Boyes Beach Reserve
Lake Okareka
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Boyes Beach Reserve
Right on the lakefront, great view and awesome swiming spot.
Rotorua District Council managed reserve. Vehicles with purpose built sleeping facilities (eg. motorhome, campervan, caravan, house bus etc) are permitted to park overnight for a fee in designated spaces within the existing carpark area. No cars, utes, passenger vans etc. No tents.
Details
| Feature | Value | Info |
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Organisation |
Rotorua Lakes CouncilCouncil organisation |
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Location |
North Island ▷ Rotorua Region ▷ Tarawera |
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Categories |
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Directions To Coordinates |
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Directions Rotorua Office |
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Coordinates |
Basic Camping
Nearby
Reviews
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3.5/5
Serene location.
Pricey for the night when toilets dirty but well maintained otherwise and well set up. Great that community maintain it. Quiet for us with one other van and two car campers. Local youths stopped by w music from midnight to dawn which detracted a little from our experience.
We were set up w kiwi cash/go penny before arrival so all worked well to pay.
2a 2c 1x night motor home.
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3.5/5
A beautiful, quiet place to stay with a nice walkway around the shore.
There’s an information board with a web site to enable internet banking, otherwise you can pay via a “Kiwicash” card, whatever that is! Unfortunately the hot showers are ONLY accessible with that card, which you’d have to drive back to Rotorua to get!☹️ A warden comes around to check that you have paid. A bit expensive at $20 pp but the facilities and location have to be maintained by local people so we are happy to support them.
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2.5/5
Awesome place to stay but during the days in summer it gets way to packed with people!
Had to leave and the pricing is ridiculous
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2.5/5
Beautiful spot.
Exceptionally over priced. Used to be cheaper but now it is the same as a holiday park, without all the amenities. Nice toilets. Lots of day visitors during peak times. Plenty of litter left by locals.
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3.0/5
Cost per person is now $20 which is (as others have said) rather overpriced for what you get.
We paid less at a lovely camp ground in Ngongotaha (Willowhaven) with kitchen and hot water so not sure where the council is getting their pricing from. Quiet enough overnight, but extremely popular with day visitors. Not surprising as it is a lovely spot - great for swimming, water sports and a picnic :)
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4.0/5
Stayed in July, only 5 campers so lots of space.
New amenity block with lots of clean toilets, outside showers, drinking water and outdoor sinks for washing up and plenty rubbish and recycling bins. Big playpark for kids too. Great spot would be great in summer and have a swim in the lake. Cost was $15 per adult and $7.50 per child via honesty box.
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3.5/5
Beautiful spot.
We were here for a night over Easter, so it was very busy.
Pretty expensive for having nothing except toilets and rubbish bins.
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4.0/5
toilets not the best but ok for one night.
the price is 10$ pp but we paid nothing cause we arrived after 8pm and there was no donation box and no owner. so it was a good stay for us:)
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4.5/5
We were on our way to another spot when we came across this one.
Great spot if travelling with kids.
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4.0/5
Lake Okareka was full so stayed here in early March instead.
Nice situation and good for a swim from the sandy beach. Facilities as described.
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5.0/5
Very convenient for a journey while you visit Rotorua; peaceful, clean, and well organised.
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3.5/5
Serene location.
Pricey for the night when toilets dirty but well maintained otherwise and well set up. Great that community maintain it. Quiet for us with one other van and two car campers. Local youths stopped by w music from midnight to dawn which detracted a little from our experience.
We were set up w kiwi cash/go penny before arrival so all worked well to pay.
2a 2c 1x night motor home.
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3.5/5
A beautiful, quiet place to stay with a nice walkway around the shore.
There’s an information board with a web site to enable internet banking, otherwise you can pay via a “Kiwicash” card, whatever that is! Unfortunately the hot showers are ONLY accessible with that card, which you’d have to drive back to Rotorua to get!☹️ A warden comes around to check that you have paid. A bit expensive at $20 pp but the facilities and location have to be maintained by local people so we are happy to support them.
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2.5/5
Awesome place to stay but during the days in summer it gets way to packed with people!
Had to leave and the pricing is ridiculous
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2.5/5
Beautiful spot.
Exceptionally over priced. Used to be cheaper but now it is the same as a holiday park, without all the amenities. Nice toilets. Lots of day visitors during peak times. Plenty of litter left by locals.
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3.0/5
Cost per person is now $20 which is (as others have said) rather overpriced for what you get.
We paid less at a lovely camp ground in Ngongotaha (Willowhaven) with kitchen and hot water so not sure where the council is getting their pricing from. Quiet enough overnight, but extremely popular with day visitors. Not surprising as it is a lovely spot - great for swimming, water sports and a picnic :)
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1.5/5
Pretty car park beside the lake.
Basic toilets. That’s it - for $20 per person. It seems like the council is just providing this facility to say they have one. Here on a beautiful day in late November and not another soul here.
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4.0/5
Stayed in July, only 5 campers so lots of space.
New amenity block with lots of clean toilets, outside showers, drinking water and outdoor sinks for washing up and plenty rubbish and recycling bins. Big playpark for kids too. Great spot would be great in summer and have a swim in the lake. Cost was $15 per adult and $7.50 per child via honesty box.
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3.5/5
Beautiful spot.
We were here for a night over Easter, so it was very busy.
Pretty expensive for having nothing except toilets and rubbish bins.
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4.0/5
toilets not the best but ok for one night.
the price is 10$ pp but we paid nothing cause we arrived after 8pm and there was no donation box and no owner. so it was a good stay for us:)
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2.5/5
Great views and location but the campsite itself is just a car park, personally think it should be free as $10 an adult to use grotty toilets and overflowing bins everywhere isn’t particularly good.
There are definitely better campsites around!
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4.5/5
We were on our way to another spot when we came across this one.
Great spot if travelling with kids.
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4.0/5
Lake Okareka was full so stayed here in early March instead.
Nice situation and good for a swim from the sandy beach. Facilities as described.
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5.0/5
Very convenient for a journey while you visit Rotorua; peaceful, clean, and well organised.
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3.0/5
A decent spot by the lake, very loud bugs in the trees but don't bite!
Toilets are trashed and smelly. It's now $10 pp.
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4.5/5
$10 adult night honesty box please use it to keep these places open, it is easier for locals to close these places than keep them open.
Lakeside car park. Recycle bins (emptied about 9.30am). Toilets with water tap to connect hose pipe, it does say boil water for 3 mins, we never drink water from tank so ideal for filling and using as showers. Quiet site, level with spaces, also in the shade. 9 vans last night and still plenty of room. Bench seats by water side so great for evening meal seating. Good place for kayaking, boating, mountain biking or visit to Rotorua.
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4.0/5
One night with a van and two people: $20 in all.
In the morning people DOC came in to see those who had not paid. There are toilets and washbasins, not very very clean since it's a public place ... Parking is at the lake, it's pretty nice. In the grass there are picnic tables. They are now building around the lake. nice spot.
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4.0/5
Simple but great spot right at the lake.
Simple but great spot right at the lake. No shelter for rainy days.
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4.0/5
Bon compromis à 2 pas de Rotorua plutôt que de se ruiner en centre ville.
Bonne baignade dans le lac.
Sanitaire propres.
Un peu excessif pour un camping du doc.
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4.0/5
Nice and quiet place.
Friendly lady comes to collect the fee at 7 AM. You get a postcard of the lake as a souvenir.
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4.0/5
Nice, flat park with a good swimming lake and a playground.
Popular spot in the day but all the cars clear off when it gets dark. Toilets a bit icky but not terrible.
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4.5/5
A very nice spot at Lake Okareka.
Beautiful with surrounding mountains reflecting in the Lake. Toilets were old but well working. Free electrical BBQ. Playground for young children. Friendly warden collects payments in the morning. Stayed there for 2 nights in December 2015.
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5.0/5
Great spot, no booking required and well worth the small fee you place in the honesty box.
Right on the lake perfect for swimming.
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1.5/5
Arrived late, lots of spaces all unpowered.
There was no sign about the fee to pay, a guy came round in the morning the fee is $10 now not $8. There is no shower, there are toilets but they are run down and smelly, not very inviting considering we had to pay.
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5.0/5
Lovely campsite, just a few steps from the golden sands beach, just perfect.
It was busy when we arrived at 5pm, car park full of day visitors, but by 7pm just us and about 5 other camper vans - quiet, simple, picturesque, just what we wanted from an NZ campsite!
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