Any ideas for a camping location???

[justsomeguy]

Hiya,

Me and a few mates were thinking of going camping somewhere for new years.

Ideal outing scenario: drive to a place with safe parking preferably out of Auckland :-) walk for 4-5hrs and camp overnight on a high spot with view, cook simple noodle meal on mess tin, army style if u know what I mean. Wake up next morning, have hot coffee, breakfast, start walk back to car or go for a bit of a trek....

Ideally the place will have a great view and provide us with the best seats anywhere for the first sunrise of the year........

A bit of rugged terrain would be great too. Helps the blood flow faster....

Anyone know of any location??

[justsomeguy]

bump

[crashe]

Gisborne..... is where the sun shines first... in NZ.

So head down there.... tis only a few hours drive to get there lol.

[justsomeguy]

Thanks Crashe

[justsomeguy]

Good idea crashe, even better JSG you could ride/drive half way to Gisborne and walk the rest, then you'd have your 5 hour trek...or maybee a tad longer! :spudguita

I can't ride - don't own a bike......

Anyway stay on topic. I need to try and sort this out soon incase accomodation needs to be booked.......

[Posh Tourer :P]

Have a look at the Waitaks. There are a few places, perhaps not really high up, but they could be nice. Try Pararaha Stream - book now or it'll be full, but that is a good few hours, nice campsite, you can visit the caves that BD went to, go for a swim etc. You can reach it either from Whatipu or from Karekare. Also Whatipu caves campsite might be good, particularly if you go in via the Gibbons track, or even down from Karekare (depends how fast you walk). Go and see the lads and lasses at the Cheenic Dwive visitor centre.... It is cheap and it certainly has the rugged terrain, but the sunrise comes the wrong way....

Also you could try a few of the campsites in the Hunuas.

Failing that, Pirongia (near the tron) has a hut on the top - again you should book now.. The walk is perhaps 5-6 hours and quite steep. I dont think the view from the hut itself is great but there is a nice helipad 15 mins walk away IIRC...

You could go down towards Ruapehu and camp at or stay in one of the Round the Mountain huts, although they also will be busy. I might suggest travelling from the Ohakune Rd round to the first or second hut to get a nice sunrise. The most western hut is FANTASTIC! but it would be 2 days walk from one side and a good day at least from the Ohakune side.

If youn want a great view, try East Cape. Last time, we camped at the side of the road at the bottom of the hill and ran up the hill in the morning to see the sunrise. That wasnt on New Years though and I'm not sure it was legal....

You could try something a bit more out of the way on Great Barrier. Get the Ferry to Fitzroy/fly to Claris/ferry to Tryphena, and do the Haratonga coastal track near Claris. You would see the sunrise over open sea if you camped at the Haratonga campsite, although the site itself is also accessible by road. There are a couple of DOC campsites on that side of the island, and although they are accessible by road it is not like you have a motorway nearby....

There is a DOC hut at Cape Brett (near Russell), with a nice walk to it... But that costs money - the land is owned and operated as an ecological reserve by local iwi

Try Home Bay on motutapu Is maybe? - ferry to Rangitoto and then walk around (I think you still can...)

Also try the DOC webiste - there are a few campsites up around the top of the Coromandel peninsula....

[justsomeguy]

Have a look at the Waitaks. There are a few places, perhaps not really high up, but they could be nice. Try Pararaha Stream - book now or it'll be full, but that is a good few hours, nice campsite, you can visit the caves that BD went to, go for a swim etc. You can reach it either from Whatipu or from Karekare. Also Whatipu caves campsite might be good, particularly if you go in via the Gibbons track, or even down from Karekare (depends how fast you walk). Go and see the lads and lasses at the Cheenic Dwive visitor centre.... It is cheap and it certainly has the rugged terrain, but the sunrise comes the wrong way....

Also you could try a few of the campsites in the Hunuas.

Failing that, Pirongia (near the tron) has a hut on the top - again you should book now.. The walk is perhaps 5-6 hours and quite steep. I dont think the view from the hut itself is great but there is a nice helipad 15 mins walk away IIRC...

You could go down towards Ruapehu and camp at or stay in one of the Round the Mountain huts, although they also will be busy. I might suggest travelling from the Ohakune Rd round to the first or second hut to get a nice sunrise. The most western hut is FANTASTIC! but it would be 2 days walk from one side and a good day at least from the Ohakune side.

If youn want a great view, try East Cape. Last time, we camped at the side of the road at the bottom of the hill and ran up the hill in the morning to see the sunrise. That wasnt on New Years though and I'm not sure it was legal....

You could try something a bit more out of the way on Great Barrier. Get the Ferry to Fitzroy/fly to Claris/ferry to Tryphena, and do the Haratonga coastal track near Claris. You would see the sunrise over open sea if you camped at the Haratonga campsite, although the site itself is also accessible by road. There are a couple of DOC campsites on that side of the island, and although they are accessible by road it is not like you have a motorway nearby....

There is a DOC hut at Cape Brett (near Russell), with a nice walk to it... But that costs money - the land is owned and operated as an ecological reserve by local iwi

Try Home Bay on motutapu Is maybe? - ferry to Rangitoto and then walk around (I think you still can...)

Also try the DOC webiste - there are a few campsites up around the top of the Coromandel peninsula....

Wow - heaps of stuff there.

Will slowly sift through it.

Gt Barrier sounds nice - apart from the transport costs - lets see, thank you.

[Posh Tourer :P]

Great Barrier is an awesome place. Also you save on fuel costs getting to somewhere like the coromandel. IIRC the slow (ie cheap) car ferry is $80, but the Uni paid my transport when I went there.....

Oh yeah, and check with your mates just exactly how rough they want the hike to be.... Round the mountain is relatively easy, but to to a 5hr walk in the Waitaks you need to be prepared for some pretty heavy going in places. It is very steep there....

[Waylander]

More than just guy mates right? Or is there something you'renot telling us. lol

[justsomeguy]

More than just guy mates right? Or is there something you'renot telling us. lol

Just a few guys from my old work place who are into photography and trekking.

You ever gone camping with girls before??? It's not as romantic as it sounds.... besides I ain't exactly looking for a relationship at this stage...... which is kinda where one would be headed if they ask a girl to spend new years eve with them alone somewhere in the bush......

[justsomeguy]

Great Barrier is an awesome place. Also you save on fuel costs getting to somewhere like the coromandel. IIRC the slow (ie cheap) car ferry is $80, but the Uni paid my transport when I went there.....

Oh yeah, and check with your mates just exactly how rough they want the hike to be.... Round the mountain is relatively easy, but to to a 5hr walk in the Waitaks you need to be prepared for some pretty heavy going in places. It is very steep there....

We did the Tongariro crossing in 6.5 hours.... have plans to do it in 6 - 6.25 hours in the next few months.....

But yeah - those hills around the Dwive are a bit of a mission, especially during the winter when the rain turns the tracks into little streams of chocolate.

[Waylander]

Good points. Damn that reminds me,I'de better start making someplans for new years.....

[jrandom]

Camping just off the north west coast beaches *rocks*, but you need a 4WD. Although, of course, on the west coast you don't get the sun-rising-over-the-water thing, you have to wait for it to come up over the hills.

In the north-of-Auckland area, the Kaipara bombing range (drive up to the top of Muriwai, turn right, watch for the red flags if you don't want to get told off by angry men in camo fatigues) is a great place to camp out. I can tell you from personal experience that it's also a great place to get off one's face and pass out on the sand.

Or continue up 16, round the Kaipara and out through Dargaville to Bayly's Beach or Glinks Gully, then drive further north up the beach and camp back from it when you find a good spot. Most days you can wake up in the morning, jog for an hour along the sand and not see anyone. Although perhaps on New Year's day you won't be doing much morning jogging eh?

Also, when up there, watch for the local bros turning up on the beach in their vans, and when they leave, dig where they were digging if you fancy a good feed. Just don't tell MAF.

[justsomeguy]

Camping just off the north west coast beaches *rocks*, but you need a 4WD. Although, of course, on the west coast you don't get the sun-rising-over-the-water thing, you have to wait for it to come up over the hills.

In the north-of-Auckland area, the Kaipara bombing range (drive up to the top of Muriwai, turn right, watch for the red flags if you don't want to get told off by angry men in camo fatigues) is a great place to camp out. I can tell you from personal experience that it's also a great place to get off one's face and pass out on the sand.

Or continue up 16, round the Kaipara and out through Dargaville to Bayly's Beach or Glinks Gully, then drive further north up the beach and camp back from it when you find a good spot. Most days you can wake up in the morning, jog for an hour along the sand and not see anyone. Although perhaps on New Year's day you won't be doing much morning jogging eh?

Also, when up there, watch for the local bros turning up on the beach in their vans, and when they leave, dig where they were digging if you fancy a good feed. Just don't tell MAF.

Hehehehehehehehe

Cheers

[Posh Tourer :P]

We did the Tongariro crossing in 6.5 hours.... have plans to do it in 6 - 6.25 hours in the next few months.....

In that case.... My recommendation would be that hut on the Round The Mountain that is in the middle of the desert.... You know, the second hut around from the Whakapapa side.

I asked because I know plenty of people who have this idea that they will 'go tramping' and have no idea what it means, or that a 4-5hr walk is actually a long way, and it is very different from the nice easy Arataki Nature Trail - particularly in the Waitakeres.
I did Arataki to Pararaha in a day, but that was by myself... It is hard work with a pack on, and the descent into Pararaha was so steep there wasnt any obvious track... no cakewalk, as we kept having to tell people who come in with trainers wanting to do a 6hr walk....

The campsites on the barrier are good, infact the entire barrier is good. If you want to spend a little more time there, try hiring kayaks from Tony at Fitzroy House, and paddle around the harbour at Fitzroy. camp at Akapoua and you can make any number of stunning day trips. Most people wont care if you land on their beaches, just try not to stumble on their dope plantations..... Also, be careful of poachers on Kaikoura Is if you stay there (again, I dont think it is really legal...). You can always go and see Will at the lodge on Kaikoura and ask his permission....See if he remembers me from last summer. He is/was the 'ranger' as such (the island is owned by a trust).
The only issue with the barrier is that the campsites on the eastern side are all pretty close to the road.

If you go, take a few good rods and diving gear. The mussels and the snapper are fantastic.... Lots of mussel farms also means plenty of mussels. Crayfish as well if you are into them.... Still, it will be pretty busy at that time of year in all the best spots....