Camping in Wellington: Holiday Parks, Regional Park Campgrounds and the Ferry Nights

The ferry nights

Wellington is the North Island end of the Cook Strait ferry, and the nights before and after a crossing are where most campers need a bed. Ferry check-in times and sailing schedules shape the night, so pick a park that lets you leave in time, and read the guide to the Cook Strait ferry for what to expect at the terminal. Early and late sailings often mean a night within 30 minutes of the port.

Freedom camping in Lower Hutt and the city is not allowed or tightly restricted, and DOC's three notices in the district all ban camping, so do not plan on parking by the waterfront. A holiday park is the simple answer, and the guide to freedom camping in the North Island explains how the other councils compare.

Holiday parks around the city

Wellington TOP 10 Holiday Park is at Hutt Park Road in Lower Hutt, about 15 km from the centre, with powered and unpowered sites and cabins. Kiwi Holiday Park in Upper Hutt sits on bush and farmland, Aotea Lodge is in Porirua, and Paekākāriki Holiday Park is on the Kāpiti Coast, each with sites for campervans. They are between 20 minutes and an hour from the ferry, so choose by direction of travel.

They book out in summer, on long weekends and over the school holidays, which in 2027 run from 10 to 26 April, 3 to 18 July and 25 September to 10 October. For what a Wellington holiday park costs and how to book, read the holiday parks guide.

Regional parks and DOC

Kaitoke Regional Park near Upper Hutt, about 45 minutes from the city, has a campground in a forested valley, run by Greater Wellington. DOC's Catchpool Valley Campsite in the Remutaka Forest Park, entered from Coast Road south of Wainuiomata, has a kitchen and showers and is a good base for the Ōrongorongo Valley walks, but it is closed in winter, from May to Labour weekend.

KiwiCamping's DOC data (11 August 2026) lists 3 DOC campsites in Wellington and Kāpiti, with Catchpool Valley the largest at 76 sites and an adult nightly rate listed at $10. The region also has 24 DOC huts, so it suits a walking weekend as much as a ferry night.

When to book

Wellington's camping is busiest in summer, on the long weekends of Waitangi Day, Easter and Labour Day, and around the ferry's peak days, when the parks fill with campervans heading to and from the South Island. Matariki on Friday 25 June 2027 also makes a long weekend. The Auckland to Wellington drive guide covers the road in from the north, and the Wellington to Napier drive guide covers the road up the east coast.

Wind is the thing Wellington is known for, so check the forecast and secure awnings and loose gear, and allow for delayed crossings in a southerly or a northerly gale.

Using KiwiCamping around Wellington

KiwiCamping shows the holiday parks near the Interislander and Bluebridge terminals, the motor camps up the Hutt Valley and the dump stations, with a campervan filter. Save the night before the ferry and the first night in Picton as one trip with dates.

The trip lists the drive on each side of the strait and the forecast at both ends, useful when Cook Strait sailings are weather-dependent. Saved places open offline at the terminal; the map reloads once you have signal again. The app is free; upgrades are sold inside.

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