Kai Iwi Beach Holiday Park — Hotel in North Island

A special place tucked away along the western coastline with a great ambience, this friendly, family run campsite offers that feeling all kiwis enjoy, that nostalgic smell of BBQs sizzling away and children playing barefoot with the hum of adults sitting around by their tents laxing out in the full sun with a cold one in hand - a well set up campsite with all the essentials and well serviced by the managers/owners who add a special love to the place with their their personal pride in the beach that they live at - its was a real joy hearing about the sunsets even though we had a cloudy night, I could tell there was a magic to the beach that was appreciated deeply by these people.

I rented a cabin at a great place accommodating 4 people $120 per night seemed like a very good deal. Inside was a jug, toaster and cutlery and plates etc - everything you could need of essential items - (take bbq tongs) We opted for fish n chips at the cafe onsite run by the owners and I personally loved the special batter they added to the fish and the friendly pooches LouLou that were on the team added a smile to my child as we waited for our dinner to be cooked.

There is a shop on site with the very basics - dont expect too much but rest assured ice creams and cold drinks were abundantly available and tomato sauce came to our rescue - good thinking to the team to make sure the kiwi tradition of fish n chips with fizzy and tom sauce were available to give the campers that kiwi beach experience. There is coffee available however we didnt have any - Im sure they make a great coffee - opens at 8.30am.

Watching the families creating memories and listening to children playing alongside one another, once as strangers but now friends, a bounty of kids on the tramp and the piano being played both by children and well trained adults added a very real harmony to the environment. A great vibe, positive and truly enjoyable.

Dont forget your $1 coins for the showers - that last 5 mins - beautiful strong, hot showers that were nice and clean to use.

The beach has magical black sand and pumping waves are awaiting you to enjoy, with only a small walk through a grassy pathway and a playground for the kids to enjoy - all set into a rugged and somewhat wild looking coastline. The beach has some power and the little ones can play in the flowing creek - those that tackle the dumping waves are highly spirited with smiles as they feel the immense power that this coastline offers - Its a great surfing beach and take your boards along to really enjoy the...

Great camp in a peaceful small beach town not far from Wanganui. Good for swimming and fishing. Whanganui is a 15-minute drive boasting superb cafés, Saturday River Market, Virginia Lake, Kowhai Park, and lots more. The camp is not far away from the beach with a 5 minute walk, has a park for the kids in the actual campground as well as down closer to the beach. A grass picnic or BBQ area is also just down from the Kai Iwi Beach Holiday Park and closer to the beach itself. The campground has great space as well for bbq and picnics. Facilities are kept clean but are older. The only one thing to consider would be finding a slightly more hidden but still accessible recycle rubbish area and not having it so close to two bbqs and a large picnic table. The proprietors are easy to chat with and very obliging. You'll need to book very early for the summer season here because there are lots of local Whanganui people who love to stay too. Pet friendly at the campground also. Cricket is often played out on the beach here as there's sheltered space. Driftwood is collectible as the ocean sculpts it into wonderful garden pieces and a small momento of a Beach Holiday Park well worthy of a stay. Thanks for a wonderful weekend, and of course, we'll be back....

Avoid this one! The stream is toxic, and the beach was closed when we went as it was unsafe, though we were not warned of this. We booked for 2 night and only stayed one. The entire camp was near empty when we left due to severe wind. We however had a cabin so this didn't affect us too much. Unfortunately my 3yo also got a bee sting, had a fever and puked through the night, so besides the atrocious weather, we didn't have much choice but to leave early. The owners, despite being respectful were unwilling to refund our second night despite the reason we left. I would not go back again. I gave 2 stars instead of 1 due to the fact they were nice and the grounds were well maintained, but the trip was horrendous.

Given the filthy response from the owner, I have to say, He's not a great person after all. Zero compassion. Well done on pretending to care while we were there! Consider a...