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Toddler friendly Camping - Taupo Region

Hi There. I would like some recommendations of camping sites in Taupo Region - somewhere that is toddler friendly.

I have a group of friends that are all keen to go camping (various types of tents and campers), all with under 5's, some from Auckland Region and some from Wellington Region (hence the idea of Taupo region - about the same travel time for all). I would love to hear about campsites that people have used or even small rental houses with a large lawn area where we could all camp (but use the facilities of the house) I'm also interested in DOC campsites - main thing we want to be sure of is a toilet & running water.

I am mainly interested in hearing of peoples personal experiences. I have looked into Top 10. Thanks in advance. Katy

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Permalink Reply by Zoe on February 7, 2010 at 8:05am: Hey Katy, I have only ever used the Top 10 in Taupo and it is a really nice site. Some of the ground is uneven in the "back" tent field, but it is still nice and the toilet and kitchen blocks are really clean. I would def recommend you going there :o); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Katy on February 15, 2010 at 5:19pm: Cool - thanks for the info Zoe - I'll definitely check it out. we'll probably give it a go in a couple of months. I'll post a note with how it goes : -); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Emily Strang on February 14, 2010 at 6:17pm: Have you googled it? or looked on DOC website, i grew up in taupo, so never really camped there, but there are some really cool spots, around the lake!!!!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Katy on February 18, 2010 at 8:39am: There don't appear to be official DOC spots around lake, however - sometimes there are unofficial ones that wouldn't be noted on the website. Yes, I have search on the internet, but there is very little in the way of personal experiences. Come on - give up that great local knowledge that you have : -)..... 'Really cool spots around the lake'.....where?.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Heather Goode on February 15, 2010 at 5:25pm: I have been to the Top 10 and it is pretty good although it is quite large and has a commercial feel about it. The pool isn't suitable for more than one to one with toddlers as there is no shallow end so you need to hold them. There is another one off spa road somewhere that is more rundown but is adequate (it was a long time ago that I went there). My favourite though was De Brett's. We did a chalet thing and it was more expensive but so lovely. Mountain and lake views, great playground for the kids, the hot pools right next door (additional charge) and a beautiful hotel next door that we ordered pizzas from and then ate them in our chalet. They were the best pizza's I've ever had. I checked the website and they have camping too. Make sure you look at the pool costs though as it wasn't cheap i recall. I'm jealous. I meet a friend from Auckland once a year and we sometimes do Taupo and sometimes Rotorua. I love Rotorua even more. Hope you have a great time.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Katy on February 18, 2010 at 8:45am: Hey that's cool - I would never have thought of De Bretts. "Run down but is adequate" sounds fine to me - I'm very excited, that's 3 options at least. Hubby is working weekends for a couple of months, however I will be posting details once we have been there. Thank you for that & keep em' coming!; ▶ Reply to This