The best glamping sites in New Zealand with hot tubs

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Ask a Kiwi what defines New Zealand (Aotearoa), and you'll get markedly different answers depending on where they hail from—even if they only grew up hours apart. That may be because New Zealand crams diverse landscapes and experiences into its 268,021 square kilometres. You can sleep at Māori maraes, park your campervan at the foot of active volcanoes, unroll your sleeping bag metres from the sea or deep in the rainforest, or pitch a tent at the foot of snow-capped mountains. Kiwis love road trips thanks to an extensive network of frontcountry, backcountry, and even urban camping areas. Freedom camping in New Zealand is also widespread, with free camping sites sometimes even equipped with flush toilets and hot showers. Department of Conservation (DOC) campsites and holiday parks can be found in even the most remote corners of the country, while local hosts are among the most welcoming you’ll find anywhere in the world.

Top-rated campgrounds in New Zealand

Fox Glacier TOP 10 Holiday Park

1. Fox Glacier TOP 10 Holiday Park

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Fox Glacier · 175 sites · Tents, RVs, Lodging
Fox Glacier TOP 10 Holiday Park offers a scenic Glacier Country base for campervans, caravans, RVs and tent campers, set across spacious grounds with views towards the Southern Alps. The park offers all-weather powered sites, premium powered sites, EV powered sites, hard-surface unpowered sites for vans and caravans, and grass unpowered sites specifically for tents. Powered sites are set on flat ground with a mixture of hard surfaces and grass and cater to campervans, caravans, vans and long-wheelbase vehicles. Guests have access to modern shared bathrooms with underfloor heating and free hot showers, large communal kitchens, a dining area with wood burner, free gas BBQs and a 24-hour guest laundry. Guests can also enjoy the playground and games room. Free unlimited WiFi is available throughout the park, along with a 24-hour guest laundry, secure storage for bags and bikes, fun bike hire and e-bike hire.
Toilets
Showers
Full hookups
Queenstown Top 10 Holiday Park

2. Queenstown Top 10 Holiday Park

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Queenstown · 74 sites · Tents, RVs, Lodging
Queenstown TOP 10 Holiday Park offers a peaceful alpine base for campervan, motorhome, caravan and tent travellers in Arthurs Point, just minutes from central Queenstown. The park has a useful mix of campervan-only powered sites, caravan-only powered sites, grass powered sites and unpowered grass sites, allowing travellers to choose a product that better suits their actual setup rather than booking one generic site type. Campers have access to modern bathrooms with underfloor heating and free hot showers, a well-equipped communal kitchen, spacious dining area with a wood burner, free gas BBQs and laundry facilities. Campervan-only powered sites are designed for campervans and motorhomes, while separate caravan-only sites cater specifically to towing setups. Guests can also enjoy the playground and jumping pillow. Free unlimited WiFi is available throughout the park, while e-bikes are also available for hire.
Toilets
Showers
Full hookups
Kaikoura TOP 10 Holiday Park

3. Kaikoura TOP 10 Holiday Park

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Kaikōura · 121 sites · Tents, RVs, Lodging
Kaikōura TOP 10 Holiday Park offers a well-equipped base for campervan, caravan and camping travellers wanting to explore one of New Zealand's most spectacular coastal destinations. The park offers a particularly flexible range of camping products, including powered grass sites, powered gravel sites, powered tent sites and unpowered sites, allowing guests to choose a setup that suits both their vehicle and camping style. A dump station is available within the park, along with rubbish and recycling facilities. Kaikōura town centre is only around 500 metres away, so guests can leave the campervan or caravan set up and walk into town for cafés, restaurants, shops and local services. Guests can also enjoy the swimming pool, playground and jumping pillow, while pedal-kart hire and BBQ facilities are available.
Pets
Toilets
Full hookups
Hanmer Springs Top 10 Holiday Park

4. Hanmer Springs Top 10 Holiday Park

Hanmer Springs · 138 sites · Tents, RVs, Lodging
Hanmer Springs TOP 10 Holiday Park offers a comfortable base for caravanners, motorhome travellers and campers exploring the alpine village of Hanmer Springs and the surrounding Canterbury high country. Powered and non-powered camping options cater to a range of setups, from tents and campervans to caravans and motorhomes. Campers have access to well-equipped communal kitchens, BBQ areas, shared bathrooms and showers, family bathrooms and guest laundry facilities. A dump station is available for self-contained vehicles, while the park also offers EV charging and car-wash facilities — useful additions for travellers spending longer periods on the road. Families can make use of the playground and recreation facilities, while communal areas including the TV room provide somewhere to relax away from the campsite. Guests can also enjoy the jumping pillow. The park also offers complimentary BBQs and pizza ovens, communal kitchens, a TV room, family bathroom facilities, complimentary WiFi and a tour booking desk.
Electrical hookup
Toilets
Showers
Carters Beach Top 10 Holiday Park

5. Carters Beach Top 10 Holiday Park

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Westport · 111 sites · Tents, RVs, Lodging
Carters Beach TOP 10 Holiday Park offers a relaxed beachfront base for campervan, motorhome, caravan and tent travellers exploring New Zealand's West Coast. Guests can choose from powered gravel sites and unpowered camping areas, with the park sitting right beside the sandy shores of Carters Beach and only a few minutes from Westport. Many powered sites include power and water, while the park map also identifies dedicated sealed powered sites and fresh-water points. Campers have access to communal bathrooms and showers, a kitchen, BBQ area, guest laundry and dump station, along with free unlimited WiFi. With beachfront access, practical touring facilities and Westport only around five minutes away, Carters Beach TOP 10 is an excellent stop for road trippers travelling the Great Coast Road or exploring the wider Buller region. Guests can also enjoy the playground, jumping pillow and games room, while pedal-kart hire is available.
Pets
Electrical hookup
Toilets
Dune Lakes Lodge - Retreat & Horses

6. Dune Lakes Lodge - Retreat & Horses

South Head · 1 site
Dune Lakes Retreat & Horse Inspired Learning Centre is nestled on the wild South Kaipara Head Peninsula, just 60 minutes from Auckland CBD, yet it feels far removed from everyday life. Set among ancient sand hills, pristine wetlands, native bush, and the calm waters of Lake Kereta — a rare freshwater dune lake — this is a landscape shaped by deep time, quiet balance and wonderful for safe swimming. The South Kaipara Head is an ancient sand barrier separating the vast Kaipara Harbour from the Tasman Sea. Between the dunes, groundwater has gathered over thousands of years to form freshwater lakes and wetlands that filter water, support rich biodiversity, and create a profound sense of calm. Guests may choose from a range of camping sites — some nestled near the wetlands, others more open with wide skies and lake views. Facilities include excellent water quality, toilets, and showers. Accommodation includes the Flying Horse Barn with three studio rooms at $150 per night per room, and a cabin available for $100 per night (bring your own linen/towels etc or $25 extra per stay for supplied linen for all accommodation) To the west lies the dramatic Muriwai / Rangatira coastline with sweeping Tasman Sea sunsets. To the east is the sheltered Kaipara Harbour, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and a vital feeding ground for marine life and migratory birds such as godwits, knots, plovers, and terns. A quiet lagoon to the north shelters swans, ducks, pūkeko, paradise shelduck, kingfisher, fantail, warbler, and silvereye. At dawn, birdsong fills the air. At dusk, frogs rise in chorus, and from deep within the reedbeds the rare Australasian bittern calls — a nationally threatened bird whose presence signals an intact wetland. The retreat is also home to a free-roaming herd of horses at the Horse Inspired Learning Centre. The horses are free-roaming, barefoot, unridden, and without covers. Mindful, non-riding interactions grounded in Natural Horse Friendship and Equine-Assisted Learning sessions are available by arrangement at $250 per morning session) A place to rest, reflect, and reconnect — where land, water, wildlife, horses, and quiet beauty meet.
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Showers
Pohutukawa Cabin @ Karikari Lodge.

7. Pohutukawa Cabin @ Karikari Lodge.

Karikari Peninsula, NZ · 1 site
The Pohutukawa Cabin is part of our Guest House space. The Cabin is private and self contained there are no shared facilities. The Pohutukawa Cabin is to the rear of Karikari Lodge and overlooks the beautiful and treasured Karikari Bay. You have free use of the SUP (Stand up paddle boards) and Bodyboards.
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New Zealand camping guide

Where to go

Northland (North Island)

This stretch of land north of Auckland is the birthplace of both Māoridom and modern New Zealand. Campsites in the Bay of Islands offer modern amenities and services, while seaside sites in the relatively unpopulated Far North region do justice to the phrase "winterless north."

Waikato (North Island)

Just south of Auckland, Waikato may be known for its cows, but this is also where you'll find some of the most dynamic camping in the region, including riverbanks and caves lit up at night with glowworms, surf beaches, and the bays and inlets of the Coromandel.

Bay of Plenty & Hawke's Bay (North Island)

Kiwifruits, wineries, and seafood are just part of what makes these two regions so plentiful. In addition to beachfront camping sites, you'll also find farm stays and further inland, camping among the misty mountain peaks of Te Urewera or beside the steaming geysers at Rotorua.

Ruapehu (North Island)

Within the volcanic heart of the North Island, the Ruapehu region also marks the start Whanganui River, with its headwaters in Tongariro National Park. Lava flows have defined this landscape, yet you can also park your motorhome among lush green rainforest.

Tasman/Nelson & Marlborough (South Island)

After a ferry ride from Wellington, you'll arrive to the northern end of the South Island, where these Tasman and Marlborough are known for their gold-hued beaches (especially in the aptly named Golden Bay and Abel Tasman National Park), plus kayaking, wineries, endless coastline, and native bush.

West Coast (South Island)

New Zealand's West Coast is known for being both wild and wet. It lives up to both descriptions, but it isn't all rain and gloom. Here, you'll find glaciers that nearly touch the sea, native rainforest, windswept beaches, and some of the country's most remote campsites.

Canterbury (South Island)

From the turquoise lakes of Mackenzie Country and the snow-capped peaks of Arthur's Pass to the braided rivers that cross the plains, Canterbury is as big as it is diverse. Want to camp beachside, riverside, oceanside, mountainside, lakeside, or even cityside in Christchurch? Find it all in Canterbury.

Otago (South Island)

Otago's urban centre of Queenstown is known for hustle and bustle, but it's easy to find yourself totally immersed in wilderness after just a short drive. With massive lakes, rushing rivers, and high mountain peaks, there's no shortage of adventure or camping grounds in the country's adrenaline capital.

Fiordland & Stewart Island (South Island)

Fiordland National Park is one of New Zealand's most remote regions—yet it's also one of the most visited. The postcard-perfect Milford Sound is what lures many here, but for those who have time to camp for a few nights, it offers unparalleled wilderness opportunities starting from Te Anau.

Happy farmer sitting in a truck in a grassy field
Happy farmer sitting in a truck in a grassy field

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