Kingston

South End of the Lake, Best Arrived Early

Kingston sits at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu, about 40 minutes south of Queenstown, and it's mainly on the radar as a free camping spot. The lake camp here is genuinely A1 for location, right on the water with big views. The catch is it gets absolutely packed. You need to arrive early or you'll be squeezing in sardine-style, which takes the shine off it a bit. If you can land a good spot though, it's hard to beat as a free base in this part of the world.

A Solid Base if You're Heading South

Kingston makes sense as a stopover if you're moving between Queenstown and Te Anau rather than a destination in its own right. It keeps you well clear of Queenstown's traffic and parking chaos, and the holiday park here is a decent option if the free camp is full or you just want a bit more breathing room. From here you can day-trip back toward Queenstown without the campervan headache of trying to base yourself any closer to town.