Brandysal

Hi
We have been in Auckland for a cpl of months now and are looking forward to getting out of the city just after Xmas. We are thinking of hiring a car and going camping for a few days, which would mean we have to buy all the equipment etc. am looking for any advice on essential camping items, thing not needed, places to go. If anyone has any advice i would be v grateful.
Also we have an 18 month old toddler to take with us.

Cheers

Parnell

I just bought a tent to go down to the beach in mid Jan

We bought:

- Tent with internal frame to make pitching and striking fast and easy.
- Always spend good money on your sleeping bag but consider what happens if it gets wet, what happens when I try to repack it, What temperature range will I be sleeping in?
- Air mattress with car lighter and normal house plug - remember there are two ends one for the inflating and one for the deflating.
- Small burner stove for our needs as most cooking is in camp kitchen or fish n chips on beach.
- We got a tent light with remote so tent can light up as we approach, also got the kids head lamps for those night trips to toilet.


Free camping has been banned from a lot of places now due to the waste problem.

Top 10 camps are highly recommended as starting point.

snaps

I haven't been for a few years but here's my tops:
Chocolate in a cool part of the car
Can opener
Bottle Opener
Clock
Torch
Bedding
Matches
Tent
Kettle
Yorkshire Tea
Nescafe Coffee
Dried Milk
Water for the first night.
Another torch.
Soap
Portable radio for Radio 4 in the UK or similar in NZ
Clothes
At least one folding seat.
Another torch
Waterproofs
Wellies
A whistle
***Toilet Tissue - best quality***

That should start you off.

Bo-Jangles

It will depend a lot on where you are going and for how long and your tolerance for roughing it versus glamping.

If it's anywhere within striking distance of Auckland during school summer holidays you may have difficulty finding places that are not already booked out and need to be prepared for being jammed into sites like sardines. For a first time I would be inclined to go on a short trip just one or two nights and stay closer to home, you have a littlie and if weather and such turns to custard it's not so much of a drama to retreat back home and you can manage with minimal equipment for a night or two.

Kiwis generally take everything including the kitchen sink and if you can get booked in anywhere over the Christmas holiday, you are likely to find the 'our family has been coming here every year since 1972' brigade will have moved in lock stock, three smoking fridges and sofa for the whole of the holidays and commandeered the camp kitchen and made it their own.

The things I would prioritise are something comfortable to sit on and a table to keep stuff off of the floor. Also some shade / shelter from sun or rain for sitting outside. If you're not sure whether to invest in the full kit and caboodle and just want to get a taster of Kiwi camping, you could try and rent a cabin or 'Kitchen Cabin' at a Top Ten site.

http://www.kathmandu.co.nz/ is the place to go, at this time of year to get tents and camping gear as they always have a big 'sale' on. Stuff is way overpriced anyway so getting it at 60% off in the ever present 'sale' makes it seems just a little more palatable.

Bo-Jangles

Really well insulated chilly bin
Lots of coins; 20 and 50 cents for hot water showers.

You might need to hire a big truck rather than a car to carry all the stuff

A Rush And A Push

I haven't camped much but DoC campsites are an option - quite basic facilities but cheap and in some beautiful places.

Campsites by region - camping on conservation land: Places to stay

Yes, over Christmas/summer school holidays all the sites near Auckland will be v busy. I'd recommend driving a bit further away if you can. I stayed at this campsite once at New Year
Fletcher Bay conservation campsite: Coromandel region. It's right at the top of the Coromandel, the last hour is on unsealed roads - it was packed at New Year.

SSky

Yup the tent is the least of your worries ... you will mostly need a giant bad ass trailer for your fridge, BBQ, picnic table and all the accompanying essentials. Carpet, beds and lamps are also essential ... don't forget the fairy lights and tree. Don't bother with sleeping bags, just take your bedding, sleeping bags are horribly restrictive anyway.
Kiwis camp in style, non of this roughing malarkey for them and it's fab! I loves it, it's a great attitude :-)

Justcol

kiwis camp a lot because theres nowhere else to go thats affordable for a family holiday.
There are not a lot of what we would consider family holiday hotels in nz and what there
are are not affordable for the average kiwi family.
Thats why its so popular

pom4gud

"you are likely to find the 'our family has been coming here every year since 1972' brigade will have moved in lock stock, three smoking fridges and sofa for the whole of the holidays and commandeered the camp kitchen and made it their own."


I see you've met my in-laws then!

jen_jen

I stayed at a backpackers is Paihai a few weeks ago, it was attached to a camp site and Yip, there was a trailer complete with shed sat proudly on the pitch. Shed was fitted with bunk beds and some other essentials too!

The comfiest bed I've ever had camping was a self inflating mattress, packs really small, easy to inflate and deflate - just pop a bit of extra air in (a few small puffs from your lungs) and its was fantastic. Better that an 'air bed'.

Nothing better than that first cup of tea in the morning on a camp site - ahh!

Tom H

Essential camping items

24 crates of beer
sleeping bag
golf clubs
fly spray, mosquito repellant
sand fly bite cream

If there's any available, have a look at top10.co.nz as you may be able to get some interesting chalets or if camping you should be able to get a pitch for around $40 no problems.

You will also learn from camping that many a kiwi that had an upbringing tougher than those four yorkshiremen spent their early adult lives living int tent, walking 26km to work each day n back etc

snaps

Here are those four Yorkshiremen...

Brandysal

Thanks for all your advice, think we are going to go with one of the DoC sites. We are going for more of the basic camping so will just have to feel like the Inferior first time campers we are to the far too organised Kiwis!
What do people do for Xmas day here? Are a lot of them away for the actual day? Do they stay at home with family? Go to the beach? What's the "done thing"?
Nice to see the Pythons four yorkshiremen! Thanks Snaps, I'm also an 'Ull lass.

snaps

I wonder if 'The Land of Green Ginger' means anything.

Here's a link that invites me to tell the world... Hull UK City of Culture 2017 | Hull 2017 UK City of Culture

Parnell

Xmas day with family, then boxing day its normally the teenagers going off to spend a week or two with friends (new years eve on the coromandel etc)

Weather generally more settled closer to school going back end of Jan/Feb