AUCKLAND: SOUTH AUCKLAND

The Freedom Camping Trial is now finished, and you can no longer stay at this location
The Council is presently reviewing their Freedom Camping Bylaw

The East Coast Road makes for a pleasant alternative drive from Auckland down to either Coromandel or the Bay of Plenty. It's also a motorhome friendly area, with a combination of free parking locations, really nice campsites, and some stunning Auckland Regional Parks to stay in.

Kaiaua, is a small community along the coast, where fishing is plentiful, and free overnight parking is available for self-contained motor caravanners. There is an excellent fish n chip shop, and the local garage will top you up with diesel if needed. You can also gather rock oysters at low tide.

We quite often drive down this way. Unfortuanately, on this occassion, the weather was not especially good for taking pictures. But we bought some fish n chips and enjoyed a picnic by the water, before continuing on back up the coast to Auckland.

UPDATE: 10-April-2016

We stopped overnight again in Kaiaua, and noticed that there was now a new Overnight Parking sign.

Also, the waterfront parking area, has now been designated for use only by boat trailers. So the picture below is no longer an option.

We took some more pictures before heading back to Auckland the following morning.