Camping in Marlborough

DOC lists 48 campsites in Marlborough. 10 are free and 22 can be reached by car. Cheapest first.

Free campsites (10)

Campsite	Type and fee	Good to know
Lake Tennyson Campsite Molesworth Recreation Reserve	Basic Free	drive-in, first come, first served
Mill Flat Campsite Mount Richmond Forest Park	Basic Free	drive-in, first come, first served
Moawhitu Campsite French Pass and D'Urville Island Scenic Reserves	Basic Free	drive-in, first come, first served
Robin Hood Bay Campsite Blenheim area	Basic Free	drive-in, first come, first served
Kauauroa Bay Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	Basic Free	boat access, first come, first served
Lucky Bay Campsite French Pass and D'Urville Island Scenic Reserves	Basic Free	boat access, first come, first served
Mill Arm Campsite French Pass and D'Urville Island Scenic Reserves	Basic Free	boat access, first come, first served
Penguin Bay Campsite French Pass and D'Urville Island Scenic Reserves	Basic Free	boat access, first come, first served
South Arm Campsite French Pass and D'Urville Island Scenic Reserves	Basic Free	boat access, first come, first served
Waiona Bay Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	Basic Free	boat access, first come, first served

Standard campsites (21)

Campsite	Type and fee	Good to know
Acheron Accommodation House Campsite Molesworth Recreation Reserve	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Aussie Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Butchers Flat Campsite Mount Richmond Forest Park	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Elaine Bay Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
French Pass Campsite French Pass and D'Urville Island Scenic Reserves	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Harvey Bay Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Kenepuru Head Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Marfells Beach Campsite Marfells Beach area	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Molesworth Cob Cottage Campsite Molesworth Recreation Reserve	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Nikau Cove Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Onamalutu Campsite Mount Richmond Forest Park	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Picnic Bay Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Rarangi Campsite Blenheim area	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, dogs on a leash, bookable
Waimaru Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Whatamango Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Whites Bay Campsite Blenheim area	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Camp Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	Standard $10–20 per adult	walk-in, bookable
Cowshed Bay Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	Standard $10–20 per adult	walk-in, bookable
Mistletoe Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	Standard $10–20 per adult	boat access, bookable
Moetapu Bay Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	Standard $10–20 per adult	walk-in, bookable
Ratimera Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	Standard $10–20 per adult	boat access, bookable

Serviced campsites (2)

Campsite	Type and fee	Good to know
Momorangi Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	Serviced $25 per adult (tent site)	drive-in, hot showers, bookable
Pelorus Bridge Campground Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve	Serviced $25 per adult (tent site)	drive-in, hot showers, bookable

Backcountry and Great Walk campsites (15)

Campsite	Type and fee	Good to know
Bay Of Many Coves Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Black Rock Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Blumine Island/ōruawairua Campsite Blumine Island Scenic Reserve	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, bookable
Cannibal Cove Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, bookable
Davies Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Ferndale Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, bookable
Jacobs Bay Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, bookable
Kumutoto Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, bookable
Ngaruru Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, bookable
Nydia Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Pipi Beach Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, first come, first served
Putanui Point Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, bookable
Schoolhouse Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Tawa Bay Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, bookable
Wharehunga Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, bookable

Campsite list: Department of Conservation open data (CC BY 4.0), refreshed weekly. Fees are DOC’s published category fees; some campsites differ and prices can change. Always check the DOC page for alerts and closures before you go.

Plan the rest of the trip

Find a campsite by region → Packing checklist Cheap car hire

Questions

Are there free campsites in Marlborough?

Yes, 10 DOC basic campsites in Marlborough are free.

How many DOC campsites are in Marlborough?

48, from DOC's campsite data (updated weekly).

Do I need to book?

Many standard and serviced DOC campsites need booking, especially in summer. Basic campsites are usually first come, first served.

More camping guides: all camping guides