Camping

Campervan

Toilets

Water from tap*

Water from stream’

Picnic table

Cooking facilities

Cooking shelter

BBQ

Showers

Dump station

Boat ramp

Fishing

Water skiing

Wildlife

Playground

Dogs on a leash

No camping

No fires

No dogs

Symbol key

R10

3437

* Water from tap does not imply drinking water standards are met. All water should be boiled for 3 minutes before consumption.

Check out rotoruaNZ.com for extensive information on what to see and do in Rotorua – NZ’s Coolest Hot Spot

This publication is produced by Department of Conservation and Destination Rotorua

November 2016

Editing and design: DOC Publishing Team

This publication is produced using paper sourced from well-managed, renewable and legally logged forests.

Visit doc.govt.nz for information on tracks, trails and campsites on conservation land.

Keep waterways pest-free

Rotorua Lakes are currently free of most pest weeds, pest fish (koi carp, rudd, and tench), and didymo (rock snot).

Aquatic pests are a threat to our waterways. They can spread when small weed fragments or fish eggs attach to equipment or footwear.

Always Check, Clean, Dry your footwear, vehicles, boats, fishing equipment and other items before

entering and when moving between, lakes, rivers and streams. Camp managers – where present – can provide resources to help clean your equipment.

Lakeside camp and campervan sites around Rotorua

10 Great Rotorua Campsites

LakeRotoehu

Lake Tarawera

Lake Rotoiti

Lake Rotorua

LakeRotoma

LakeRotomahana

LakeRerewhakaaitu

Ohau Channel

LakeOkaro

LakeOkareka

LakeOkataina

Tikitapu/Blue Lake

Lake Rotokakahi(Green Lake)

5 km 10 km0

ROTORUA

Ngongotaha

Hamurana

Mt Ngongotaha

Maungakakaramea/Rainbow Mountain

Mt Tarawera1111 m

Makatiti Dome934 m

Mt Whakapoungakau758 m

WaimanguVolcanic Valley

WaikiteHot Pools

TaupoMurupara

Kawerau &Whakatane

Te Puke

Tauranga

Putararu

Tokoroa

Fent

on S

t

RotoruaAirport

Rotorua Visitor Centre & i-SITE

Redwoods Visitor Centre & i-SITE

KeroseneCreek

MokoiaIsland

Rotorua mountainbike car park

Whakarewarewa/Te Puia

TaraweraLookout

Rerewhakaaitu RoadBrett R

oad

757 m

Buried Village

Tarawera Road

743 m

30

30

33

5

5 38

30

36

5

Rotorua Visitor Centre & i-SITE is located at the lake end of

Fenton St (Rotorua's main street). We are open every day (except Christmas Day) from 7.30 am – 6.00 pm during the winter, and from 7.30 am – 7.00 pm during the summer. A DOC visitor counter is available during opening hours and a ranger is present part time.

10 Great Rotorua Campsites

Blue Lake Top 10 Holiday Park

Boyes Beach

Lake Ōkareka

Hot Water Beach

Lake Tarawera Outlet

Lake Okaro

Guy Roe Reserve

Rerewhakaaitu, Brett Road

Rerewhakaaitu, Ash Pit Road

Trout Pool Road

Highway

Sealed road

Information

Airport

Geothermal bathing

Dump station

Parking

Historic site

Geothermal feature

Map key

Gravel road

Walking track

FEES PER NIGHT: From $35 for a non-powered campsite.

FEES PER NIGHT: Adult $13, youth/child $6.50, under 5s free (pay cash on arrival)

FEES PER NIGHT: Adult $13, youth/child $6.50, under 5s free (pay cash on arrival)

FEES PER NIGHT: Adult $13, youth/child $6.50, under 5s free (pay in advance)

FEES PER NIGHT: Adult $8, youth/child $4, under 5s free (pay cash on arrival)

Blue Lake Top 10 Holiday Park

www.bluelaketop10.co.nz

Nestled in the Tikitapu Scenic Reserve, 10 mins drive from the centre of Rotorua, the campsite is home to threatened mistletoe and a variety of bird species. Nearby, a 5.5 km walking track circles Blue Lake. Kayak and bike hire available, and Redwoods/Whakarewarewa Forest has great walking and mountain biking trails. Head east from Rotorua on SH30 for 1.7 km. Turn right into Tarawera Road and continue until Blue Lake is in sight. The campsite is on the left.

Lake Ōkareka

FEE PER NIGHT: Adults $10, youth/child $5, under 5s free (pay cash on arrival)

Boyes Beach

Popular with families, there are BBQ facilities and a children’s play area. This is great spot for water skiing during the day and trout fishing in the early morning or at the change of light near the end of the day. Dogs: 15 December – 28 February inclusive, no dogs between hours of 9 am and 7 pm. Dogs not permitted in playground area at any time.Head east from Rotorua on SH30 for 1.7 km. Turn right into Tarawera Road, then left into Okareka Loop Road. At Okareka settlement turn left into Millar Road. The campsite is 500 m, on the right.

Hot Water Beach

Lake Tarawera Outlet (Te Tapahoro)

Lake Okaro

Just 15 minutes from Rotorua, popular during the summer. There are trophy trout in the lake for permit holders to catch. Water comes from the lake and must be boiled before drinking.Look out for threatened dabchicks, and keep boats to the speed limit to avoid wash swamping their nests.Continue past Boyes Beach campsite on Millar Road. The turn off to Lake Ōkareka campsite is on the right where the road seal ends.

An extremely popular site in the summer, where you can relax in natural hot springs on the shores of Lake Tarawera. Caution: localised patches of sand and water are very hot.Bookings are made through Whakarewarewa Village Charitable Trust, phone: +64 7 349 3463 ext 101, www.whakarewarewa.com.Only accessible by boat or by walking the Tarawera Trail (5–6 hr). Water taxis can be booked from Rotorua i-SITE.

This large campsite is popular with families. A bridge links the campsite to several walking tracks including one to the beautiful Tarawera Falls. Trout fishing and water sports on the lake are popular in summer.From Rotorua follow SH30 east for 55 km, then take SH34 to Kawerau. At the township, stop at the Kawerau information centre on Plunkett Street for a permit ($5) to drive on the private forestry road to the campsite (25 km). The forest gate is closed after dark and when the fire risk is ‘extreme’.

Lake Okaro is an important habitat for water birds such as grey teal and paradise shelduck. The water is safe for recreational activities such as kayaking and water skiing. Close by, Waiotapu has a bubbling mud pool and an impressive geyser, while Te Ranga (Kerosene Creek) is a geothermal creek popular for bathing.Access the reserve from Waimangu Road, off SH5.

Photo: Nick Lambert Photo: DOCPhoto: Nicole Portner Photography

Photo: Nicole Portner Photography Photo: DOC Photo: Nicole Portner Photography

www.doc.govt.nz www.doc.govt.nz

www.whakarewarewa.com

Rerewhakaaitu, Ash Pit Road

Trout Pool Road Rerewhakaaitu, Brett Road

Guy Roe Reserve

FEES PER NIGHT: Adults $8, youth/child $4, under 5s free (pay cash on arrival)

FEES PER NIGHT: Adult $8, youth/child $4, under 5s free (pay cash on arrival)

www.doc.govt.nz

www.doc.govt.nz

Known as the Homestead Arm, this has been a popular fishing spot for many years – permits available from local fishing stores. The reserve is also popular for picnics and boat access to the lake. Camping is permitted on parts of the reserve.Head south from Rotorua on SH5, then SH35. Turn into Rerewhakaaitu Road and continue for 2.7 km, then turn left into Brett Road. The camp entrance is 2.5 km, on the right. Access is sealed.

On the shores of Lake Rerewhakaaitu, so take binoculars for watching water birds. There is good fishing, swimming and walking nearby. Water must be boiled before drinking. Follow directions for Guy Roe Reserve, then continue another 2.5 km on Brett Road. The campsite is on the right. Access is sealed.

A larger site than Brett Road with a boat ramp and on-site camp manager. Water must be boiled before drinking. The nearby Rainbow Mountain Scenic Reserve has 2.5 km a tramping track to the summit of Rainbow Mountain (Maunga Kakaramea), which passes three crater lakes and steaming geothermal cliffs.Follow directions for Brett Road Campsite but continue past it, then turn right into Ash Pit Road. Follow for 1.7 km until you reach the campsite. Access is sealed.

Located in Okere Falls Scenic Reserve, where the Kaituna River cascades between narrow, steep ravines before it enters the Trout Pool’s tranquil waters. The area is popular with white water rafters and kayakers. The 1.2 km Okere Falls Track starts from the camping area, and has great look outs over the river’s spectacular waterfalls. Swimming not recommended in this location.Take SH30 from Rotorua past the airport, then SH33 towards Tauranga. After 8 km, turn left into Trout Pool Road. Visitors are allowed to camp in vehicles overnight in the car park at the end of the road. Tents are not permitted.

FEES PER NIGHT:

Adult $8, youth/child $4, under 5s free (pay cash on arrival)

FEES PER NIGHT:

Free

Don’t use soaps or detergents near waterways.

Use dedicated sewerage stations to dispose of waste.

Remove litter when you leave the campsite.

Report suspected pest fish or weed sightings to the DOC hotline (0800 362 468)

– if possible, take a photo.

Overnight camping

Overnight camping is prohibited on reserves except in designated areas.

You may be fined $200 under the Freedom Camping Act 2011 if, while freedom camping, you interfere with or damage a public area, its flora or fauna, or any structure in the area; or dispose of waste other than into an appropriate waste receptacle, eg a motorhome discharging wastewater to ground. You can be fined up to $10,000 for serious offences.

The Rotorua population of New Zealand dabchicks is one of the largest in the country. Less than 2000 dabchicks are thought to exist and populations susceptible to changes in water quality. Follow these guidelines to help protect water quality.

Protect water quality

Photo: Nicole Portner Photography Photo: Nicole Portner Photography

Photo: Nicole Portner Photography

New Zealand dabchick. Photo: © Shellie Evans

Photo: Nicole Portner Photography

24/7 wastewater dumping is available at the Rotorua Waste Water Treatment Plant, 5 minutes drive from Rotorua’s CBD on SH30A, opposite Marguerita Street.