Puriri Bay (Whangaruru North Head) Campsite
Whangaruru North Head Scenic Reserve
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Puriri Bay (Whangaruru North Head) Campsite
Overlooking the mouth of Whangaruru Harbour, this campsite has sheltered waters for swimming and boating activities, and a series of interconnected walks.
Overlooking the mouth of Whangaruru Harbour, this campsite has sheltered waters for swimming and boating activities, and a series of interconnected walks.
Notices
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Picnic Bay to Puriri Bay track closed
The public access walking track from Picnic Bay to Puriri Bay is closed due to slip damage.
Visitors wanting to access Puriri Bay from the carpark at Picnic Bay can do so by walking down to the camp along the road.
This is a long term alert.
First published on 15 November 2022. Last reviewed on 12 November 2024.
DOC Campsite Pricing
Puriri Bay (Whangaruru North Head) Campsite is categorised as a DOC Standard Campsite. The following pricing indicates usual pricing. Prices vary for some campsites and may include seasonal pricing. Visit the DOC website for exact pricing.
DOC Standard Campsite
Standard campsites have a more limited range of facilities and services than Serviced campsites. These campsites have toilets, a water supply that could be treated or untreated tap water, or from a stream or lake, and vehicle or boat access. Bring your own soap for washing hands. Untreated water should be boiled before use to ensure it's safe. Wood BBQs and fireplaces, cold showers, picnic tables, a cooking shelter and rubbish bins may be provided; this will vary from site to site.
| Feature | Value | Value |
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| Unpowered Site | Adult | $10.00 to $15.00 per night |
| Unpowered Site | Child | $5.00 to $7.50 per night |
| Unpowered Site | Infant | $0.00 per night |
Adults are 18+ years, children are 5-17 years, infants are 0-4 years.
Details
| Feature | Value | Info |
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Organisation |
DOC NorthlandCentral government organisation |
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Location |
North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Russell |
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Directions To Coordinates |
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Basic Camping
Reviews
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5.0/5
Puriri Bay is a seriously good campsite.
Lots of space, lots of good toilet facilities, cold showers, a safe swimming bay, and great sunsets. A beautiful location. Very welcoming camp managers who maintain the camp to a high standard.
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3.5/5
Stayed here for 3 nights.
Decent and clean facilities, long drop toilets. Come prepared as there’s not much near in terms of supplies. We came during winter/spring so had to stay on the car park essentially but we didn’t mind as it was flat and quiet! Went for a nice swim as well. Follow @milly0nthem0ve on IG/YT for all things travel!
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4.5/5
What an amazing camp site- this is our second time staying here.
Everything is clean and well maintained, beachfront sites are simply the best!
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3.5/5
Great camping near the beach.
Clean toilets and (cold) showers, but strong ammoniac smell when your next to the toilets.
The staff is quite strict on rules so you don't feel very welcomed. Check-out at 11 am, but why when there hundreds spots available and nothing to clean or tidy after us...
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5.0/5
This was such a beautiful spot.
Spent the day swimming and walking around the area. Very peaceful. Toilets (long drop) and cold showers available which were very clean. Sites are marked with heaps of room. Already planning when we can go back there.
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4.5/5
One of our favourite DOC camps.
Family-friendly beach, safe swimming. Very helpful staff keep the grounds & facilities in excellent order. Book exchange in office. Most sites level & grassed. Cold showers only (take your own solar shower). Potable water but no filling tanks by hose. Check in time at all DOC camps is after 2pm, vacate by 11am. No rubbish bins from Feb 2023.
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5.0/5
Beautiful campground on a small beach in a quiet bay.
Squeecky clean toilets and (cold) showers. Very helpful and friendly ranger, told us how to spot kiwi's in the area. Couple of nice trails nearby. Very remote though, so bring enough supplies.
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5.0/5
Most beautiful spot!
Easy accessible (no gravel road), super clean facilities (long drop toilets and showers). Super welcoming lady, who gave us a better spot with sea view, directly at the beach. Even saw dolphins in the bay in the morning. Incredible experience.
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5.0/5
Beautiful spot near the end of the peninsula, we stayed here in perfect weather on the grass sites at the back which were really quiet end of Jan mid week.
Awesome beach, nice short walks nearby, really friendly and helpfu staff. Good longdrop toilets and cold showers. Drinking water.
No where particularly close to buy food.
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2.5/5
A very beautiful spot on the beach.
Unfortunately we had paid our money at the self registration station ($10pp pn) before we realised that all the grassy camping areas were closed as it was too wet (fair enough) and we had to camp in the carpark next to the rubbish bins. A sign at the self registration station advising this would have been nice!
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5.0/5
Puriri Bay is a seriously good campsite.
Lots of space, lots of good toilet facilities, cold showers, a safe swimming bay, and great sunsets. A beautiful location. Very welcoming camp managers who maintain the camp to a high standard.
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3.5/5
Stayed here for 3 nights.
Decent and clean facilities, long drop toilets. Come prepared as there’s not much near in terms of supplies. We came during winter/spring so had to stay on the car park essentially but we didn’t mind as it was flat and quiet! Went for a nice swim as well. Follow @milly0nthem0ve on IG/YT for all things travel!
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4.5/5
What an amazing camp site- this is our second time staying here.
Everything is clean and well maintained, beachfront sites are simply the best!
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3.5/5
Great camping near the beach.
Clean toilets and (cold) showers, but strong ammoniac smell when your next to the toilets.
The staff is quite strict on rules so you don't feel very welcomed. Check-out at 11 am, but why when there hundreds spots available and nothing to clean or tidy after us...
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5.0/5
This was such a beautiful spot.
Spent the day swimming and walking around the area. Very peaceful. Toilets (long drop) and cold showers available which were very clean. Sites are marked with heaps of room. Already planning when we can go back there.
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5.0/5
Beautiful campground on a small beach in a quiet bay.
Squeecky clean toilets and (cold) showers. Very helpful and friendly ranger, told us how to spot kiwi's in the area. Couple of nice trails nearby. Very remote though, so bring enough supplies.
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4.5/5
One of our favourite DOC camps.
Family-friendly beach, safe swimming. Very helpful staff keep the grounds & facilities in excellent order. Book exchange in office. Most sites level & grassed. Cold showers only (take your own solar shower). Potable water but no filling tanks by hose. Check in time at all DOC camps is after 2pm, vacate by 11am. No rubbish bins from Feb 2023.
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5.0/5
Most beautiful spot!
Easy accessible (no gravel road), super clean facilities (long drop toilets and showers). Super welcoming lady, who gave us a better spot with sea view, directly at the beach. Even saw dolphins in the bay in the morning. Incredible experience.
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5.0/5
Beautiful spot near the end of the peninsula, we stayed here in perfect weather on the grass sites at the back which were really quiet end of Jan mid week.
Awesome beach, nice short walks nearby, really friendly and helpfu staff. Good longdrop toilets and cold showers. Drinking water.
No where particularly close to buy food.
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5.0/5
Idyllic location and very peaceful.
Great for swimming and a good 2hr walk to do from the site. Mainly very friendly locals
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5.0/5
Incredible little campsite, one of my all time favorites.
Beautiful sheltered bay. Camp hosts were incredibly knowledgable about the local area and very helpful. Amenities were super clean at all times. We loved the composting and the ingenious waste reducing ice blocks (5x for $1). We can't wait to go back.
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2.5/5
A very beautiful spot on the beach.
Unfortunately we had paid our money at the self registration station ($10pp pn) before we realised that all the grassy camping areas were closed as it was too wet (fair enough) and we had to camp in the carpark next to the rubbish bins. A sign at the self registration station advising this would have been nice!
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4.5/5
Beautiful camp right on a harbour beach.
Isolated and peaceful but can get very wet after heavy rain. We had it to ourselves in mid April.
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5.0/5
Lovely site.
We arrived pretty late but were welcomed with a friendly smile. A lovely spot at the beach. We arrived here late March so it was not crowded at all. Lovely hiking tracks around.
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3.5/5
Best things about this site is the AMAZING views you get driving to it and the fact you can back up right onto the bay shore :) Also there is a lovely walk which gives amazing 360 views from the trig
(you get a map on arrival)
But the long gravel road getting to it is pretty awful and the sea gulls were pests.
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3.5/5
DOC beachside campsite with wonderful views, a bit remote but nice scenic drive to it, if heading to / from Russell.
Warden was helpful and friendly. Usual DOC dry toillets which weren't as smelly as some I've encountered. Cold showers, but all clean and tidy. A good place to chill out. Pitches were a bit uneven
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5.0/5
Stayed by the bay, fabulous views; really nice warden; fabulous walk around the site.
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4.5/5
Bit of a drive to get to, but worth it.
Nice safe protected beach, ideal for families with small children. The campground was right on the beach, had recently updated facilities (cold showers only). Planned to stay only 1 night, ended up being there for 3. Campground manager is friendly & helpful, kept us well informed when NZ was under tsunami watch after the Japan earthquake. The walks in the area are good also, and looks like a good spot for fishing and kayaking. Love to return and spend a week there.
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