Thermal Explorer Highway: Where to Camp From Auckland to Napier

The route and the four nights

From central Auckland the route follows State Highway 1 south past Hamilton and Cambridge to Tīrau, then State Highway 5 east into Rotorua. From Rotorua, the highway runs south past the Waiotapu thermal area to Taupō, and from Taupō State Highway 5 climbs the Napier-Taupō road to the coast, reaching Napier after about two hours. A lot of the route is the same as the Auckland to Napier road trip, which covers the quicker version, so this page is for the slow one.

The simplest plan is two nights in Rotorua, one in Taupō and one in Napier, with the first leg being the longest at about three hours. Add a night at Hamilton or Cambridge if you want to stretch the first day, and a night at Tarawera or Te Pōhue if you want to break the last. Distances between sources vary, so treat the figures as a guide and check the live map.

Rotorua: the geothermal base

Rotorua is the centre of the route, with its sulphur smell, the Redwoods and the thermal parks at Whakarewarewa, Te Puia and Wai-O-Tapu 30 minutes to the south. Budget a day at one of them and time for the free lake-edge walks and mud pools, and keep the other nights for the lakes and the mountain-bike park. Rotorua Lakes Council runs six camping sites, three of them free for certified self-contained vehicles, and the guide to freedom camping in Rotorua covers the rules.

The holiday parks around Rotorua take tents and campervans, with powered sites and hot pools, and they are the practical base. They fill from Christmas to Easter and on school-holiday weekends, so book before you set off.

Taupō and the road to Napier

Taupō has the lake, Huka Falls, the Aratiatia Rapids and Craters of the Moon, and a council with its own freedom camping rules, which the Taupō guide covers. Camp at a holiday park by the lake for a first night, and leave early the next morning for the Napier-Taupō road, which has few services.

The road to Napier is a long climb and descent through pine forest and open tussock country, with a few places for fuel and food and long gaps between them. Fill the tank in Taupō, and use the rest areas for a break. At the coast, Napier's rules are in the guide to freedom camping in Napier and Hastings.

Safety around thermal areas

Thermal ground can be dangerous, with scalding water just under a crust, so keep to marked paths and boardwalks, and keep children and dogs close. Water in some lakes and streams is hot, and swimming where the signs say no is a risk to take seriously. The guide to volcanic safety covers what to do when an alert level changes.

Gas can collect in low, enclosed spots and near vents, which matters at campsites near geothermal areas. Check each site's notices, and if you smell strong sulphur and feel dizzy, move up and out. In a hot pool, a short soak is wiser than a long one.

Planning the Thermal Explorer Highway in KiwiCamping

KiwiCamping shows DOC campsites and huts, holiday parks with their facilities and dump stations around Rotorua, Taupō and Hawke's Bay, with filters for campervan access. Add your four nights to a trip as ordered stops, and it reads the distance and drive time between each pair, plus a forecast for each place.

Save the places beforehand. Place details, saved places and guides stay on the phone, while map tiles, routing, weather and photos need signal, which is thin on the Napier-Taupō road. Free to download, with in-app purchases.

Places along the way