CAMPING THE KIWI WAY

Bulls, February 2025

No matter which direction you are coming to Camp Fest from, there are many worthwhile, interesting places to explore and enjoy. North, South, East or West, or just a short distance from the Camp Fest venue there are some great opportunities to take a break and check out something a bit different.

The township of Bulls is situated in the lower North Island approximately halfway between the majestic Mount Ruapehu (below) and Wellington (ckw.nz/bulls). It forms a junction between State Highways 1 and 3 where travellers’ paths from all directions cross. What better place for NZ’s national camping club, the All Points Camping Club of NZ, to host the third Camp Fest? An affordable, inclusive, family-friendly event for all types of campers. Read about Camp Fest

In this article I cover some special places to check out on your travels plus some great places to stay.

N is for North 

Heading toward Bulls from the central plateau, make a benefit of the Desert Road closure (Jan 6 to end of Feb) to take a night at National Park, then give the kids a break at the Ohakune Carrot Adventure Park and indulge in an Ohakune chocolate eclair, before heading on to the Waiouru Army Museum back on SH1. (ckw.nz/waiouru-museum and more).

The museum is a great place to stop. The museum holds records of past military personnel with very helpful staff to help you with information. It’s a good, safe place to park overnight with the caravan or motorhome.

A bit further down the highway, stop at Taihape’s giant gumboot and take a walk up to the Mount Stewart lookout (ckw.nz/mt-stewart). This comes highly recommended by travellers.

Travel south a bit more to Mangaweka and with two riverside campgrounds (mangaweka.co.nz/camp)……or go a bit further to the Flat Hills Cafe and Tourist Park (ckw.nz/flat-hills). With some of the best custard squares in the country, a challenging adult maze, animals, children’s playground and overnight camping this is one stop you will want to come back to. 

If you are into bushwalks taking a brief detour to the Whitecliffs Boulders may interest you (whitecliffsboulders.co.nz). 

Just north of Hunterville you can camp at the popular Vinegar Hill Reserve (ckw.nz/vinegar-hill, below). 

Continuing on this side road will give you scenic views as you meander across hills and valleys to Feilding or you may wish to continue down SH1 to Bulls.

S is for South

If beaches are your thing start with a night at the Otaki River mouth, and the Foxton and Himatangi beaches are worth a visit. There are several campgrounds to choose from.

Both the De Molen Windmill (foxtonwindmill.co.nz), Oranjehof, Dutch Connection Centre oranjehof.org.nz and Off the Loop water park (offtheloop.nz) are worth checking out.

Heading up SH1, the Waireka Honey shop has tasty honey blended ice cream and wines with a wide range of homely and beeswax products (wairekahoney.co.nz). It’s a chance to pull off the highway and catch your breath before heading up to Sanson and the Bulls Camp Fest.

E is for East 

Heading towards Camp Fest from the East, Dannevirke Holiday Park is set in a tranquil hollow surrounded by native bush (ckw.nz/dannevirke, more). It’s close to the community pool, deer enclosure and bird aviaries. The native bush theme continues with Ferry Reserve, for camping at the base of the Tararua Ranges by the Manawatu River with easy access to the Manawatu Gorge bushwalks (ckw.nz/ferry-reserve).

Once you have travelled over the Saddle Road, past the windmills, Ashhurst gives you the chance to stop over at the Ashhurst Domain (ckw.nz/ashhurst-domain) for the night or choose one of the many routes to Bulls. The most scenic, but longer route would be to head through the Pohangina Valley. Stopping at the Tōtara Reserve Regional Park (totarareserveregionalpark.co.nz) and campground or carrying on to Apiti and Kimbolton. Both towns have facilities and reserves for freedom camping.

The more direct route to Bulls will take you through Feilding, to the Coachhouse Museum (coachhousemuseum.nz), which would have to rate as one of the best-maintained collections of NZ’s farming history in all of NZ. If you have a self-contained vehicle you can stay here overnight for a small donation. A very popular parkover location is Timona Park, adjacent to the Ōroua River and walkway.

Whether coming from east or south two ‘must do’s’ in Sanson are Viv’s kitchen (vivskitchen.co.nz) with it’s famous cream horns and just adjacent to it, the Retro America store (retroamerica.co.nz).

W is for West

If you are travelling from Taranaki or Whanganui on your way to Camp Fest there are campgrounds and free camps in Hawera, and two lakeside campgrounds that are worth considering, Lakelands Holiday Park (lakelands.co.nz) and Dudding Lake (duddinglake.nz) as well as the small coastal campground of Koitiata (koitiata.nz).

Camp Fest in Bulls

The Camp Fest venue offers a large open area for parking of caravans and motorhomes with a tree lined glade for those with tents or small camping units. See p 31 for more. Arrive on the Friday if possible to enjoy the full range of activities over the weekend. All the local shops are within an easy walk.

The Bulls River was a major hurdle to cross for early settlers and travellers and Scotts Ferry operated down-river near the coast. There is a small low-cost community campground at the heritage site of Scotts Ferry (ckw.nz/scotts-ferry) just a short drive from the town.

Bulls is in the Rangitikei District which does not have a freedom camping bylaw, so you can park where it is safe to do so, but be aware of your surroundings, other people, litter, and comply with other bylaws and laws. 

We hope you enjoy your travels to Camp Fest in Bulls in February 2025 and look forward to seeing you there. ◊

Images: © remains with the organisations/businesses and photographers.

Read about Camp Fest

The Camp Fest website: campfestnz.org