Camping near Wellington

There are 66 DOC campsites within 150 km of Wellington, and 9 of them are free. 27 can be reached by car. The closest is Matiu/somes Island Campsite, about 8 km away in a straight line.

Drive-in campsites (27)

Campsite	Distance*	Type and fee	Good to know
Catchpool Valley Campsite Catchpool Valley & Ōrongorongo Valley	14 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, dogs on a leash, bookable
Corner Creek Campsite Remutaka Forest Park	24 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, dogs on a leash, bookable
Putangirua Pinnacles Campsite Putangirua Pinnacles Scenic Reserve	42 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, dogs on a leash, bookable
Bucks Road Campsite Tararua Forest Park	54 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, dogs on a leash, bookable
Kenepuru Head Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	56 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Ōtaki Forks Campsite Ōtaki Forks area	58 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, dogs on a leash, bookable
Whatamango Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	59 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Robin Hood Bay Campsite Blenheim area	60 km	Basic Free	drive-in, first come, first served
Whites Bay Campsite Blenheim area	61 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Waiohine Gorge Campsite Tararua Forest Park	61 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, dogs on a leash, bookable
Nikau Cove Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	62 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Picnic Bay Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	62 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Rarangi Campsite Blenheim area	62 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, dogs on a leash, bookable
Waimaru Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	66 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Marfells Beach Campsite Marfells Beach area	68 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Momorangi Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	70 km	Serviced $25 per adult (tent site)	drive-in, hot showers, bookable
Aussie Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	71 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Holdsworth Campsite Holdsworth area	73 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, dogs on a leash, bookable
Kiriwhakapapa Campsite Tararua Forest Park	84 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, dogs on a leash, bookable
Elaine Bay Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	88 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
French Pass Campsite French Pass and D'Urville Island Scenic Reserves	88 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Harvey Bay Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	88 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Onamalutu Campsite Mount Richmond Forest Park	91 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Moawhitu Campsite French Pass and D'Urville Island Scenic Reserves	97 km	Basic Free	drive-in, first come, first served
Butchers Flat Campsite Mount Richmond Forest Park	99 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	drive-in, bookable
Pelorus Bridge Campground Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve	101 km	Serviced $25 per adult (tent site)	drive-in, hot showers, bookable
Mill Flat Campsite Mount Richmond Forest Park	108 km	Basic Free	drive-in, first come, first served

Walk-in and boat-access campsites (39)

Campsite	Distance*	Type and fee	Good to know
Matiu/somes Island Campsite Matiu/Somes Island	8 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	bookable
Graces Stream Campsite Catchpool Valley & Ōrongorongo Valley	14 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	first come, first served
Wharehunga Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	42 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, bookable
Blumine Island/ōruawairua Campsite Blumine Island Scenic Reserve	47 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, bookable
Ngaruru Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	47 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, bookable
Cannibal Cove Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	50 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, bookable
Schoolhouse Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	50 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Bay Of Many Coves Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	55 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Camp Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	55 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	walk-in, bookable
Ratimera Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	56 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	boat access, bookable
Black Rock Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	60 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Kumutoto Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	60 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, bookable
Cowshed Bay Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	63 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	walk-in, bookable
Ferndale Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	68 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, bookable
Mistletoe Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	68 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	boat access, bookable
Davies Bay Campsite Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area	70 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Kauauroa Bay Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	73 km	Basic Free	boat access, first come, first served
Putanui Point Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	76 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, bookable
Jacobs Bay Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	77 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, bookable
Moetapu Bay Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	77 km	Standard $10–20 per adult	walk-in, bookable
Pipi Beach Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	77 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, first come, first served
Waiona Bay Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	82 km	Basic Free	boat access, first come, first served
Tawa Bay Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	83 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	boat access, bookable
Nydia Campsite Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound area	84 km	Backcountry Varies, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Lucky Bay Campsite French Pass and D'Urville Island Scenic Reserves	88 km	Basic Free	boat access, first come, first served
Penguin Bay Campsite French Pass and D'Urville Island Scenic Reserves	88 km	Basic Free	boat access, first come, first served
Mill Arm Campsite French Pass and D'Urville Island Scenic Reserves	93 km	Basic Free	boat access, first come, first served
South Arm Campsite French Pass and D'Urville Island Scenic Reserves	93 km	Basic Free	boat access, first come, first served
Anchorage Campsite Abel Tasman National Park	148 km	Great Walk Great Walks prices, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Te Pukatea Bay Campsite Abel Tasman National Park	148 km	Great Walk Great Walks prices, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Watering Cove Campsite Abel Tasman National Park	148 km	Great Walk Great Walks prices, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Akersten Bay Campsite Abel Tasman National Park	149 km	Great Walk Great Walks prices, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Apple Tree Bay Campsite Abel Tasman National Park	149 km	Great Walk Great Walks prices, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Observation Beach Campsite Abel Tasman National Park	149 km	Great Walk Great Walks prices, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Bark Bay Campsite Abel Tasman National Park	150 km	Great Walk Great Walks prices, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Coquille Bay Campsite Abel Tasman National Park	150 km	Great Walk Great Walks prices, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Mosquito Bay Campsite Abel Tasman National Park	150 km	Great Walk Great Walks prices, see DOC page	boat access, bookable
Tinline Campsite Abel Tasman National Park	150 km	Great Walk Great Walks prices, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable
Torrent Bay Village Campsite Abel Tasman National Park	150 km	Great Walk Great Walks prices, see DOC page	walk-in, bookable

*Straight-line distance from the city centre; the drive is longer.

Want a roof instead? Compare holiday parks on Holiday Parks NZ or stays near Wellington on our Stays page.

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

What is the closest campsite to Wellington?

From DOC's list, Matiu/somes Island Campsite is the closest, about 8 km away in a straight line.

Are there free campsites near Wellington?

Yes, 9 of the DOC campsites within 150 km are free basic campsites.

Do I need to book?

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

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