New Zealand freedom camp can be incredible. Vanlife is one of the best ways to see what Aotearoa, New Zealand is all about. Finding cheap and free camping spots is pretty easy when you are in smaller towns, national parks and the back country of New Zealand. All these spots usually come with amazing views and are relatively peaceful.
What’s really hard about vanlifing in New Zealand is finding free places to stay in the bigger cities. On top of that, it’s even harder to find a nice freedom camp that isn’t just a parking lot in these cities. Some of them, like Queenstown, have flat-out banned camper vans from freedom camping close to the town.
So, we’ve made you the ultimate list of the best freedom camping spots close to the major cities of New Zealand. These are the nicest in terms of best views, cleanliness, peacefulness and proximity to the cities to save you from spending big at the campgrounds. We’ve stayed at all of these, so we know just how good they are!
We’ve also given you some other options if you find the freedom camps we recommend are full when you get there. Whilst the other options aren’t as good for reasons we’ve listed below, they are still free and will do in a pinch! If you are getting in at a reasonable time, you should be fine getting a park in our favourite spots.
So hop in your van and see how good these freedom camps are for yourself.
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North Island
Rotorua
Hinemoa Street Campervan Park
Distance to City Centre: 3min drive, 10min walk.
This is a parking lot with style! The entire parking lot will fill up with camper vans and motor homes so it has some cool vibes to it. The bays all back onto a little bit of park with trees and even a waterfall in one spot! It’s walking distance to the city centre and has the Government Gardens with sculptures and thermal springs right next to you. But, the best thing about this freedom camp is that its directly across from the Polynesian Spa. These hot pools are amazing and you can get into them cheaper on BookMe, if you get there early in the morning or late in the evening, which is really easy to do when your bed for the night is parked across from the pools!
Other Options: The Lakefront Freedom Camp. We haven’t managed to stay here ourselves as there are only 3 spots available and its always been full when we’ve gotten there. But if you get there early or are just lucky enough to jag a spot, it looks lovely!
Taupō
Huka/Aratiatia Amenity area
Distance to City Centre: 12 min drive.
We absolutely love camping here. Not only does it face the beautiful water of the Waikato river before the dam, it is easily situated to watch the dam gates opening. There are some walkways here to walk along the top cliffs and view the Aratiatia Rapids when the dam gates open as well as a walking and bike trail that will take you up to Huka Falls along the banks of the river. This is also a lord of the rings filming location so it ticks all the boxes. The campground does fill up but we’ve always managed to get a spot even when we rock up later at night after soaking in the Wairakei terraces hot pools.
Other Options: Reids Farm/Hipapatua Recreational Reserve a freedom camping spot near the Waikato River. It gets busy here but it is closer to town than the Aratiatia Rapids. We haven’t stayed here ourselves.
Wellington
Evans Bay Marina Carpark
Distance to City Centre: 14 min drive, 1hr walk
This one is just a car park and you do get squashed in with other vans. However, its relatively quiet and a great location for exploring the city. There isn’t a lot of freedom caping options in the Wellington area but we actually quite liked this one. We’ve walked into the city from here and enjoyed ourselves immensely. There is a park nearby too and plenty of walking options, if you just want a short wander.
Other Options: Owhiro Bay Carpark has designated freedom camping spots. This is further out from the city and located on the beach. It gets windy and busy so we haven’t tried this one.
New Plymouth
Dawsons Falls
Distance to City Centre: 56 min drive.
Whilst its a fair way out from the City Centre its a beautiful spot and with freedom camps near town starting to become few and far between, it’s one of your only options for freedom camping in the area. This is the parking lot for Dawsons Falls and Wilkies Pools so it does get busy with cars and visitors during the day. However, if you get here towards the end of the day, the parking spaces empty out of cars and there is plenty of spots for vans to park. It also means you can do the walks to Dawsons Falls and Wilkies Pools at dusk when almost no one else is around. Wilkies Pools is an awesome swimming spot, but the water comes from snowmelt on Taranaki and is very cold!
Stratford Plateau
Distance to City Centre: 51 min drive
If you want a view that money can’t buy, this is the freedom camp for you! You can see right out over New Plymouth to the sea. You have breath taking views behind you of Taranaki, as well. Really, the biggest dilemma you’ll have at this freedom camp is which view to face. It can get a little windy up here but its worth it for the views. We’ve been here when the clouds have come in and we were actually above the clouds. It was pretty awesome seeing the tops of the fluffy white clouds below us with blue skies and Taranaki above.
Other Options: We have previously stayed at Pukekura Park in New Plymouth, however, in researching this blog post, it seems to have been taken away as a freedom camping option, as we cant find any evidence of it online. If you drive by the carpark, see if there is any signage letting you know if its ok to camp here again.
Gisborne
Midway Beach
Distance to City Centre: 5 min drive, 35 min walk
This is a glorious beach freedom camp. The waves are right there and there are even cold showers along the beach walkway. If you are after a warm shower the town pool is across the road. It’s a quiet area and you’re nice and close to the city centre with walking and cycle ways to get you there. The beach is long and perfect for an afternoon or morning stroll with lots of birds to watch soaring over the waves.
Other Options: Kaiti Beach. We haven’t stayed here as it isn’t quite as close as Midway Beach but it looks just as nice!
South Island
Nelson
Isel Park
Distance to City Centre: 11 min drive
There only a few designated freedom camping bays at this one, but its well worth trying to get one. The parking area is away from any major roads and well tucked into the quiet park. With a couple of shops nearby and a big park with disc golf right next to you, its a great spot to park up for the night.
Other Options: Trafalgar Park/Haven Foreshore. Whilst on the beach, this freedom camp is next to a major road so we chose not to stay here as we aren’t big fans of road noise.
Christchurch
Marine Parade at New Brighton Beach
Distance to City Centre: 20 min drive
There are freedom camping spots all along this road. We’ve found the best spot to be furthest from the toilets but they are all pretty good. There are signs at each parking area where you are permitted to freedom camp. The beach is just over the sand dunes and its an easy walk into Brighton town and to the jetty. If you are here when the hot pools are doing there special sunrise soak this is the perfect place to camp so you can get as much sleep as possible before getting up to watch the sunrise from a hot pool. It can be a little hit and miss with street noise unfortunately. We have had many a quiet night here but on the odd occasion have had people hooning down the street.
Naval Point at Lyttelton
Distance to City Centre: 20 min drive
This parking lot does fill up with vans parked next to each other but if you have considerate neighbours then its all good. It’s nice and close to the beach and very calm and protected here. You are parked near the industrial area of Lyttelton but there wasn’t much noise at night and no hoons that we experienced.
Chamberlains Ford Reserve
Distance to City Centre: 34 min drive
Right on the Waikirikiri (Selwyn River) this reserve is a beautiful place to freedom camp. The river provides great swimming spots and there area even public toilets and BBQs. The grassed areas are relatively flat and well shaded and there is enough parking space that you don’t really end up being too close to any other campers. The drive into the city is a little longer but you can stay here a total of 20 nights so there is a lot more flexibility.
Other Options: Coes Ford reserve, close to chamberlains ford this freedom camping spot is a lot bigger so try this out if chamberlains ford is full. The phone signal here is almost non existent though so if you need to use the internet we wouldn’t recommend it.
Dunedin
Te Rauone Beach Carpark
Distance to City Centre: 38 min drive
A super quite beach side car park. This is nice and close to Taiaroa Head and although its just along the main road you don’t get any traffic noise here. You are a little exposed to the wind here as it’s right on the beach. There is even a little free library a short walk down the road! What more could you want?
Kōkōmuka Harwood Reserve
Distance to City Centre: 32 min drive
With a bigger area to park this reserve makes you feel like you are camping in the bush. We stayed here most of the time we were in Dunedin and only ever had one or two other people camping here. There is plenty of room to park so you are all far away from each other which is great. Close to the water, very quiet and sheltered this is our favourite spot to stay when visiting Dunedin.
Other Options: The Train station has a designated freedom camp section to its parking lot. Whilst this is super close to town it is also directly behind the train line and does get loud. For this reason we haven’t freedom camped here.
Queenstown
Freedom Camping is heavily restricted in Queenstown. Whilst these options seem far away, they are the closest freedom camps you will find to the town itself.
Kingston Lakeside Reserve
Distance to City Centre: 40 min drive
Located at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu, this is a great spot to camp on the lake. The views of the mountains here are gorgeous and it’s far enough away from the main road that you don’t get any road noise. The phone service can be a bit hit and miss here but otherwise i’ts lovely. Tiff highly recommends going for a swim in the lake here as its more peaceful than doing it closer to the city. Nathan thinks the water is too cold for that regardless of where on the lake you are so we’ll let you decide!
Crown Range Road Lookout
Distance to City Centre: 35 min drive
It’s a steep and windy drive to get to this one but once you are here, it’s all worth it! The views are epic, waking up to this view with a hot drink is what vanlife is all about. If you are in a hire van, make sure to check if you are permitted to drive on Crown Range Road, as many companies don’t give you insurance on this road. It’s also important to check weather conditions if you plan on staying at this freedom camp as its exposed and at a high altitude. It gets cold!! There is a cool walk directly behind the car park which is a great place to watch the sunset.
Other Options: Kawarau Bridge Historic Reserve Carpark. This isn’t a bad spot to freedom camp, it just has ALOT of road noise. It does have a nice walk over the bridge and is a good spot if you plan to do the bungee jump. We’ve stayed here a few times but don’t get a huge amount of sleep when we do.
Another option is Twelve Mile Delta. Whilst it will cost you to stay here, we really like staying at this DOC campground. The cost is $15 per adult, but its much cheaper than any of the proper campgrounds in town. There isn’t much signal here but its closer to Queenstown than the other two freedom camps.
Wānaka
Luggate Red Bridge
Distance to City Centre: 15 min drive
Whist its just a big dirt car park, this freedom camp is pretty cool. The views out over Red Bridge are awesome and there is a disc golf course at the park behind you. There is even a long drop toilet here if you have run out of room in your own toilet. This is the closest freedom camp option for Wānaka so it does get busy. We recommend getting here before dark in the high tourist seasons of summer and winter as the car park will fill up.
Other Options: Whilst its 40 minutes out from Wānaka, the Kidds Bush Reserve DOC campsite is a favourite of ours. A very picturesque campground on Lake Hāwea with a few walks and toilets as well. It will cost you $10 per adult to stay here but we highly recommend it.
A Quick Note On New Zealand Freedom Camp Rules
To be able to freedom camp within New Zealand you need to have a current self containment certification for your vehicle. New Zealand has recently brought in new self containment requirements which must be met by all vehicles before the 7th of June 2025. If after this date you do not have a new green warrant you will not be able to freedom camp.
Make sure you read all the signage at these freedom camps to double check that you are doing the right thing. The local councils are often changing their freedom camp laws and regulations. So be sure to check their website if you don’t see any signs telling you where to park and how long you can stay at these freedom camps. If you break the rules around freedom camping or park in the wrong spot you do risk fines. So if you are ever in doubt search the council name along with freedom camping rules and its usually easy enough to figure out what is permitted. We’ll update this blog post if we hear of any of these freedom camps closing but we are not the local council and wont always find out before you do. Please let us know if something has changed and don’t take our word for it if you cant find anything about these freedom camps when you do get there. If that does happen we are sorry!
Keen for more inspo? Be sure to check out:
- 4 Freedom Camping Apps to Make New Zealand Travel Simple!
- How Eco-Friendly is Vanlife?
- Campervan Essentials For Your Next Home on Wheels
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