Waiwhenua Farmstay and River Side Park

28/08/2024

Does a week’s working holiday at our piece of paradise, Waiwhenua River Side Park, sound like a bit of you?!

We are after someone who has their own camper / caravan / tent and has handyman skills to help us do some finishing touches before we re-open Labour Weekend, in October. Our bush kitchen, hot water showers and flushing toilets are back in working order, so it's camping but with home comforts after a day's work!

The ‘To Do List’ includes things like:
- Repairing steps
- Weeding around natives
- Repair fencing etc.

It's been a long road recovering from Cyclone Gabrielle! We are excited to have it back in a good enough state to share with others.

Get in touch with Ainsley for more information or to express your interest!
E - [email protected]
Ph - +64 27 228 8138

Feel free to share this post around! ⛺️

02/07/2024

You people are organised! Lots of bookings coming in for over the summer months 🌞

We are looking forward to catching up with returning campers and meeting new ones!

Book your stay by following the link 👇

Waiwhenua River Park offers space for tenting, campervans and caravans. See our non-powered and powered options here!

22/05/2024

Anyone else feeling the winter blues today?!

Here's something to cheer you up.. you can now plan your summer camping trip at Waiwhenua River Side Park!!

Things look a little different around here post-cyclone. Unfortunately, we no longer have the Glamping Tent or River Cabin to offer, but we do have plenty of space for tents, caravans, & campervans!

Bookings are available from 22nd October 2024 - just in time for the long weekend of Hawke's Bay anniversary & Labour Day.

Follow the link below to secure your piece of camping paradise 🌞

Book your little piece of paradise now! Full facility & limited facility camping available, plus 2 x powered sites.

15/12/2023

It’s not as inviting as the lawn we once had.. but it’s 100% better than silt! 🌱

24/10/2023

While Waiwhenua River Side Park may be out of action for now, our farming business is still all go!

We have a small write up in Business Rural North Summer 2023. Check out what has been keeping us busy on page 60 - link below 👇

Bordering a predator proof fence has its benefits and its downsides and fortunately the benefits outweigh the negative for Robert and Jane Brown of Rukumoana Farms. When you have had an association with buying sheep since the age of 9, you know what goes into making a great sheep breed. Such is the....

24/08/2023

Things are starting to look a bit greener around here!

We were lucky enough to receive these donated harakeke distributed by Between The Two Rivers catchment group, on behalf of Te Awa o te Atua - a special reserve run by HDC. 🌱

26/07/2023

An afternoon spent making the most of the nice(ish) weather and getting some natives planted! 🌱

15/06/2023

For all you keen campers itching to get back to Waiwhenua, we are making progress!

A massive thank you to our local contractor, Jamie Roil for being a whizz on the digger. We now have a new access through the poplar trees, all the silt is leveled out and ready for a new lawn, and we have a new stop bank!

Stay tuned ⛺️

13/03/2023

A massive THANK YOU to everyone who turned up on Saturday to help us start the River Park clean up!! The generosity of people around us has been truly amazing.

Stay tuned for progress updates! 🏕️

10/03/2023

**IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT TOMORROW'S WORKING BEE**

Start time from 10am!

BYO shovel

Food and drinks provided

2WD vehicles - park at big shed on the laneway and call Ainsley on 027 228 8138 to be picked up or catch a ride down with someone in a 4WD

4WD vehicles - park at the last gate before the campground

Any questions, feel free to contact Ainsley at anytime!

02/03/2023

Finally some sunshine for the Hawke's Bay!

The silt has dried up enough that we can get stuck in down at the campground for some much needed clean up.

Our aim is to salvage whatever we can, strip the wet interior out of the cabin, and clean all the silt out from inside and around the ablution block. We know everyone is busy and impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle in their own lives, but if you wanted to lead a hand we would certainly appreciate it!

Gabby was kind enough to leave us the bush kitchen and pizza oven so we will have that in full swing for tasty pizza's afterwards!

Saturday 11th March 2023 from 10am
800 River Road, Waiwhare
Please park at the bottom gate and walk the rest of the way
BYO shovel

Hopefully see you there! 🙌

Photo: What was once a glamping tent..

18/02/2023

Power has just been restored at our place so we now have wifi! We thought we would share our devastating reality with you all, as it is fair to say, we will not have a campground to share with you for quite some time.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years! Hopefully we can create a new space for you to enjoy some day.

Our love goes out to those who have been affected by Gabby in any way - kia kaha.

15/02/2023

Cyclone Gabrielle has swept through our beautiful part of the world, leaving great devastation in her wake.

Our wee campground has been completely consumed by the flood waters of the Tutaekuri, we think.. We still haven't been able to access it to assess the extent of the damage, therefore, we are closed until further notice 😢

Thank you to everyone for the emails and messages of support.

Stay safe everyone!

24/12/2022

The Waiwhenua family wishing everyone a safe and happy Christmas! It seems the weather is trying to be on Santa's naughty list..

21/12/2022

A massive thank you to Larissa from Riparide and her whānau for staying with us earlier in the season! Check out Larissa's story by clicking the link below.

We love sharing our unique place with people, and hearing of their adventures while staying at Waiwhenua River Side Park!

https://www.riparide.com/stories/1583-camping-yes-roughing-it-no

21/11/2022

The river is still a little chilly thanks to the deluge of rain we have had recently - luckily the Bush Baths are available to soak in instead!

www.waiwhenua.co.nz

15/11/2022

With the abundance of Kanuka on our property, it'd be rude not to have Kanuka - smoked pizzas! Our Sunday arvo was spent filling the Bush Kitchen woodshed up, then treating ourselves to some tasty pizza 🍕

www.waiwhenua.co.nz

29/09/2022

You can't beat a beautiful spring day at Waiwhenua!

We are open from this weekend onwards. Perfect timing to take the kids on a camping trip during their school holidays!

www.waiwhenua.co.nz