Manapouri Holiday Park

Stunning location with spectacular views. great amenities when traveling with a camper van. Staff friendly and helpful. Easy walk to catch the Doubtful Sound cruise or to go to the Church for fish and chips. Walking trail just across the street makes for a beautiful way to explore the shoreline. Highly recommend.

Really nice campsite, very close to the lake and near Te Anau. Competent and attentive staff. Large green spaces for pitching your tent or parked your campervan. The communal kitchen is great. Beautiful spot for sunset also. I recommend it!

We were paying $80 a night for four people for an unpowered campsite. I (perhaps wrongly) expected that there would be allotted spaces since some were powered sites, but when you get there it is just choose your own site AKA messy chaos when it’s Christmas/New year. There are junky cars all over the place which I guess are supposed to be charming and part of the history of the park/area but realistically they were just annoying and cluttered up already difficult areas to find a site without hemming anyone else in and cutting off car access to all sorts of other campers; part of the park is literally just a dump. As it was we had to take down someone’s washing line just to drive back to our site because it had turned into a disorganised warren since we first parked up. There is a dodgy playground with a dangerous broken old trampoline so that’s kind of a bummer when you have kids. The kitchen is decent but pretty small for the amount of campers that the park was hosting; we had to come back several times to try and get a sink to wash dishes in and there is no zip hot water just one kettle that was in hot demand so we had to wait a while to get hot water. There were no tea towels at one point and no staff to notify so I had to sneak into the utility room myself to restock them. There was a tiny lounge area attached to the kitchen, just a weird windowless room packed full of people. The toilets and showers were same as the kitchens, decent but quite congested with the amount of people booked in to stay and they were always running out of paper. All in all I don’t really know if the open-concept idea is the best for a busy holiday park really! The little chalets and Swiss alps themed buildings were really cute though I did love them.

We showed up at 10pm after booking the site only an hour prior, and Sam was there to help us almost immediately after clicking the ring at the reception house. He was extremely helpful and made transitioning from a long 2-day backpacking trip to a comfortable and relaxing stay in their beautiful cottage. He also made checking out extremely easy. I highly recommend Manapouri Holiday Park for anyone looking to stay in the area!

Our stay in Manapouri started off a bit odd. There was no one at reception and when we pressed the Ring doorbell to call a staff member, they pulled up in their car to check us in then drove off right after they had given us the keys. The cabin we stayed at was pretty spacious and had its own dining table and sink. Since this was a holiday park type hostel, the bathrooms and kitchen were a short walk from our cabin. The kitchen was fairly large and had a few fridges available for use and there was a decent amount of dry storage space. Parking was available close to the cabin which was nice. The vibes at the holiday park felt a bit odd as there were old cars laying around the property—I think it’s meant to fit the holiday park’s aesthetic. The one that was a little bit creepy was the mannequin with a drawn on face sitting inside one of the old cars, which we encountered each time we needed to leave our cabin. The bathrooms were decent. No towels are offered, and the linens didn’t feel *completely* clean (as compared to other hostels I’ve stayed at). The price to stay here was pretty low, so you get what you pay for.

Unsafe and poorly managed, not suitable for families This was a very bad and unsafe experience for our family. We were given a “powered site” that did not appear to be a real or properly planned site. It seemed like an extra site added onto an area meant for fewer units, with no clear boundaries or organisation. The most serious issue was safety. Unsupervised children were roaming the campground. They threatened my children, saying they would shoot them if they did not listen. One boy then struck my child in the face with a toy gun. My child was upset and crying. No parents intervened, and adults nearby did not appear concerned. Loud country music continued late into the night and was still playing at 1am, making it impossible to rest. Staff were friendly at check-in but left later in the evening, with no visible supervision overnight. The playground equipment is also unsafe. Trampolines are old, damaged, and unfenced. My child nearly injured herself while using them. This campsite may suit long-term regulars who are familiar with the environment, but it is not suitable for travellers or families with children. I would not recommend staying here.

The worst holiday experience we had in all of New Zealand. Do not come near this place. The facilities are in very poor condition and poorly maintained. Everything is broken and dirty. The showers are filthy, the water is not hot, and the water pressure is extremely weak. We complained to reception about the dirty showers and toilets, but the staff member did nothing to address the issue. There is no guidance on where to park, which results in inconsiderate parking by guests. Simply don’t come here.

The stay was wonderful, and the comfort of our home lived up to our expectations. Clean, welcoming, with dedicated staff ready to help. We'll definitely be back! ;)