Camping in Queenstown: Holiday Parks and Lakeside DOC Camping

Overview

Queenstown is one of New Zealand's busiest places to camp, and the cheapest options fill quickly in summer. You have three main choices:

• a holiday park in or near town
• the big DOC campsite at Twelve Mile Delta on the Glenorchy road
• a base in the Wānaka area, about an hour away over the Crown Range

Queenstown TOP 10 (Arthurs Point)

Queenstown TOP 10 is a Superior park at Arthurs Point, 7 km from central Queenstown and 14 km from the airport.

• A free shuttle runs into town, so you can leave the car behind.
• Hot tub ($15 for up to 4 people for 30 minutes), EV chargers, a dump station and free unlimited WiFi.
• Bring a power lead for powered sites and your own cooking utensils, or hire a kitchen pack.
• Pets only at certain times of year, with the managers' permission arranged before arrival.

Twelve Mile Delta Campsite (DOC)

Twelve Mile Delta is a Standard DOC campsite on a river delta at the edge of Lake Wakatipu, 12 km west of Queenstown on Glenorchy Road.

It was the Ithilien Camp location in the Lord of the Rings films. DOC recommends not camping under the trees, and fires are banned. The Twelve Mile to Bob's Cove Track and Mt Crichton Loop Track start nearby.

Staying in town

Hampshire's Queenstown Lakeview park is about a 2-minute walk from central Queenstown and overlooks Lake Wakatipu. It's the option to choose if you want to walk everywhere. See our Hampshire Holiday Parks guide.

Near Wānaka

Glendhu Bay Holiday Park is right on Lake Wānaka, about 5 minutes from the Roys Peak track. Its peak-season pet ban runs from 20 December until after Waitangi weekend.

Freedom camping around Queenstown

Queenstown Lakes District Council sets its own rules on where you can camp in a vehicle. In general, vehicle camping on council land needs a certified self-contained vehicle with a green warrant. Read our freedom camping guide for the national rules, then check the council's maps.

Walks from camp

• Ben Lomond Track from town via the Tiki Trail or the Skyline Gondola
• Queenstown Trail for cycling around the lakes and rivers
• Roys Peak and Rob Roy Track from Wānaka

See our Queenstown city guide for more.

Sources

• TOP 10 Holiday Parks: Queenstown TOP 10 page
• Department of Conservation: Twelve Mile Delta Campsite
• Hampshire Holiday Parks: Glendhu Bay; Holiday Parks New Zealand listing for Queenstown Lakeview