Park

The view from our holiday park cabin in Ahipara

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Understanding New Zealand Holiday Parks

Are you a holiday park virgin?

Don’t worry my fellow New Zealand vacationers consider me your virtual pimp, here to take you on a journey to the end of this blog post.

And if you make it to the end, you will be a full-fledged holiday park whore!

OK, that may be a bit dramatic, but you get the point.

While in Bali and prior to laying foot on New Zealand we were told by many friendly New Zealand vacationers that even though New Zealand accommodations were  expensive, our family would be able to find very nice and affordable accommodations in “holiday parks”.

As an American, the term “holiday park” confused me. It conjured up images of both a Thomas Kinkade painting or scenes from The Blaire Witch Project. Both, are equally frightening.

When I would ask locals for a straightforward explanation as to what a holiday park actually was, I received varied responses, or confused looks.

So What is a Holiday Park and what are they like in New Zealand?

Numerous campgrounds of very high standard are found throughout New Zealand.

The term “campground” itself is a very loose term, they can be a very basic (grass and a couple powered sites) to full-fledged resorts.

They can be privately owned or public. In New Zealand public campgrounds are called “DOC” campgrounds, which stands for Department of Conservation.

DOC campgrounds are often more basic and limited to tents or campervan sites. If a DOC site does have a cabin it is most likely in one of the designated trekking regions such as Abel Tasman National Park.

Almost all campgrounds offer full kitchen facilities, BBQ areas, TV lounges as well as washing machines and dryers.

Along with this, most parks also have indoor facilities described often as “cabins”.

Kiwi Holiday Park in Bay of Islands:

There are usually three types of cabins.

  1. Kitchen Cabins – A cabin with a kitchen and shared bathroom.
  2. Standard Cabins – Just beds, no bathroom and no kitchen.
  3. Ensuite Cabins – Typically means a private bathroom and kitchen. Although not necessarily a kitchen so you are going to have to ask.

Cabins also come in different sizes.

Standard cabins often only have beds for two. If this is the case, most facilities will offer family cabins. You have to ask.

Many also have motel units which can also be called “tourist flats”

Almost all “holiday parks” or “campervan parks” will provide:

  1. Toilet and shower complex
  2. Laundry facilities
  3. Dump stations for the motor homes
  4. Internet facilities and NON COMPLIMENTARY WiFi – The WiFi will usually have a data cap which is very annoying.
  5. Recreation and lounge areas
  6. Playgrounds for children

Many also have

  1. Swimming pools
  2. Jumping Pillows (You have to see it to believe it)
  3. Trampoline
  4. Spa
  5. Thermal Pools!

Booking online is a complete and utter waste of time in the off-season. The websites will not represent actual availability and you will be amazed by what options are available when you actually pick up the phone and call.

Kiwi Holiday Park in Ahipara:

Prices

  1. Tenting site cost is about $10 per night.
  2. Powered site is around $40.
  3. Cabins vary greatly in price but are usually from $50 for a standard cabin all the way up to $95 for a full size ensuite cabin for a family.
  4. Motel units on the campervan park are around $100 – $150 US per night.

Holiday Park Chains

From our experience there are 3 Holiday Park Chains you should know about.

  1. Kiwi Parks: “Kiwi Holiday Parks are in prime locations and have a variety of accommodation options .  Of course we’ve got great camping sites but you can also choose from basic to deluxe cabins, a range of motel options and self-contained units that can provide for the whole tribe.”
  2. Top 10 Holiday Parks: “All TOP 10 Holiday Parks offer great accommodation options – all you have to do is choose. You can stay in wonderful motels or self-contained units in park-like surroundings. We have a range of cabins to suit every budget. Or if you just want to experience the freedom of camping and re-discover those great childhood memories in a campervan or tent – we have many superb powered and unpowered sites.”
  3. Family Holiday Park:  “At over 120 unique destinations across OZ + NZ”.

Holiday Park Discount Cards

Each of these holiday parks offers their own discount card which will give you roughly 10% off per booking.

  • The Kiwi card allows you to buy a short-term card at a reduced rate which will last for 3 months.
  • Your Top 10 card: Save 10% up to $40 per Stay at TOP 10 Parks Valid for 2 years.
  • The Family Holiday Park card is good for 6 months.

The top 10 card was $50 and  Kiwi and Family Holiday Park cards were about $25.

You can cover this with the cost of your first booking as you can use the 10% off. So very often the card will pay for itself which means it doesn’t matter if you use it only once. Make sure to ask about this the very first time you book so you don’t miss out and then end up kicking yourself later down the road.

Discount cards are valid in both NZ and Australia. Top 10 is known as Big 4 Holiday Parks in OZ.

Top 10 Holiday Park Waitomo (Near the Glowworm Caves):

Bedding

In order to stay at a Holiday Park you are often going to have to provide your own bedding unless you are staying at a tourist flat or motel unit.

The park will provide bottom sheets and pillows.

Parks will rent bedding for $7-$8 per day per person which defeats the purpose of staying at the holiday park in the fist place.

We found a very cheap way to solve the problem of bedding. We purchased all our bedding at a second-hand store. Look for Hospice and Salvation Army. These are the big chain stores. We spent about $30 on bedding to cover the entire family and lasted us for 40 days!

Kitchenware

In a basic cabin without a kitchen, even though the kitchen is public, you will have to bring all your own kitchenware. If you book the kitchen or ensuite rooms kitchenware and cookware will be provided for you. Often you will also be provided with complimentary coffee, tea and sugar as well as an electric kettle to heat you water.

The best apps for finding holiday parks:

We have found one app on our phone to be particularly helpful and again the name is self-explanatory:

  1. Wait for it…. yes it is called Holiday Parks they also have a great website
  2. Also consider the less useful Jasons App
  3. Campee they also have a great website
  4. Australia: Experience Caravanning and camping: They also have a good website

Campfires and Smores

Very sad for most Americans I know, you are going to be hard-pressed to find a place for a campfire. We came across only one on our trip around all of New Zealand.

Overall Impression and Final Thoughts

I have been impressed by the cleanliness of shower and toilet blocks and the comprehensive facility on offer at all our Holiday Park stays.

Campgrounds are often in scenic locations and the management is always happy to assist with information on local attractions and sightseeing.

It is recommended to book ahead especially during the New Zealand school holidays in December and January to ensure a powered site.

If you are booking cabins, kitchen cabins or hotel accommodations at the holiday park you better book well in advance during busy season or on weekends.

For anyone looking for more than just a motel room, holiday parks provide a much better option with more of an outdoor environment.

There is quite a lot more on offer than just an old campground with rustic facilities.

After having traveled throughout the country using holiday parks we have found it extremely rare to find one that is not top quality for cleanliness and service!

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Hluhluwe-iMolozi Park

View Google Map stay in St. Lucia

*Insiders tip: Hluhluwe-iMolozi is Malaria free and very well priced which makes it a better option than Kruger for families with small children (in my opinion).

Today we took our long-awaited safari ride through Hluhluwe-iMolozi Park

If you don’t want the locals to give you a funny face, this is pronounced Schlew Schlewi. 

Although you can self drive the game park we chose Heritage Tours which was well worth the reasonable price (when compared to other options).

We stayed in the amazingly kid friendly St. Lucia at a reasonably priced self catering cottage called Stokkiesdraai.  There may be more impressive places to stay in St. Lucia, but when you look at the cost, location and size of the units, it was really hard to beat.

The Hluhluwe-iMolozi Game Park Safari with Heritage Tours

Hluhluwe-iMolozi Park Heritage Tours with Kids

The morning started early and we got our times mixed up but we were headed off to the park by 6AM.  Usually the safari starts out at 5 AM, it is a 1 hour ride to the park and this allows for the best viewing of the large cats: Tigers and Leopards.

We were the only ones on the safari drive which was wonderful because the kids could have full range of the tall truck and their attention span was able to be catered to as well as their stomachs and bathroom rights.

We were lucky because our guide John said they are busy year round going out everyday.  It just so happens the first two weeks of September is the low time for St Lucia.

We didn’t see any cats, not sure if this is because we lost that 1st hour in the morning or as John said sometimes as a cold front moves in the cats tend to not show up; just something he has noticed.

We did see their paw prints though as well as plenty of giraffe, white rhinos, wart hogs, impalas, Kudu, Zebras, hawks,  bumble bee eating bird, Eland (type of antelope; not related to deer), one elderly buffalo lying on the bank of the river and our last great encounter was three large male Elephants.

We and another truck had the pleasure of watching them pass through us as they walked down to the river bed.  Each on looked directly at us and flared their giant ears to show us who was boss.

The elephants at this park as to opposed to Addo Elephant Park are known to be much more aggressive so we kept our distance.  WildCrats  (a popular American animal show for kids) came in handy again and the kids were able to tell us all about the symbiotic relationship with the birds ( that sat on the backs of all the animals.

The White Rhino

IMG_4620-2Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park is most famous for their conservation efforts to bring back the black and white rhinos.

Every year thousands are poached for their large horn which can be worth well over $900,000 US.  John said if nothing was done about the demand for the horns themselves that they could go extinct in less than 20 years.

We had the honor of seeing these animals up close and they are so ancient looking and really defenseless against poachers.  They have very poor eyesight and this makes it easy for poachers to sneak up on them when the wind is just right.   The rangers are almost helpless in stopping this from happening.   They are unable to cover such a vast area of the parks and even if they do come upon them they are unable to fire unless fired upon.  John says they are becoming even more brazen and will come in during the day.

Choosing a Safari that is Good For Kids

We opted for the half day safari option which cost $278 for 2 adults and 2 children.

The half day safari was plenty.   The seating consisted of padded bench seats in the back of a pick-up designed to have upper viewing and the hood of the truck was cut out so our driver could communicate with us easily.  He was so knowledgeable and the roads are so laden with pot holes, and dirt roads, not to mention poor signage in the park.

Well worth the money to not go through the park in your own vehicle.

Enjoying the sun roof
Kids are happy
Elephants of Hluhluwe-iMolozi
A different tour company
Park entrance
Enjoying the ride
Giraffes in Hluhluwe-iMolozi
Hluhluwe-iMolozi after the controlled burn

If you’re debating between going to a private game reserve or visiting one of the smaller private game parks, you’ll have to weigh your options. 

If you want a guaranteed chance of seeing all of the big five,  a private game park such as Schotia Safari’s near The Addo Elephant Park will be your best bet.

If you want to see how the animals truly interact in a large ecosystem which is much less “touristy” then visit one of the larger game parks and take a multi-day walking safari. Keep in mind, this is not an option with small kids below the age of 12.

If you do choose to see the big five in a private game reserve,  my feeling now is don’t feel like this is unnatural.  All of South Africa’s big five are fenced in.   There is no such thing as a true African wildlife safari that we may have dreamed of as little children.  Humans have now overtaking their environment, yes, all of it.

The landscape was all control burned.   They do this every year in the spring before the summer rains.   This mimics the natural occurring fires.  The fire takes down all the brown vegetation and allows the green new vegetation/grasses to sprout again.  Only the green grasses provide enough protein for the animals.

Before the park was formed, naturally the animals would roam from one area to the next seeking out these green grasses. They are now in a 7 year drought and all the rivers are very low.