Waikawau Bay Camp grounds. D.O.C — Hotel in North Island

The facilities at the campsite are all new (as of Feb 2021) and kept clean - we saw the DOC rangers come and clean the toilets during the day. There is a shop open for the summer period (to Waitangi Day) that does ice, bread and other small items. Nearest small grocery store is the Colville General Store (20 min drive), which does pretty much anything you can think of (including ice creams). We stayed at Reyes End, which was protected by trees all around so wind was never a problem. Short 5 min walk to the beach, which was sandy and perfect for swimming, with slightly choppy waves, good for boogie boards. Note the road to the campsite is gravel for 15-20 minutes, expect your car to get dirty. Being so secluded means you can’t get a better spot to stargaze. Overall, lots of space at the campsite and perfect to get away from everyday life - phone coverage is great at the beach but marginal at the...

Wondeful and very large DOC run campsite with good facilities and a kid friendly beach. Surfable sandbar at high tide and a gentle beach break. Can launch boat from beach with 4wd. Surrounded by hills so suns up late for cool mornings and evenings, can get hot during day but lots of trees and shady spots. Small shop onsite with ice and some essentials (e.g. ice creams), some flushing toilets and cold shower blocks, water piped in from the hills and droppies in most paddocks . Lovely native bush walk nearby, mostly easy grade about 3hrs. Can be very busy around the usual public holidays but idyllic when the crowds depart. 30 mins driving windy gravel road to access, ok for 2wd if careful. Worth the effort. Bookings with DOC website. Update: Noted on DOC site the camp is closed 1 March 2019 - 30 June 2019 to install new toilets, showers and...

This is a true gem, we spent a delightful 5 days in the camp, on a powered site as it is very cost effective if you have a DOC pass. The new toilet blocks are fantastic, clean and well ventilated with wash benches outside and cold showers. The camp is enormous, handy to drive to Stony Bay for hikes, and a 1km walk to the gorgeous Little Bay. The main Waikawau beach is 2km long and a gently sloped. Great swimming beach. We drove in from Colville side and went out Kennedy Bay road towing a 3500t 20.6ft van. Steep in sections on Kennedy Bay road but manageable. Can get very busy in summer according to DOC chap...