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 I love the location and there is a lot to do in the area but the Beach camp is expensive for its outdated/overloaded facilities and the management leaves a lot to be desired.

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.

For camper or tent probably very nice but the cabin was disappointing. A very small container-like cabin and we had to share the ( not so clean) facilities with the people from the campground. Which meant a very long hike through pitchblack darkness through the woods. As a mature lady I need the loo several rimes in the night but often couldn’t find my way. Way too far! Also, we didn’t have wifi in our cabin as apposed to the people on the campground. The kitchen and eating area was not too well appointed, lots of a Old stuff there and quite dirty. As for the shower area, not so nice. It would be nice if there was a nicer communal area inside as well for the rainy days that often occur on the Westcoast. The scenery was beautiful and the proximity to the beach and pancake rocks was good.