Blue Lake Top 10 Holiday Park

There are a couple of trails close by, including one around the lake, and it's a pleasant short drive from Rotorua. I found the older ensuite cabin comfortable, and the Wi-Fi worked well despite the poor cellphone reception in the area. The bathroom is small and has a leather-style concertina door, though the bathrooms are nearby if you're staying with family. I definitely recommend it as a getaway spot.

The cabin didn't have the space we expected for our family of four adults and three children, and the evening ended with us being told our booking was cancelled without a refund. I'm sharing this because I think people travelling from India to #rotorura #newzealand should know what happened. We arrived late, between 8-9 pm, after a long road trip. We'd asked by phone for a larger room with a full kitchen and were told during booking we'd get what we wanted, but we were given a standard cabin. We were hungry and started cooking, but there wasn't enough room for seven people to sit, so things were a bit chaotic. The children were 8, 10, and 11, and were talking and giggling. A woman next door came over to complain about the noise. We apologised and asked the kids to be quiet, but she returned, said we were still loud, and started screaming. Her partner banged on the walls. We went to find the guards and duty manager. We explained we weren't playing #games or #loudmusic or making a commotion. The guard said we could be thrown out for making too much noise after 10pm, and that the neighbour had been staying there longer, so they couldn't say anything to her. We tried to finish eating and get ready for bed. As we were washing dishes, the woman banged on our door, opened it without hesitation, and started screaming again. We were a family with children, and felt we hadn't even been loud. Her partner and she abused us during the argument, and nobody came to resolve it. The next day my husband emailed management to complain. They kept emailing to ask when we'd be back and whether we wanted to leave early, even though we'd booked two days. We couldn't find another place, so decided to stay. Then management emailed saying we'd broken the rules of #BluelalkeTop10holidaypark Rotorua and our booking was #cancelled. We were blamed, received no refund, and got no apology or #safespace. We were #threatened, #calledout, and #abused. I feel there is an extremely high probability of #racism here if you are not #white, and that the people running the place have no ethics about keeping visiting families safe. #ministryofnewzealand should look into such toxic places and make sure foreigners are safe. #IndianEmbassynewzealand #IndianEmbassy

If you want clean facilities and are camping in a vehicle, this site has good toilets, kitchens, and showers. Blue Lake is just across the road, which is lovely in summer. I recommend the $18 membership, valid for 2 years, since it gives you a discount on your stay and unlimited Wi-Fi. Without it, you're limited to 1GB per day, which isn't much when the connection is slow. The main drawback for tent campers is the lawn. There are bare patches from frequent parking, so you may get mud on your feet and carry it into your tent. Internet was another issue. On a crowded Saturday, Wi-Fi was very unstable, and mobile reception is weak in this rural area. It improved a bit on the second day when fewer people were there, but when occupancy is high you can generally expect around 30% of the advertised speed. If you need a reliable connection, this may not be the right campsite.

Each stay here seems to make the review better. We've camped here before, but this time tried a cabin. It was really clean and warm, especially at night, and definitely worth staying in. Renee at the customer service desk was friendly and helpful. Can't wait to come back!