Camping in Wellington

Self-contained campervans

Overnight parking in Wellington

If you arrive after 4pm in our peak season, November to April, you will probably find our campgrounds are already full. You need to make arrangements to stay at a facility in the Wellington region. See Campermate app for availability.

Barnett Street Car Park on the Wellington Waterfront is available to freedom campers with self-contained vehicles, $30.00 per 24hours.

Note: Because this area is used by the Harbourside Market on Sunday mornings, you can't park at Barnett St carpark overnight on a Saturday. 

Full-service campervan parks in Wellington

If you need a serviced motorhome carpark in Wellington, visit:

• Capital Gateway Motorhome Park, 1 Newlands Road
• Cuba Street Motorhome Park, 25 Garrett Street (electricity only)

Freedom camping

Restricted camping on public land is allowed in Wellington City for self-contained campervans at the following two sites:

• Southern end of the Marina car park at Evans Bay (271KB PDF)
• Te Kopahou Reserve entrance car park at Te Kopahou Reserve (274KB PDF)
  Note:
  Fishing, gathering and harvesting is prohibited at Te Kopahou Reserve.
  Watch for extreme weather. This area often has high winds so make sure you secure your rubbish and belongings so they don't get blown around.

Freedom camping restrictions

• You can camp at either of these sites for a maximum of four nights in any single calendar month. If you stay longer, you can be fined.
• Make sure you only park within the areas designated for self-contained campervans.
• These sites are not suitable for tents.

Public dump stations

Wellington's purpose-built stations for responsible disposal of waste and sewage are located at Evans Bay Marina and at Ngaraunga Gorge.

Find a public dump station

Places you can't camp

Reserves

Camping is not permitted in Wellington's reserves, including the Town Belt.

Along the coast, this includes:

• Balaena Bay
• Dorrie Leslie Park
• Moa Point
• Princess Bay
• Tarakena Bay
• Wahine Park

Wellington City

See these maps of other areas in Wellington city centre where camping is prohibited.

Fines

Freedom camping offences may be subject to an infringement notice (Section 27(6), Freedom Camping Act 2011) and fee of $200.

What to do if you receive a fine

If you receive an infringement notice from an Enforcement Officer, you can pay the fee online using your credit card (use the Camping payment type) or at the Wellington City Council Service Centre, 12 Manners Street, Wellington.

Camping outside the city

The following sites are between 20km and 50km from Wellington City and include options for those camping in tents as well as for campervans:

Hutt Valley

• Camping - Battle Hill - Greater Wellington
• Camping - Belmont Park - Greater Wellington
• Camping - Kaitoke Regional Park - Greater Wellington
• Harcourt Holiday Park, 45 Akatarawa Road, Upper Hutt
• Kiwi Holiday Park, 45 Akatarawa Road, Upper Hutt
• Top 10 Holiday Park, 95 Hutt Park Road.

Kapiti

• Kapiti Holiday Resort, 16 Beach Haven Place, Paraparaumu Beach, Kapiti

Porirua

• Camp Elsdon, 18 Raiha Street, Elsdon, Porirua

Free overnight campervan parking in Porirua

You can park your campervan overnight for free at four sites in Porirua, about 20km outside Wellington:
Overnight campervan parking - Porirua City Council