Freedom camping in New Zealand
Wake up by a beach, a lake or a mountain for free. All our campervans are self-contained certified to the new Green standard, so you can freedom camp legally across New Zealand.
What changed on 7 June 2026
New Zealand now has one national system for self-contained vehicles. Since 7 June 2026, only vehicles with a green warrant count as self-contained, and old blue warrants are no longer valid.
What the Green standard needs
To be certified, a vehicle must be able to hold its water and waste for several days without using public facilities:
- A toilet permanently fixed inside the vehicle
- A fresh water tank
- A sink that drains into a wastewater collection or tank
- Wastewater storage for grey and toilet water
- A sealed rubbish container
Green warrant: all our vans
- Recognised by councils and DOC across New Zealand
- Fixed toilet, fresh water, and wastewater collection or tank
- Valid for up to 4 years, with the warrant card shown in the van
Where you can stay
Apps like CamperMate and Rankers show free and low-cost spots, dump stations and the rules at each site.
Freedom camping spots
Many council and DOC sites allow certified self-contained vehicles. Always follow the local signs and council rules: some areas ban camping, and many limit how many nights you can stay.
DOC campsites
The Department of Conservation runs low-cost campsites in beautiful spots. A DOC Campsite Pass costs $295 per adult for 365 nights (up to 7 nights at one campsite in any 30 days).
Holiday parks
They cost more, but you get hot showers, kitchens, laundry and power. A good choice every few days.
Check the rules where you are going
Freedom camping is not one national rulebook. Each district council decides where you may stay on its land, for how many nights, and where you may not stay at all, and the Department of Conservation sets its own rules again on the land it looks after. A green warrant gets you into the game almost everywhere, but it does not override a local sign. Pick your region below for a note on what to expect and a direct link to the council pages that list the actual sites and limits. Fines start at $400 under the Freedom Camping Act, and some councils charge more on their reserves, so it is worth the two minutes.
Region boundaries from OpenStreetMap contributors.
Northland
Beach and harbour reserves are the draw, and the approved sites are signposted. The Far North keeps overnight camping off its parks, reserves and beaches and asks you to use one of its seven approved free sites instead.
Auckland
One bylaw covers most council land and roadsides, and the council publishes a list of the prohibited and restricted sites. Reserves and regional parks are out, and Waiheke Island has its own stay limit and a no-return period.
Waikato and Coromandel
Eight councils share this region, so the rules change as you drive. On Thames-Coromandel land you need a certified self-contained vehicle, camping runs 5pm to 9am, and two consecutive nights is the limit unless a sign says otherwise. Matamata-Piako allows four nights a month per site and no return within 500 metres.
Bay of Plenty
Tauranga is more open than you might expect: certified self-contained vehicles may stay at around 25 council reserves, two nights per location per calendar month, with a published list of the places that are off limits. The other four councils each run their own bylaw.
Gisborne and East Cape
One council covers the whole region, which makes it simpler to check. Its bylaw sets out the prohibited and restricted areas, and some coastal sites run on a paid summer permit. The East Cape road is slow and remote, so plan your nights.
Hawke's Bay
Four councils, each with its own rules. Hastings sets aside overnight parking for certified self-contained vehicles, Napier publishes its own sites, and Central Hawke's Bay has an interactive map of where camping is allowed, restricted or prohibited. Some popular beaches run a summer ballot.
Taranaki
New Plymouth allows certified self-contained vehicles up to three nights in any 30 days outside its banned areas, with a map to check, and keeps a couple of marked sites for vehicles that are not certified. Tents are banned on public land across the district.
Manawatu-Whanganui
Quieter country than the coasts either side of it, and a good way to break the drive to the central plateau. Whanganui caps stays at four nights in four weeks and names its sites; Palmerston North allows three consecutive nights for certified vehicles at Ahimate Reserve.
Wellington and Wairarapa
Space is tight in the city and most of it is prohibited, so the Kapiti Coast and the Wairarapa are the easier end of the region. If you have an early ferry, sort the night before rather than chance a city carpark.
Marlborough
One council for the whole region, with designated sites around Picton, Blenheim and the Sounds. Worth picking your first night before you drive off the ferry, because the Sounds roads are narrow and slow in the dark.
Nelson Tasman
Abel Tasman, Golden Bay and the Nelson Lakes are popular and closely managed, so the free sites are few and often full in January. Nelson replaced its old bylaw with a Responsible Camping Bylaw in 2025, so check the current page rather than an old guide.
West Coast
The easiest coast in the country for a self-contained van, with DOC and community sites strung out between Karamea and Haast and far less competition for them. Westland points freedom campers at a short list of community-run sites and keeps its reserves closed to camping. Take insect repellent.
Canterbury and Mackenzie
Nine councils, from Kaikoura down to Waitaki. Christchurch has its own bylaw and map. The Mackenzie Basin is tight and actively enforced: Tekapo township and Aoraki Mount Cook National Park are prohibited, and the legal sites, such as The Pines at Lake Pukaki and Lake Wardell at Twizel, take certified vehicles only, three nights at most. Timaru District has no bylaw of its own, so the national rules apply there.
Otago and Queenstown
Queenstown Lakes is the tightest district in the country: certified self-contained vehicles only, a short list of designated carparks across the whole district, nothing in the urban areas, and fines from $400. Dunedin is more relaxed, with two consecutive nights allowed on most council parking land outside the prohibited peninsula zones. Waitaki allows three nights in four weeks.
Southland and Fiordland
Most Southland towns have a designated site, and the council allows camping on some of its reserves. The Catlins, the Southern Scenic Route and the Milford road have good options, but there is no freedom camping at Milford Sound itself, so stay back down the valley and drive in early.
Camp responsibly
Freedom camping depends on travellers looking after these places. When you camp, always:
- Use toilets: your van’s toilet or public toilets, never the bush or waterways
- Only empty wastewater at approved dump stations
- Take all your rubbish with you, or dispose of it properly
- Leave no trace of your visit
- Keep soap, detergent and toothpaste out of streams and lakes
- Respect private land and “No Camping” signs
Freedom camp in your own van
Buy a Green certified self-contained campervan with a guaranteed buy-back price.