Puriri Bay (Whangaruru North Head) Campsite — Hotel in North Island

Nice beach but not the most friendly host for our 7 night stay. We came across Jo who screamed at our kids befire screaming at all the adults individually and told us we were evicted 3 days early because it was 10mins after 10pm when we pulled the boats out of water (wind had picked up and estimation of return time misjudged by the dads). She ended up apologising to me but didnt return to apologise to the kids like she said she would. Made us loose a night in a way because it was pretty stressful having her screaming at us for being unintentionally 10mins later than quiet time. We didnt party or make any other noise past 10pm while we were there. The DOC head office was very helpful when asking them for help with this situation. Apparantly Jo is getting DOC to make a sign that the boat ramp is not to be used after 9pm- dont go to the campsite if you would like to fish change of light in the summer. There is no other way to go out as the gates are locked at 9pm so you would have to leave your boat anchored in the bay. No rubbish or recycling facilities available after 1st Feb 23. No drinkable water ( you have to boil it first). Dont attempt to turn up prior to 2pm as you will be left on a hill to wait with no consideration as to how heavy your towing load is or that you have young children in car (we arrived at 1.50pm but others had been waiting for 20mins prior and weren't let in until just before 2pm). The other camp host who was there was very nice and reasonable. Visitors have to hike up and down a very steep hill because there is no parking close by for non-campers. The picnic bay...

Beautiful campsite, quite a few spots right on the beach front (make sure to book through the DOC website). The road there from SH1 is a 1 hour windy road, so be prepared. Oakura (30 min away) is the closest reasonable sized shop, so I’d recommend coming prepared. There is a small shop that does ice (for $7/bag!), ice cream and some other things at Bland Bay Motor Camp (not listed on google maps), but the lady there was unwelcoming so we left 😒 The check in hut at the campsite has a deep freezer which you can use to freeze things (ice packs) over night, and also offers 1.5L ice bottles for $1. Showers are cold, but relatively new and clean and have hooks for solar showers. Toilets are long drops, pretty standard. The bay faces west so sunset in the evening. Would recommend the Whangaruru Southern Loop track to explore the area, it’s about 1 hour and there is a bit of up and down hill involved. Note that this bay is rocky/Shelly and not soft yellow sand all around. There are rocks in the middle/north end of the bay, but the south end is where we saw most people swimming. The bay is well protected so the water is calm for kayaking, paddle boarding etc, but the winds do come up over the hills on the east side from the ocean on the other side. Also, 4G reception at the...

We had a lovely time staying at Puriri Bay. The facilities are basic but well maintained and clean. Very peaceful, no through traffic on the road so there’s virtually no one coming and going. Nice safe beach, the sites along the front are great for families with kids as you can keep an eye on them from your campsite. Lots of toilet/ shower blocks, and taps scattered throughout the site. No shops even remotely close nearby so make sure you bring everything you need, you can get ice at Bland Bay about 5 mins away. We did the walk from Admirals Bay up the hill to the trig station at the top, was worthwhile. Boat launching 4x4 only. Cellphone worked well except southern end of beach but that was fine. No vehicles at all are allowed on tent only sites so you have to park adjacent and carry your things to the site. No rubbish or recycling facilities anymore so make sure you take everything home with...