DOC campsites in Central North Island

Camping with DOC in Central North Island

Most DOC camping in the Central North Island costs nothing. Of the 14 campsites, 9 are free, and every free one is a basic campsite. Kaimanawa Forest Park accounts for 7 of them: Clements Clearing, Waikoko, Kaimanawa Road, Urchin, Army Road, Kakapo and Te Iringa campsites are all free, all open to campervans, and all allow campfires (fire season rules apply). Facilities there are simple: non-flush toilets and, at most, stream water.

Tongariro National Park holds 5 campsites, and they are the paid ones. Mangahuia and Mangawhero are standard campsites reached by road at $18 a night for adults, with untreated tap water. The other three are Great Walk campsites, Mangatepopo, Oturere and Waihohonu, reached only on foot. Their adult rate is $10 to $19 for NZ residents and $10 to $28 for international visitors, which is where the top of the region's $10 to $28 range comes from.

The largest campsite by number of sites is Pokaka Mill Campsite, with 30, in Tongariro Forest Conservation Area. It is free, but its only listed access is 4WD, so a campervan or ordinary car is not the vehicle for it. Near Taupō, Whakaipo Campsite is free and open to self-contained campervans only.

Before you go, note what no campsite in the region lists: no flush toilets, no showers, no treated tap water and no powered sites. Bring your own water treatment and expect to be self-sufficient. In return, 9 campsites allow dogs in some form and 7 permit campfires. Only 5 of the 14 are bookable online through DOC, so most nights here are first come. The landscape mix is forest, alpine and rivers and lakes, and there are 16 DOC huts in the region for those heading further in.