The strip of coast between Kaiteriteri and Marahau has a handful of motor camps, each with a different pitch. Some put you on the beach doorstep. Others trade location for space, character, or a lower nightly rate. Here is what each one actually offers and which trip each one suits best.
Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve
What You Get for the Price
Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve runs a tiered pricing system that shifts with the seasons and site type. Powered sites for campervans and caravans sit at the top end, roughly $55-65 per night in peak season for two adults. Unpowered tent sites come in cheaper at around $25-40, depending on whether you want a designated spot or are happy in the overflow area. There are no cabins — this is a tents-and-vehicles operation through and through.
For that money you get a solid communal kitchen with gas hobs, sinks, and bench space that handles the dinner rush surprisingly well. The ablution blocks are clean and get serviced daily during summer. Hot showers are included in the site fee, which is worth noting because not every camp in the area does that. There are BBQ stations scattered through the grounds, a couple of covered picnic shelters for when the weather turns, and rubbish and recycling facilities. Laundry machines take coins.
The sites themselves vary. Some are flat and grassy with decent shade from mature trees. Others, particularly in the overflow sections, can be sloped and sun-baked. If you arrive early enough to choose, aim for the spots under the kanuka canopy on the western side.
The Walk to the Beach
The walk from the campground to Kaiteriteri Beach takes about five minutes if you are moving with purpose, and closer to ten if you have a toddler setting the pace or are hauling a chilly bin, beach tent, and the full complement of buckets and spades. The path is sealed for most of the way, which means pushchairs and trolleys are fine.
You come out at the southern end of the beach near the boat ramp area. From there it is a short walk along the sand to the main swimming zone where the water stays shallow for a good distance out — perfect for younger kids. The route has some shade from pohutukawa and kanuka, but the last stretch across the carpark is open and gets hot underfoot in January.
One thing worth knowing: the campground sits slightly uphill from the beach. Walking back at the end of the day is a gentle climb rather than a flat stroll. Nothing strenuous, but after a day of swimming and sun it feels more than five minutes.
Booking Windows and Peak Demand
Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve is one of the most popular campgrounds in the top of the South Island, and peak season bookings reflect that. If you want a site between Christmas and the end of January, you need to be looking at least three to four months ahead. The prime powered sites close to the amenities block go first. By October, the Christmas-New Year period is often fully committed.
There is a minimum stay over the statutory holiday periods — usually three or four nights around Christmas and New Year, and two nights over Waitangi and Anniversary weekends. This filters out the one-night crowd but also means you are committing to a decent block of time.
Outside peak, things loosen up considerably. February is still busy but bookable at shorter notice. From March through to November, walk-ins are often possible, especially midweek. Shoulder season — late November and early December — is actually a sweet spot if you can swing it. The weather is often better than January, the beach is quieter, and you can usually get the site you want without the advance planning.
Old McDonalds Farm and Holiday Park
Sites, Cabins and the Animal Factor
Old McDonalds Farm sits on Riwaka-Kaiteriteri Road, about three kilometres before you reach the beach. It runs the full range of accommodation: tent sites, powered sites for campervans, basic cabins with mattresses and not much else, and self-contained units for those who want a roof and a kitchen without the tent-pitching routine. Tent sites are the cheapest option, and the grounds are reasonably spacious with grass that holds up through most of summer.
The draw for families is the farm itself. There are goats, chickens, pigs, donkeys, and a few other residents that rotate with the seasons. Kids can feed and interact with the animals, and for children under about eight this is genuinely the highlight of the holiday. It is not a petting zoo bolted onto a campground as an afterthought — the farm operation was here first and the camping grew around it.
The trade-off is location. You are not walking to Kaiteriteri Beach from here. It is a five-minute drive, which is fine if you have a car but less convenient than staying at the Recreation Reserve right by the sand.
Facilities and Practical Bits
The kitchen at Old McDonalds is functional rather than flash. There are hobs, a microwave, basic crockery, and enough bench space to prepare a meal without waiting for someone else to finish. It gets the job done. The showers and toilets are kept clean but the blocks are showing their age in places — think mid-range DOC standard rather than holiday park glossy.
Laundry facilities are on site with the usual coin-operated washers and dryers. There is a playground that younger kids will happily spend an hour on, plus open grassed areas for running around and kicking a ball. WiFi exists but do not plan your evening around streaming anything — it is the kind of rural broadband connection that handles email and basic browsing.
One practical note: the powered sites have standard NZ three-pin outlets and the amperage is adequate for most campervans, but if you are running heavy draw appliances you might want to check ahead. The camp also has a small shop selling basics like milk, bread, and ice creams, which saves a trip back into Riwaka or Motueka for minor supplies.
Marahau and the Abel Tasman Gateway Camps
The Ocean View Chalets and Campground
The main camping option in Marahau is the cluster of operations around the Abel Tasman track entrance. The Ocean View Chalets offer both chalets and camping sites within a short walk of the beach and the water taxi departure point. Sites are a mix of powered and unpowered, set on grass with some tree cover. The chalets are basic but self-contained, with small kitchenettes and their own bathrooms.
The campground portion is smaller than Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve, which means it fills up fast but also stays quieter. You will not be squeezed in alongside fifty other tents. The ablution block is clean and reasonably modern. There is no communal kitchen on the camping side, so you are cooking on your own setup — bring your camp stove.
What sets the Marahau options apart is proximity to the Abel Tasman. You are literally at the start of the track. The water taxi and kayak operators are a two-minute walk. If you are booked on a 7:30am departure, you can roll out of your tent, have breakfast, and stroll down to the beach without touching your car. That convenience is worth real money if the Abel Tasman is your main reason for being in the area.
Why Marahau Works as a Base
Marahau exists because of the Abel Tasman. The settlement is small — a handful of accommodation providers, a couple of cafes, the water taxi and kayak hire operations, and not much else. That singular focus is exactly why it works as a base for anyone whose trip revolves around getting into the national park.
The water taxis run from Marahau beach, picking up passengers for drop-offs at Anchorage, Bark Bay, Tonga Island, and further up the coast. If you are doing a day walk — the most popular being the Anchorage return or the one-way walk back from Bark Bay — being camped in Marahau means you are first in the queue and last off the beach. No driving from Kaiteriteri, no finding a carpark, no rushing.
Kayak operators work the same way. The guided trips and freedom hires launch from Marahau, and the early morning briefings happen right there. Being five minutes away on foot rather than twenty minutes away by car changes the feel of the morning. You are relaxed rather than calculating whether you left enough time. For a multi-day trip into the park, Marahau also gives you a secure place to leave your vehicle while you are out on the track.
The Trade-Off With Kaiteriteri
Staying in Marahau means accepting a few limitations that Kaiteriteri does not have. The beach at Marahau is tidal — at low tide it is a vast expanse of sand and mud that is great for walking but not ideal for swimming. Kaiteriteri Beach, by contrast, is a proper golden sand swimming beach at any tide, and for families that matters.
Dining options in Marahau are limited to a couple of cafes and the Hooked restaurant, which is good but one restaurant does not constitute nightlife. Kaiteriteri has more choice, including the Kaiteriteri Beach Store and a few seasonal operations. Neither place is exactly a culinary destination, but Kaiteriteri has more going on.
The bigger consideration is access to the wider region. Marahau sits at the end of a dead-end road. If you want to visit Split Apple Rock, do the Kaiteriteri Mountain Bike Park trails, or head to Motueka for supplies, you are driving back through the same road every time. Kaiteriteri is slightly better connected but still requires the winding drive to and from the main highway. If the Abel Tasman is your sole focus, Marahau wins. If you want a bit of everything, Kaiteriteri offers more flexibility.
Comparing Costs and Value
Nightly Rates Side by Side
Pricing across the Kaiteriteri-Marahau camps follows a predictable pattern: the closer you are to the beach, the more you pay. Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve charges the highest rates for powered sites — around $55-65 per night in peak for two adults — but you are getting direct beach access and well-maintained facilities. Unpowered tent sites there run $25-40 depending on the season.
Old McDonalds Farm is the mid-range option, with powered sites around $45-55 and tent sites from $20-30. You sacrifice beach proximity but gain the farm experience and a bit more space between you and your neighbours. Their cabins start around $80-100 per night, which is reasonable for the area even if they are fairly basic.
The Marahau options tend to sit between the two, with powered sites around $50-60 and unpowered from $25-35. Chalets and self-contained units push into the $120-180 range per night. All of these prices climb during peak season and drop noticeably once February ticks over. Shoulder season can save you 20-30% on the peak rates, and the weather is often just as good.
What the Price Does and Does Not Include
The base site fee at Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve includes hot showers, which is a genuine saving over camps that charge per shower. It adds up when you have a family of four showering daily for a week. Rubbish disposal and recycling are also included, plus use of the kitchen and BBQ areas.
Old McDonalds includes showers in the rate as well, and access to the farm animals is part of the deal — no extra entry fee for the kids to feed the goats. Their small on-site shop means you can grab basics without driving anywhere, though the prices are the usual campground-shop premium.
Where the extras catch people is WiFi and linen. WiFi at most of these camps is either paid or so slow it barely counts. If you are booking a cabin, check whether linen is supplied or an add-on — at some camps it is an extra $10-15 per bed. Firewood is another one. Summer evenings in the Kaiteriteri area are mild enough that you might not need a fire, but if you want one, a bag of firewood from the camp office typically runs $8-12. None of these extras will break the budget individually, but stacked up over a week-long stay they shift the real cost above the advertised nightly rate.
Which Camp Suits Which Trip
Families With Young Kids
For families with kids under ten, Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve is the pick. The walk to the beach is short enough that you can go back and forth multiple times a day without it feeling like an expedition. Kaiteriteri Beach itself is one of the safest swimming beaches in the region — shallow, sheltered, with no significant currents or sudden drop-offs. You can park yourself on the sand and let the kids paddle without constant anxiety.
Old McDonalds Farm is the close second, and for some families it will actually be the better choice. The farm animals are a genuine drawcard for younger children, and the grounds are spacious enough for kids to roam. The trade-off is the five-minute drive to the beach, which means more packing and unpacking of the car each day. If your kids are more interested in feeding goats than building sandcastles, Old McDonalds wins outright.
Marahau is the weakest option for young families. The tidal beach is not great for swimming, and there is less to do in the settlement itself when the weather turns.
Abel Tasman Day Trippers
If you are spending most of your time in the Abel Tasman, Marahau is the obvious base. Being at the trailhead saves you a drive each morning and means you can take the last water taxi back without worrying about the clock. The convenience is not trivial — on a busy January morning, the Kaiteriteri carpark fills early and latecomers end up parking on the road and walking.
Water taxis also depart from Kaiteriteri, so staying at the Recreation Reserve is not a bad option either. You just need to be a bit more organised with your mornings. The advantage is that Kaiteriteri is a better place to spend a rest day between Abel Tasman outings. The beach is superior, there are more food options, and the Kaiteriteri Mountain Bike Park is right there for something different.
The call depends on how many days you are spending in the park versus how many you want at the beach. One or two Abel Tasman days in a week-long trip? Stay at Kaiteriteri and drive or taxi over. Three or more days heading into the park? Marahau will make your life easier.
Budget Campers and Freedom Parkers
The cheapest tent sites in the area are at Old McDonalds Farm, where an unpowered spot in the low season can come in under $20 per night. Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve is the most expensive for tent camping but also the most central. If you are counting every dollar, Old McDonalds gives you the best rate for a serviced campground.
Freedom camping in this area is heavily restricted. The Tasman District Council does not allow freedom camping along the Kaiteriteri-Marahau corridor outside of designated sites. The rules are enforced, particularly in summer when compliance officers patrol regularly. Self-contained vehicles have slightly more options in the wider Nelson-Tasman region, but right around Kaiteriteri and Marahau you are looking at paid campgrounds or nothing.
For budget campers with a bit more flexibility on location, the DOC campsite at Totaranui in the Abel Tasman is worth considering. It is further afield — accessible by a winding gravel road over the Takaka Hill or by water taxi — but the nightly rate is significantly cheaper than any of the Kaiteriteri options. The facilities are basic (cold showers, long-drop toilets) and you need to book well ahead for summer, but the beach is extraordinary and you are properly inside the national park.
Every camp in this corridor gets you to the beach or the Abel Tasman without much effort. The right one depends on whether you prioritise sand between your toes, early starts on the water taxi, or keeping the budget tight. Book early for peak season regardless of which you pick — this stretch of coast does not stay quiet for long once December hits.