Whangarei TOP 10 Holiday Park — Local services in North Island

This was our second camping experience at a Top 10 park and our first time staying for more than three days. While the rest of the group has stayed at other Top 10 locations over the years, this was particularly special as we had a guest from Dubai with us, making it her first camping experience in New Zealand. Unfortunately, our stay at Whangarei Top 10 didn’t meet the high standards we’ve come to expect from this brand.||Firstly, the park seems to be better suited for those traveling in campervans rather than tent campers. If you are camping with a tent, I strongly recommend requesting a shaded site well in advance. Majority of the sites are fully exposed to the sun, making them unbearably hot, especially during summer. The campground itself also lacks sufficient trees or shaded areas, which made our stay uncomfortable the whole time. It felt like a missed opportunity for creating a more inviting environment for tent campers.||The layout of the campsite is quite cramped, and the sites are not well separated. We found ourselves surrounded by campervans, and during our stay, there was a strong and unpleasant smell (urine) near our site. The whole experience left us feeling disappointed, especially since we had expected a more relaxed, spacious setting based on the reputation of Top 10 parks.||One of the most frustrating aspects of our stay was the lack of updated information on the park’s website. The map shown online was not current. Having an accurate, up-to-date map would have made a big difference.||What made the situation most disappointing was the way our request for a shaded site was handled. We had made the request months in advance, yet when we asked if we could be moved to a more shaded area after some campers checked out, we were met with defensiveness and dismissiveness. The owner even went as far as calling our friend who made the phone call a “liar” when she mentioned her previous request. This kind of response is not only unprofessional but also completely unnecessary, and it seriously impacted our experience.||To their credit, the owner’s wife later approached us and offered a partial refund for the remaining 2 nights of our 5 nights stay, which we did appreciate. ||However, the gesture didn’t quite make up for the inconvenience and discomfort we had experienced. Ultimately, we decided to focus on enjoying the local area and to continue our planned itineraries in spending our New Year 2025 in Whangarei but the poor customer service left a bad impression.||Additionally, the noise from nearby roads and helicopter flying at around 2-3am also made it difficult to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet of the park. ||We have spotted a cockroach in the women’s restroom and near our site during our stay as well. While the facilities were kept clean which is okay, the men’s toilet is stinking.||While I believe this park might be suitable for those passing through for a night or two in a campervan, I would not recommend it for tent campers or those planning a longer stay. Go book a cabin or somewhere else. ||There’s a lot of potential here, but the lack of shade, outdated website information, rude owner and unprofessional handling of guest concern were significant...

The Top 10 Whangarei Holiday Park was a delightful stay, with staff that are (arguably) the most friendly from anywhere across NZ!

I recently stayed at the Top 10 Whangarei, and was delighted by the customer service, despite the country being in a state of flux (following COVID levels reducing to L3), their service was second to none. All safety procedures were being followed and strictly applied for the well being of all.

I stayed on following levels reverting to L1, and standards remained at exceptional levels. The toilets, bathrooms and showers were clean on all occasions. Bins were never left to get full or have items around them and the grounds were kept neat and tidy.

The facilities at the Top 10 include the obvious (showers, toilets, powered sites, cabins and tents) a TV / Reading room, a games room and on site laundry facilities. There are covered BBQ areas, kids playground trampoline (The later, all admittedly facilities I didn't use).

Proximity to town is excellent, a short stroll downhill to the town basin and then a seemingly longer stroll following a few too many glasses of wine with dinner back!

What sets this place apart is the friendly service. Never too much trouble seems to be their motto.

Nick and Claire (the owners) are lovely people and have created a great atmosphere, culture and have an awesome team.

Cannot rate...

We stayed 3 months here in the winter at quite a stressful time just after the first lockdown. The management run hot and cold we found, but mostly left us to our own devices. The toilet and shower block was clean although when it rained the walls and floor were running with water due to the lack of ventilation. We were located a long way from the facilities and although there was a mostly unused disability toilet at half the distance our request to use it was met with cool response and no lock on it, so gave up that idea quickly. The park itself is kept clean and tidy and the staff, including the cleaning and reception are friendly. In response to managements comments..............there were no special circumstances given to us as there were other dogs and cats allowed in park. As far as not being able to communicate with us, my partner was told in no uncertain terms to stop talking to others about the rate they paid, when my partner was only asking how their power was determined as they didn't have a meter board like we did. Being moved was totally out of the blue with two day's notice given. Very stressful as we had set up for a long stay with full...