Camping in Paihia and the Bay of Islands: Holiday Parks, DOC Island Campsites and Where to Base Yourself

Why a holiday park is the answer here

Far North District Council does not allow camping or overnight parking in its parks, reserves and beaches, and the nearest approved free site is at Kawakawa, a short drive inland, as the guide to freedom camping in Paihia explains. DOC's notices ban camping at five places around the bay. So the practical choice for a night in Paihia is a holiday park.

That is not a hardship. The bay's parks are close to the water, the Waitangi Treaty Grounds and the ferry wharves, and they have what a travelling vehicle needs: showers, a kitchen, laundry and power. They also take tents, which most council areas do not.

Holiday parks around Paihia

Paihia TOP 10 Holiday Park sits in its own bay just south of Paihia township, with cabins and camping and motorhome sites. Waitangi Holiday Park is on the banks of the Waitangi River near Te Tii Beach and is the one within walking distance of Paihia's centre, the Treaty Grounds and the supermarket. Bay of Islands Holiday Park is on Puketona Road near Haruru Falls, between Paihia and Kerikeri, with tent and power sites alongside its cabins, and Beachside Holiday Park is another option in its own bay.

Which suits you depends on how you plan to move. If you will walk to the wharf for a boat trip, take Waitangi or the Paihia park, and if you are continuing to Kerikeri or north, the Haruru Falls side puts you on the road. Our holiday parks guide covers powered and unpowered sites and when to book in Northland.

DOC campsites in the bay and Northland

DOC runs campsites on Urupukapuka Island, reached by ferry or water taxi, which suit a night away from the road and a day of walking and kayaking. KiwiCamping's DOC data (11 August 2026) lists 14 DOC campsites across Northland, 11 of them bookable online through DOC, with adult nightly rates listed from $10 to $23. Uretiti Beach Campsite, south of Whangārei, is the biggest at 300 sites, and 10 of the 14 have campervan access.

The kauri dieback guide matters on the walks around these campsites, and the guide to DOC campsites explains how booking works. Island campsites need you to carry in water and take out everything, so pack as for a short backcountry trip.

When to book

The Bay of Islands is busiest from Christmas to the end of January and at Easter, when the parks fill and the ferries are full, and it fills on long weekends and in the school holidays, which in 2027 run from 10 to 26 April, 3 to 18 July and 25 September to 10 October. Outside those, the weather is milder than in the south, and a week here fits into the Bay of Islands camping week guide.

In winter the parks have space, the days are shorter and rain is common, so a cabin is a sensible fallback for a wet night. The drive from Auckland takes around three to four hours, covered in the Auckland to Bay of Islands drive guide.

Using KiwiCamping around Paihia

In the Bay of Islands, KiwiCamping marks the parks at Paihia, Waitangi and Haruru Falls, the DOC campsites further out and the nearest dump stations, filtered for vans if you want. Build a dated trip from your Paihia nights and see the kilometres to Kerikeri and the Far North road.

Every stop in that trip gets its own forecast, handy before a boat day on the bay. Northland's back roads drop signal, but the parks you saved keep their details on the phone; the map and photos reload later. Download it free; extras are in-app purchases.

Places along the way