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Freedom Camping at Tairua, Paku Drive opposite the surf club.
Site to be vacated by 9am.
All freedom campers must be certified self-contained.
Maximum stay of two consecutive nights, departure by 9am.
Park only between the freedom camping signs.
Location: South end of the formed car park.
Size: 20m starting at the south end of the formed car park heading north.
Feature | Value | Info |
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Organisation |
Thames-Coromandel District CouncilCouncil organisation |
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Location |
North Island ▷ Coromandel ▷ Tairua |
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Categories |
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Directions To Coordinates |
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Coordinates |
Feature | Value | Info |
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Overnight Camping Site Cost |
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Overnight Camping Site CostWhat is the approximate per-person cost to camp or park your vehicle overnight? Free Camping It costs nothing to stay overnight. In general this means that you should not expect any facilities. |
Overnight Stay Rules |
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Overnight Stay RulesWhat are the accommodation rules for overnight stays at this campsite? Self-contained motorhomes only Overnight stays are only permitted if your vehicle is certified as being 'self-contained'. The vehicle must display the "Responsible Camper" sticker. |
Payment Requirement |
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Payment RequirementIs there a cost for this experience or is it free? Free access/participation The experience costs no money to access or take part in. |
Maximum Stay Duration |
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Maximum Stay DurationHow many consecutive days can you stay overnight at this establishment? 2 nights You may stay up to two nights in a row. |
Booking Required |
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Booking RequiredIs it necessary to book a campsite in advance in order to stay overnight? First Come, First Served Sites are allocated in a first come, first served basis. Get in early for the best spot. |
✓ Stunning views
✓ Clean toilets
✓ Peaceful and quiet
✓ Close to beach
✓ Good access to hikes
𐄂 Limited parking spots
𐄂 Possible noise from road
Lovely quiet site for small number of campers.
(Feb 2022) 7/8 spots available.
Nice spot!
I liked this spot a lot, interesting landscape.
Stayed at this place for one night.
Rating | Count | Percentage | |
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10/10 | 10 |
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32% |
9/10 | 8 |
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26% |
8/10 | 5 |
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16% |
7/10 | 4 |
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13% |
6/10 | 1 |
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3% |
5/10 | 1 |
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3% |
4/10 | 0 |
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0% |
3/10 | 0 |
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0% |
2/10 | 0 |
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0% |
1/10 | 2 |
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6% |
4.5/5
Great spot overlooking the water with another beach just yards away.
Toilets basic but fine. It's worth climbing the mound for fantastic views.
Reviewed 10 months ago
4.0/5
Lovely quiet site for small number of campers.
Clean toilets, access to beach and walking trail.
Reviewed about 1 year ago
4.5/5
Great little stop overnight with a lovely view over the estuary.
Toilets nearby and were clean. Felt safe
Reviewed about 1 year ago
0.5/5
Would be a great place to stay for night but there were a bunch of teenagers hanging around (on a wednesday night) who pooped in the women’s sink, we’re peaking into campers during the night.
We left in the middle of the night when realizing what they were doing. Felt very unsafe
Reviewed over 1 year ago
0.5/5
No freedom camping signs so no longer can freedom camp here.
Reviewed over 1 year ago
4.5/5
I liked this spot a lot, interesting landscape.
Easy access to the Mt Paku hike for sunset and a lovely ocean beach is a short drive away. I had a great morning swim there.
Small lot, I got the 2nd to last spot at 16:45 on the eve of Anzac Day.
Toilets very clean 🙌
Wardens checked our certs, watch out.
Reviewed over 1 year ago
3.5/5
Clean toilets and site.
Nice view of the bay and good access to the Mt Paku hike! There is a bit of road noise and as it’s a parking lot you’ll be right next to other campers.
There is a wifi connection here for Freedom Campers, but I couldn’t use it because it requires a password >:(
Reviewed over 1 year ago
4.5/5
Few spots by residential road near ocean, with a view of bay.
Clean bathrooms right there. We dad really bad rainstorm the night there so there was little traffic.
Reviewed almost 2 years ago
4.0/5
I loved the public toilets and the great view the spot offered.
Although your spot will be next to a street and a walkway it‘s very peaceful and quiet at night.
The best part about it that when we were visiting, it also had WIFI.
Reviewed about 2 years ago
4.5/5
Amazing view from the front beach, and ocean behind the carpark.
Bench in front of the carpark to take a breathtaking breakfast.
Toilet 24h.
Only 5 places now and in the opposite of what it said in the previous review the places are really narrow. If you have 2 motorhomes, only a small van can fit in between and you'll need to squeeze yourself every time you go out of your vehicle.
Reviewed about 2 years ago
3.5/5
Cute little resting point with a nice view.
Toilets are old but fairly well maintained and clean.
It is a small roadside car park with only 6-7 spots available.
Very safe neighbourhood feel to it
Reviewed about 2 years ago
4.5/5
Great spot overlooking the water with another beach just yards away.
Toilets basic but fine. It's worth climbing the mound for fantastic views.
Reviewed 10 months ago
4.0/5
Lovely quiet site for small number of campers.
Clean toilets, access to beach and walking trail.
Reviewed about 1 year ago
4.5/5
Great little stop overnight with a lovely view over the estuary.
Toilets nearby and were clean. Felt safe
Reviewed about 1 year ago
0.5/5
Would be a great place to stay for night but there were a bunch of teenagers hanging around (on a wednesday night) who pooped in the women’s sink, we’re peaking into campers during the night.
We left in the middle of the night when realizing what they were doing. Felt very unsafe
Reviewed over 1 year ago
0.5/5
No freedom camping signs so no longer can freedom camp here.
Reviewed over 1 year ago
4.5/5
I liked this spot a lot, interesting landscape.
Easy access to the Mt Paku hike for sunset and a lovely ocean beach is a short drive away. I had a great morning swim there.
Small lot, I got the 2nd to last spot at 16:45 on the eve of Anzac Day.
Toilets very clean 🙌
Wardens checked our certs, watch out.
Reviewed over 1 year ago
3.5/5
Clean toilets and site.
Nice view of the bay and good access to the Mt Paku hike! There is a bit of road noise and as it’s a parking lot you’ll be right next to other campers.
There is a wifi connection here for Freedom Campers, but I couldn’t use it because it requires a password >:(
Reviewed over 1 year ago
4.5/5
Few spots by residential road near ocean, with a view of bay.
Clean bathrooms right there. We dad really bad rainstorm the night there so there was little traffic.
Reviewed almost 2 years ago
4.0/5
I loved the public toilets and the great view the spot offered.
Although your spot will be next to a street and a walkway it‘s very peaceful and quiet at night.
The best part about it that when we were visiting, it also had WIFI.
Reviewed about 2 years ago
4.5/5
Amazing view from the front beach, and ocean behind the carpark.
Bench in front of the carpark to take a breathtaking breakfast.
Toilet 24h.
Only 5 places now and in the opposite of what it said in the previous review the places are really narrow. If you have 2 motorhomes, only a small van can fit in between and you'll need to squeeze yourself every time you go out of your vehicle.
Reviewed about 2 years ago
3.5/5
Cute little resting point with a nice view.
Toilets are old but fairly well maintained and clean.
It is a small roadside car park with only 6-7 spots available.
Very safe neighbourhood feel to it
Reviewed about 2 years ago
4.5/5
(Feb 2022) 7/8 spots available.
Clean toilets right next to the spaces. Views of an estuary and less than 2 mins walk to beach behind. Picnic tables close by. Felt safe throughout the night. Only a couple of us, it was a Wednesday night.
Reviewed over 2 years ago
5.0/5
Very pretty beach view, has wooden tables/chairs and clean toilets.
We stayed here for one night during Christmas holiday period, arrived at 6pm and got the last designated spot. There’s only about 5-6 freedom spots, so get in early (must park between blue sign posts).
Reviewed almost 4 years ago
5.0/5
Absolutely great spot plenty of room and very clean toilets
Reviewed over 4 years ago
5.0/5
It has a very spacious place for big Campervans and picnic tables around it.
The toilet is next to eat so very convenient. The view of the harbour is another plus to wake up to and very safe area as well.
Reviewed over 4 years ago
3.0/5
Good place to overnight right close to Tairua's beach.
There are few places for self-contained vehicles, but it is bad indicated. We arrived around 18.00 and we did not see any forbidden signal; in the morning, ranger came and advise that we stayed at wrong place which is allowed for cars. Anyway, he was so kind and we did not take any fine.
Reviewed almost 5 years ago
4.5/5
Great views, clean toilets nearby and lots of fellow campers!
We showed up at 7pm and there was still plenty of space available
Reviewed about 5 years ago
5.0/5
We arrived relatively early and found one of the five spots to park our self-contained motorhome.
There is a public toilet nearby without direct light for a night run, but at least its clear enough. A very quiet place to spend the night (maybe it was not peak season in July)
Reviewed about 6 years ago and experienced in July 2018
3.5/5
It’s just alright.
The site is actually a parking lot (be careful, there is like 25 spaces for parking but only about 8 of those are designated for Freedom Camping); park between the signs or you’ll get tolled!
Toilets are ok and just next to the parking. The place has nice views and a couple of picnic tables.
Reviewed over 6 years ago
4.0/5
Stayed at this place for one night.
It was a beautiful place to visit. Lots of parking spaces and a toilet available. By dark parking spaces were full. So do get there early. PLEASE note location can get very windy.
Reviewed about 8 years ago
2.5/5
We were stranded in Tairua by highway flooding so didn't really plan to stay here but it looked pretty enough, overlooking the water.
We had a fairly terrible sleep though, as we stayed during a storm that buffeted our motorhome quite badly, so this is quite an exposed site with no shelter. We also found it very noisy with cars coming and going along the road all night and we could hear music from nearby venues quite loudly until late. We did enjoy the pleasant walk around to the marina in the afternoon (before the storm started).
Reviewed over 8 years ago
4.0/5
Great view over the harbour.
Sandy beach close by and ocean beach just across the road. Lovely walk along the harbour edge to the entrance, as well as walks up Paku Hill, and back into Tairua town. There is room for 4-5 campers and it was full the night we stayed in May.
Reviewed over 8 years ago
5.0/5
Great spot!
Note that you are allowed to park between the arrows, hence also on the yellow fade away lines in the end.
Reviewed almost 9 years ago
4.5/5
The only thing wrong with this site is you are in a car park!
Great position, the beach is beautiful and only a two minute walk. The view from the walk up the hill is stunning, makes it well worth the effort. Not many spaces though and all were taken the night we were there.
Reviewed almost 9 years ago
3.5/5
Nothing special, but clean toilets, nice view.
Don't stay outside the marked area for free camping, 5 campers who arrived just minutes after us got tolled and left quite unhappy the next morning.
Reviewed over 9 years ago
5.0/5
Great overnight place.
Get there early as there are only very few places available. Fine toilet building, but you are supposed to be self-contained although not everybody were when we were there. The view of the bay was just beautiful, and on the other side of the road there is a passage next to the surf club to a great beach. Oh, you have to be gone by 9am, not 7am.
NOTE FROM RANKERS - A traveller has been in touch after receiving a $250 fine, after reading this review and thinking that it's OK to stay here without a self contained vehicle. As mentioned, this location is for self contained campers only. Happy travels from Rankers.
Reviewed almost 10 years ago
5.0/5
6m bus 1 night freedom camping, free, stunning views, some good fishing at the Paku wharf 100m down the road.
Toilets are clean. Spaces filled up fast after 6pm.
Reviewed almost 11 years ago
5.0/5
In front of a beautiful beach!
Was good to enjoy the time over there!
Reviewed over 11 years ago and experienced in February 2013