Urupukapuka Bay campsite
Alert/Important notice
Major upgrade of visitor facilities on Urupukapuka Island in progress
Urupukapuka Bay campsite is open, but all tracks on the southern end of the island, and Sunset and Cable Bay campsites are closed from Monday 13 March 2012 until further notice.
Campsite category
Standard
Facilities
Water from tap
Toilets
Showers (cold)
Fees
$8.10 adult/night, $2.00 child/night (5 - 17 years).
Booking
You must book your campsite.
Book via the online booking system. Before you book, read the terms and conditions.
Urupukapuka Bay is a popular campsite. Please give others a chance to stay here, and only book one site per tent.
Campsite details
Urupukapuka Bay
Urupukapuka Bay is one of three campsites on Urupukapuka Island and has room for about 280 people or about 70 tent sites.
When you make a booking, you can choose your campsite location from 4 distinct camping areas (pods). This helps to make your stay at the campground more enjoyable as campsites are distributed evenly along the beach front.
Sites
The campground map shows the locations of the pods through differently coloured outlines. There are 3 larger pods - called the Oystercatcher, NZ dotterel, and Kukupa - and a smaller pod, the Cattle yard.
- Oyster Catcher Pod: 80 people/20 available tent spaces
- NZ Dotterel Pod: 80 people/20 available tent spaces
- Kukupa Pod: 80 people/20 available tent spaces
- Cattle Yard Pod: 40 people/10 available tent spaces
Setting up your site
Please set up your site so that the mess/gazebo/cooking area is located on the back part of your site with the accommodation at the front.
Location
Urupukapuka Bay campsite is the eastern-most campground on Urupukapuka Island. Urupukapuka is the largest of seven islands in the eastern Bay of Islands on Northland's east coast, approx. 230 km north of Auckland.
Getting there
Urupukapuka Island can only be reached by boat. There is no vehicle access to the island.
Private boats can leave from ramps in the eastern bays: Kaimarama or Te Uenga bays - 30-45 min from Russell. Take the Russell then Manawaora and Rawhiti roads.
You can catch passenger vessels from Paihia or Russell. Tourist cruise boats dock at the island's only wharf at Otehei Bay.
You can hire water taxis from Paihia and Russell and be dropped off off at various bays around the island.
Water taxi and cruise boat bookings can be made through the Russell Booking & Information Centre: http://russellinfo.co.nz
If you are dropped off at Otehei Bay wharf, walk 15 min east along the marked Otehei Bay track, to the top of the hill. From there you can see the Urupukapuka Bay campground.
Grid reference: NZTM2000, E1712349-N6101051
Notes
Urupukapuka Bay
Camp host is on-site from 22 December to 20 January each season.
Do's
- There are no cooking facilities - please use liquid or LPG only (no solid fuel cooking facilities allowed)
- No rubbish is collected so please remember that whatever you bring in, you take out
Don'ts
- No dogs
- No fires or fireplaces
- No fireworks
Activities
Bird and wildlife watching
Child/family friendly activities
Diving and snorkelling
Historic sites
Urupukapuka Island is a great place for relaxing, fishing, snorkelling, sea-kayaking, swimming and all types of water sports. Otehei Bay has an open-air restaurant.
You can base yourself at Urupukapuka to explore the surrounding islands.
Visit the Urupukapuka Island Archaeological Walk with on-site interpretation signs around the island.
Plan and prepare
Please study the 'Getting there' information carefully.
Urupukapuka Island is now rodent free and Argentine ant free. It is very important to check your bags, food stores, tents and tarps for any rat, mice or ant infestation prior to arrival on the islands.
Before travelling to Urupukapuka Island, find out how you can help keep the island pest-free in the island visit information pack.