Camping
Campervan parking is limited in Auckland so if you have not booked a place to stay we strongly recommend that you do.
Alexandra Park have opened their facilities especially for the Lions Tour Supporters. More information and how to book can be found here.
Auckland Racing Club has also partnered with Auckland Tourism Events & Economic Development to deliver a pop-up campervan park on set nights between June 5-July10. For more information and how to book, visit the Ellerslie Event Centre website​.
You can also find out more about the Auckland Fanzones & Fan Trail on the ATEED website here​.
Day 1: Auckland–Waitomo
Stay: Waitomo Top 10 Holiday Park or Otorohanga Holiday Park
Enjoy an underground wonderland and visit the Waitomo Glowworm Caves – as an added bonus, the campervan driver goes free! Explore the three caves of Waitomo, Ruakuri or Aranui and their magical living light displays.
Days 2 and 3: Matamata–Tauranga
Stay: Silverbirch Holiday Park
On your second day, travel through lush pastures you may recognise as The Shire from Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. If you’re a Tolkein fan, the Hobbiton Movie Set is a must-do. The picturesque village is a permanent fixture of the landscape and a highlight for tourists to the area. Spend the night in Tauranga – a resort city and playground for lovers of watersports and activities. On Day 3, try the Scenic Lake McLaren Kayak Tour for a chance to get up-close with birdlife and native bush.
Day 4: Auckland British and Irish Lions Tour Test Game 1
Stay: Alexandra Park Campervan Parking (exclusive for rugby tour campervans)
Join your fellow Lions fans at the Lions Supporter Village before cheering on The British & Irish Lions against New Zealand in the first test at Eden Park in Auckland.
Days 5 and 6: Auckland–Rotorua
Stay: Blue Lake Top 10 Holiday Park
Head south-east again to New Zealand’s lively geothermal centre, Rotorua. Be sure to visit Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland to watch an active geyser erupt and see nature at its most raw with colourful geothermal pools and bubbling boiling mud.
The next day, visit Tamaki Maori Village for a cultural education and an unrivalled encounter with Maori traditions set in an ancient forest just outside of Rotorua.
Days 7 and 8: Rotorua–Taupo
Stay: Great Lake Taupo Holiday Park
A cruise is the only way to truly appreciate Lake Taupo and the 1.5-hour Scenic Lake Cruise is the perfect way to take it all in. For the truly adventurous, try a tandem skydive and take in a bird’s-eye view of this beautiful region!
Day 9: Taupo–Palmerston North–Martinborough
Stay: Coney Wines Winery Haven, Martinborough
Immerse yourself in rugby history with a visit to the New Zealand Rugby Museum in Palmerston North, then venture into wine country and enjoy an overnight stay at the Coney Wines maui Winery Haven. You’ll enjoy exclusive accommodation at the vineyard, plus a gourmet hamper for two and a bottle of wine.
Day 10: Wellington British and Irish Lions Tour Test Game 2
Stay: Evans Bay Marina Carpark
Enjoy the second test at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.
Day 11: Wellington
Stay:
Evans Bay Marina Carpark
Spend
some time exploring some of the many museums, art galleries or theatre
shows on offer in the country’s capital. Spend around an hour on a tour
of Te Papa or the Maori highlights tour.
Day 12: Wellington–Napier
Stay: Napier Beach Kiwi Holiday Park or Linden Estate Winery Haven
Explore this time capsule of the Art Deco era and then spend the night either beachside or at your second maui Winery Haven stay at Linden Estate – nestled into the slopes of Esk Valley hills.
Day 13: Napier–Ohope
Stay: Ohope Beach Top 10 Holiday Park
Ohope Beach was recently voted New Zealand’s Most Loved Beach by a nationwide AA travel poll, so this is a perfect destination for some picturesque camping.
Day 14: Ohope–Waihi
Stay: Waihi Beach Top 10 Holiday Park
Check out the new Gold Discovery Centre in Waihi and take a tour ‘inside the fence’ of the Martha Mine to witness the monumental process of gold and silver extraction.
Day 15: Waihi–Whitianga via Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove
Stay: Mercury Bay Holiday Park or Mercury Bay Winery Haven
Visit one of New Zealand’s most iconic beach spots Cathedral Cove for an unbeatable photo opportunity, and then pick up a shovel and head to Hot Water Beach. Thanks to underground hot springs you can dig yourself your own personal hot pool in the sand, lay back and relax.
Day 16: Whitianga–Coromandel Town
Stay: Coromandel Top 10 Holiday Park
This is where you’ll find postcard New Zealand: misty forests, pristine beaches and hundreds of hideaways for a quiet escape from the hustle and bustle.
Day 17: Coromandel Town–Miranda
Stay: Miranda Holiday Park
If you haven’t already had your fill of lazing about, visit the Miranda Hot Springs and rest your weary legs in the thermally heated mineral water pools.
Day 18: Auckland British and Irish Lions Tour Test Game 3
Stay: Orewa Beach Top 10 Holiday Park or Alexandra Park Campervan Parking (exclusive for rugby tour campervans)
Travel back to Auckland via Kawakawa Bay to enjoy a short, picturesque walking track before getting ready for the final test of the tour and then venturing into Northland!
Day 19: Auckland–Whangarei
Stay: Whangarei Top 10 Holiday Park
If you’re a beer aficionado, or simply love good music and an informal atmosphere, pay a visit to Brauhaus Frings in Whangarei. Alternatively, check out the various colonial style restaurants along the marina and pick up some souvenirs from the local craft shops.
Day 20: Whangarei–Russell–Paihia
Stay: Beachside Holiday Park
If you’re willing to walk for an incredible 360-degree view, you’ll want to summit Flagstaff Hill – there’s a 2.5km walking track loop from the town centre. Then take the ferry across to Paihia, where you can snorkel among the colourful sea life that inhabit the clear water of this relaxed town.
Day 21: Paihia–Dargaville
Stay: Orewa Beach Top 10 Holiday Park
It’s a fair drive back to Auckland so stopping in Dargaville can break up the distance. It’s still quite a drive, though, so be prepared. If you have time, explore the Kauri Coast for an encounter with the world’s oldest and largest kauri trees.