Punakaiki Beach Camp

This is the 4th and final year we have camped with a group at this campsite. Booking has always been difficult as staff members forget bookings, payments and site requests but we persevered given the location is gorgeous. However year on year the facilities have had more and more issues such as washing machines and dryers breaking down or leaving marks on clothes, sites flooding during rain, showers/hot water not working, gardens being overgrown into sites and a site map that doesn't reflect the actual layout of the camping areas. Because of the location you could brush off one or two of these issues but when they are the same each visit it shows a lack of maintenance from the management. Particularly that these things are happening in peak season. The facilities are also overloaded as so many campers arrive meaning long lines for toilets and showers. Prices have recently been raised however no effort has been made to improve the experience to reflect this. Usually when you book year on year with a Campground you build a rapport with the staff but we along with others received service that made us feel that our booking was a hassle for them more than anything else. I love the location and there is a lot to do in the area but the Beach camp is expensive for its outdated/overloaded facilities and the management leaves a lot to be desired.

Go for the cabins! The cabins are amazing! The staff is friendly and the facilities are clean.

We stayed at the Treescapes Holiday Home, reserved through Punakaiki Beach Camps, the night before our trip on the Paparoa Great Walk. It is a lovely home with an excellent view. Very clean and comfortable with nice access to the road into Punakaiki. Highly recommend. At the end of our hut trip on the Paparoa we stayed at the Cliffscapes Holiday Home. It is a perfect place to stay after the hike - very clean, great showers, laundry in the house and excellent kitchen. It is a quick walk to the lovely beach and across the street from the pub, with a great beer garden. The garden outside the home is beautiful. This would be a great spot for a family gathering - lots of space to share a good experience. In the area would also highly recommend Paparoa Guided Walks, the guides are amazing and make for a fantastic experience.

Good: great location with Paparoa track, rugged beach, walks, views, cafe's. Bad: wifi only works in the kitchen area. Bad: expensive. In all our camping ground we stayed at in the sth island it was the most expensive. Bad: it rained the entire week we were there - obviously not the camping grounds fault but drainage was an issue. Bad: sites are far away from the one toilet block. Bad: showers are terrible. Plumbing issues meant either only hot came out and was scorching or freezing cold. The push button timer for water was annoying, only lasting for about 20 seconds. Bad: I asked if at front desk if there was bike hire around and they said no but right next door I found bike hire. It's a shame they don't support other community business. Bad: the idyllic photos on website showing the river are a bit misleading. It's a bit of a walk to get there. And you have to get the right time for tides. No wifi was the biggest problem for us as we depended on it for work.

Thankful for the option of a small cabin, as all the motels in the area were fully booked. Also, the coffee/eats/ice cream cart was wonderful. Really enjoyed the easy access to the beach!

Unique stay, room is basic, pillows aren’t great. Wonderful atmosphere. Towels aren’t provided but front desk was nice and gave us some.