Awastone is Awesome!
Run by Tracie and her son Jack, Awastone is a River rafting/kayak/private campground family business going for three generations. The location was a perfect stop from Rotorua/Taupo on the way to Wellington on our road trip in New Zealand.
Tracie, Jack (River guide) and all their staff were so welcoming.
Our campsite was right on the Rangitikei River front. The view was amazing!
We chose the 1-1.5 hour guided River kayak tour with Jack. It was great fun and plenty of time to try for our first time. Kayaking started by the campsites so no wasted time driving to a put in. Tracie took pictures of us from a bridge right before she picked us up and took us back to the campsite. The frittata, desert and coffee afterward was excellent!
Campground has WiFi, hot showers, kitchen, laundry and private hot tub rental.
First off, you can no longer park at the car park lot at the trail start point from spring to Fall. Apparently the walk became so popular the town had to build a larger parking lot just outside of town and shuttle people to the trail. The shuttle cost as of November 2022 is $7NZ per person. Gary from Ireland is a great driver.
The walk path is paved until the very end which becomes gravel and wood stairs, about 80. Come prepared for a very hilly walk of about 1.5mi each way. Young and fit folks can walk it in about 30 min each way. The cove is very nice and the arched cave is great. Easy to walk inside at low tide. Not much to do at the cove but sight see. There is a rough toilet if you really need it!
We recommend for the nice pathway and great views.
Very cool (hot?) place. Bring a spade or two and dig a hole within a few feet of the very hot water to mix cool and hot water. Find the right spot and it’s perfect temperature water to enjoy. Keep digging though because the sand backfills your hole about as fast as you can dig. We went in the spring in the morning with cool air and warm water. Very nice. We recommend. It’s an easy walk from the nearby Top10 holiday park or park in one of two parking lots.
Great waterfront location outside Rotorua, but within walking distance of another small town. The very large lakefront sites offer wonderful lakefront camping. Kitchen and baths were clean and functional. While the facility is a bit dated, it’s very functional and well maintained. Overall a great value. We recommend.
Retired and closed
Nice location with water views and sites in a glade of old pines. Baths are fair to poor due to overall maintenance lacking. No one seems to be running the place. Electric and water are at three communal locations and your site may be up to 100+ feet from your electric. Sites are level but lack water/mud control like gravel or mulch. Fire rings and picnic tables had been moved all over the place. Trash cans were old and bottoms rusted out. Reviewed Sept 10, 2021. Weather was nice with low of 50 and high 70.