Waitangi Holiday Park

The camping ground was flat and well maintained, and the view was amazing. The bathrooms were great, with warm showers and no time limit, though it’s a shared space, so please be considerate. I didn’t use the kitchen. I just drove into Paihia for a nice meal.

The location is great, but the price seemed a bit steep, especially with plenty of other places to choose from. We booked a tent site for peak time on Christmas Day and paid NZ$113 a night, even though most sites were empty. Over the past two weeks, $30-50 has been usual, with Top10 sites around $68.

There’s a lounge area that’s handy in bad weather, covered gas bbqs, and two blocks with toilets and showers. We had an unpowered tent pitch, and the kitchen facilities were good, though there was no cookware and staff seemed very reluctant to provide any. It’s an ok campsite, but one person at reception, who seemed senior or perhaps the manager, was abrupt and unhelpful, and talked down to other staff. It was uncomfortable to watch. Otherwise, it’s a good campsite, which is a shame.

The staff were super nice, and the kitchen was clean. The toilets and showers were pretty basic. Only one washer and dryer were working for the whole camp. The washing machine left my laundry really wet, so I needed two dryer cycles to get it dry, which cost me a lot.