a very convenient means of touring the country.The camping facilities are usually excellent, and readily available.

With a choice of free camping or staying in camping grounds and holiday parks you should never have a problem finding somewhere to stop for the night.

Free Camping in New Zealand

While you may free camp in many locations, it will sometimes be necessary and more desirable to stay in a camping ground, especially in cities or larger towns. You need to check at the local Tourist Information Offices to find out what the regulations are for free camping in their areas as it varies. Sometimes there is a very small charge – about $5.Check for the red, black and white camping signs.

There is also a relatively new Native Parks Organisation where for a fee of $70 you get to stay in up to 50 camping spots on private property. You need to be driving a totally self contained rental campervan or motorhome to take part in this scheme. This is a great way to meet the locals.

New Zealand Camping Grounds

Being a nation of campers there is plenty of choice when it comes to finding a camping ground. You do need to be aware that over the peak summer period (December-January) the camping grounds will be busy and you need to arrive earlier in the afternoon if possible to ensure you get a site.

New Zealand camping grounds range from basic with just cold showers and toilet facilities to Holiday Parks with

  • camp kitchens
  • excellent bathroom facilities – hot showers, toilets etc
  • Laundries with washing machines, clothes dryers etc
  • Swimming pools
  • Childrens play areas
  • Mini golf
  • Tennis courts
  • Entertainment rooms with indoor activities

and more…

If your camp is not beachside it could be by a beautiful lake, or featuring thermal pools. I cannot think of a camping ground I have stayed in that does not have something to delight the family.

Facilities in New Zealand Camping Grounds

  • DOC (Department of Conservation) Camps are found in many beautiful, invariably beachside locations. These are very cheap. Therefore you will have very basic facilities. You get what you pay for, but they are often right on stunning beaches so some of the best locations in the country.
  • Council Camping Grounds. usually have good facilities, with campers kitchens, hot showers, and bathroom and laundry facilities.
  • Privately owned Camping Grounds. These range from basic to excellent. Most are very good. You should have a kitchen, hot showers and toilets.
  • Campervan Only Camping Grounds There are a few campervan and motor home only camping grounds often located on private property. They are usually just a nice place to stay with no extra facilities.Your motorhome must be totally self contained to be suitable.
  • Holiday Parks 4 star Holiday Parks have wonderful facilities with cabins, on site caravan hire, swimming pools, spa pools, childrens play areas and a shop.

Most camping grounds will have a number of power points for caravans and camper vans, as well as tent sites. There will be rules that it is essential campers comply with so other campers are happy. Many camps will expect noise to be limited after 10.00pm.Some may even close their gates. They will either have a facility for you to get a key, or you should be able to make some arrangement if you will be arriving back later than their closing time.

The majority of camps either have a basic shop on site, or are very near to shops.

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Queenstown New Zealand-A Day in Paradise

Queenstown New Zealand is a spectacular place. Located on the shores of the deep blue Lake Wakatipu, and surrounded by the 7,000 foot (2,300 metres) high Remarkables, the scenery is breathtaking. Queenstown is a must for any New Zealand holiday.

We would like to share a day in Queenstown with you.

Out of bed around 8am, the day is bright and sunny, although cool, with a maximum predicted temperature of 14 degrees celsius today. It’s mid October and although today is a perfect alpine day, there is snow on the peaks and small falls are still possible, although less likely as the month progresses.

We start the day with a cooked breakfast in our apartment at the Beacon, which overlooks the lake. Amazing views, and it really is worth paying a little extra for a room with uninterrupted lake views. Lake Wakatipu is around 40 kilometres (about 22 miles) long, and stretches between the small villages of Glenorchy and Kinston. The drive to either of these from Queenstown is a memorable experience as you follow the lake edge all the way. But that’s not for us today.

Today we drive to the beautiful lakeside township of Wanaka (Wan-a-ka), which is around one hours drive from Queenstown. You can go via the township of Cromwell, but a much more interesting drive is via the Crown Range. The road climbs over the Crown Range and is the highest main road in New Zealand. There are several lookouts on the way, which provide wonderful photo opportunities looking back towards Queenstown (make sure you have plenty of film, or for digital users, a large memory card). On the way, around 25 kilometres before Wanaka we pass the historic Cardrona Hotel, which dates back to the 1800s. More on that later. Once in Wanaka we stroll along the lake edge, and from the small pier in front of the Tourist Information centre, you can see hugh trout swimming just metres below you in the clear waters of Lake Wanaka. Unbelievable. We take a stroll through the town and as always, we are impressed by the cleanliness and presentation of the town centre. The locals really do take a lot of pride. There are numerous cafes and gift shops for your kiwi memorabilia. If you have an hour or two to spare, visit the Puzzling World. This place is great fun for kids and adults, and has a maze, various optical illusions and lots of brain teasers. Well worth a visit.

But now it’s time to head back to Queenstown. But not before a visit to the Cardrona Hotel for lunch. As you enter the hotel, you are greeted by examples of local historic bits and pieces, and in the bar area, look through a glass panel in the floor to an old gold mine shaft. The hotel has a menu full of hearty kiwi dishes, and a selection of fine wines and beers. If the day is cool you have the option of sitting inside by the open fire, but with such a perfect day, we decide to sit out back in the spacious and manicured garden at one of the many timber tables. Our table sits on a beautiful lawn area and we are struck by the distance between us and the closest diners (probably 15 metres or 50 feet). If you have children there is plenty of room for them to explore safely. We sit in the sun and sample a Speights beer (ok, I sample two) and a local Sav Blanc, and tuck into our lunch, thinking how perfect the day is. Our meal is well presented and very, very good. We are even joined by the resident cat, who sits next to us on our bench seat, and delicately takes a few small pieces of chicken from me. The locals sure are friendly.

Time to head back to Queenstown, and as we descend the Crown Range we are again dumbstruck by the view and the beauty of the Wakatipu basin. As we reach the bottom of the range, we detour a few kilometres to the historic township of Arrowtown, an old gold mining village, which is now filled with lovely cafes and shops selling local arts and crafts.

Its then a 20 minute drive back to Queenstown, where we put our feet up in our apartment, gaze out at the lake, and watch the old steamer the TSS Earnslaw as it sails past on one of its regular cruises. We wonder what adventure tomorrow holds for us in this gorgeous place.

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