Whakapapa Holiday Park offers camping and lodging below the show fields of Mount Ruapehu in Tongariro National Park. The holiday park is conveniently located in Whakapapa Village right across from the national park visitor center and surrounded by several hiking tracks. Whakapapa Holiday Park is a serviced campground with a wide variety of accommodations, including car camping.
Whakapapa Holiday Park has 44 powered sites for campervans and RVs as well as 8 tent sites. Each powered site has its own power outlet and water spigot. The sites are separated by walls of vegetation that create privacy between each sites. While all the campsites are along a gravel road, it feels like they are individually cradled by the ferny beech tree forest. The sites are level, above the banks of Whakapapanui Stream and the sound of this large stream also helps to cancel out the noise from other campsites. Some sites (like #21) have views looking up the stream toward Mount Ruapehu that are quite nice. The fee for powered and non-powered sites is $21 per night per adult, $12 per night per child (ages 5-15) and free for younger children (prices are in New Zealand Dollars as of 2017).
Campers have access to communal bathrooms, laundry, and kitchen and dining facilities. There is also a dump station and cleaning bay. The laundry is coin operated, but the hot showers are free for campers (outsiders are charged). The kitchen has sinks, stoves, toasters, microwaves, and a boiling water source.
As with all campground and holiday parks, you are responsible for bringing your own food and cooking and eating utensils (the holiday park has a camp store, in case you need to pick up a bit more food). Dining tables are inside next to the kitchen and picnic tables are outside. A path next to the picnic area descends to Whakapapanui Stream, where there is a table (no chairs) next to the nice stream.
In addition to the campsites, this privately run holiday park also has a dormitory-style lodge and two types of cabins. The backpackers lodge has five rooms with 4 to 8 single bunk beds in each. There are communal toilets, showers, kitchen, and dining room. The lodge also has a lounge with a log fireplace and a television. A cot at the lodge is $28 per adult and $17 per child. Bedding is not included, so bring your own.
The cabins offer a mix of double and single beds that come with bottom sheets and pillows (guests are expected to bring the rest of the bedding). Staying at these cabins, you will use the communal facilities. On weekdays, the base price for the cabins is $76 for two people and on Friday and Saturday nights the rate goes up to $86 for the first two people. Additional guests are $22 per adult and $17 per child. The higher-end cabin accommodations are the self-contained units, which come with private kitchen (with stove and microwave), bathroom, and shower facilities. There is a dining area with a table and chairs and a living room with a couch and a television. The bedroom has a double bed and there are bunks to sleep two more in the living room. Bedding is included. On weekdays, the base price for the self-contained units is $109 for two people and on Friday and Saturday nights the rate goes up to $119 for the first two people. Additional guests are $22 per adult and $17 per child. All prices are in New Zealand Dollars as of 2017.
While staying at Whakapapa Holiday Park, if you hear an alarm signifying that there has been an eruption at Mount Ruapehu, it will be important to leave the campground quickly and head to an evacuation area farther above Whakapapanui Stream. Otherwise, relax and enjoy your stay.
Campsites and lodging can be reserved in advance. For more information or to make a reservation, visit whakapapa.net.nz, email whakapapaholpark@xtra.co.nz, or call (64) 7 892-3897.
Around Whakapapa Village, visitors can enjoy several walking tracks (hiking trails), including Silica Rapids Track, which begins alongside Whakapapa Holiday Park, as well as Taranaki Falls Track, Tawhai Falls Track, and Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
Directions: From Taupo, head south on State Highway 1 for about 50 kilometers to Turangi. Turn right on State Highway 41, drive 2.7 kilometers and turn left on State Highway 47. Take this road for 37 kilometers and turn left up State Highway 48 toward Whakapapa Village. Drive 6.4 km to Whakapapa Village. After you pass the chateau, the entrance to the holiday park is on the right across from the Tongariro National Park Visitor Center.
Address: State Highway 48, Tongariro National Park, Manawatu-Wanganui, 4691, New Zealand
Coordinates: -39.202217, 175.540283 (39° 12′ 07.98″S 175° 32′ 25.01″E)
Use the map below to get directions to the holiday park:
Or view New Zealand tracks, campgrounds, and lodging in a larger map
 | Silica Rapids This 5.15-kilometer point-to-point hike or 7.15 kilometer loop leaves from Whakapapa Village in Tongariro National Park and crosses alpine bogs, forests, streams, and ridges of volcanic rock to reach creamy cascades on silica terraces. |
 | Taranaki Falls This 6.45-kilometer loop crosses a variety of volcano-influenced landscapes to reach a beautiful 20-meter tall waterfall in Tongariro National Park. |
 | Tawhai Falls This 0.8-kilometer return hike visits a short but enticing single-drop waterfall near Whakapapa Village in Tongariro National Park. |
 | Tongariro Alpine Crossing This 19.4-kilometer long through-hike ventures across dynamic volcanic landscapes in Tongariro National Park and ranks among the world’s greatest day hikes. |
 | Lake Rotopounamu This 6.4-kilometer loop visits tranquil beaches on a forest-wrapped lake in Tongariro National Park. |
 | Mangawhero Falls This easy 0.3-kilometer hike leads to a viewpoint for a 25-meter tall waterfall below Mount Ruapehu in Tongariro National Park. |
 | Waitonga Falls This 4-kilometer return hike reaches Tongariro National Park’s tallest waterfall and passes through an alpine wetland that reflect views of Mount Ruapehu. |
 | Lake Rotokura This 2-kilometer return hike reaches a peaceful blue lake that reflects a view of Mount Ruapehu, the tallest mountain in the North Island. |
 | More trails in New Zealand Explore other destinations for walking and hiking (as well camping and lodging) in New Zealand. |
 | Mangawhero Campground This campground in Tongariro National Park near Ohakuna, New Zealand has twelves sites on two loops with views of Mount Ruapehu. |
 | Whakaipo Lodge This lodge near Lake Taupo blends comfort with luxury and has welcoming owners who can help you take advantage of the area’s abundant outdoor opportunities. |