Kerr Bay Campsite

Notice

Check the DOC website for current alerts and conditions before you go. This site gets current alert info from DOC, but is not an official source of information.

About: Kerr Bay Campsite is next to Lake Rotoiti, surrounded by beech forest, with a boat launching ramp nearby.
Facilities: Boat launching
Cookers/electric stove
Dump station
Non-powered/tent sites
Powered sites
Shelter for cooking
Shower - hot
Toilets - flush
Water from tap - not treated, boil before use
Wheelchair accessible
Toilets
Water supply
Activities: Bird and wildlife watching, Boating, Fishing, Kayaking and canoeing, Mountain biking, Swimming, Walking and tramping
Dogs: No dogs.
Landscape: Forest, Rivers and lakes
Access: Campervan, Car, Caravan
Powered sites: 10
Unpowered sites: 15

About this campsite

Kerr Bay Campsite is 500 metres from the St Arnaud village shop.

The campground is open all year around. Bookings are required all year.

Campsite zones

There are six camping zones, each with varying numbers of sites.

Powered Sites with hardened surfaces:

Bellbird
Fantail
Robin, and
Tui zone.

Grassy zone suitable for tents:

Kaka zone.

Kiwi sites are suitable for campervans and provide a gravel surface with some grass around the sites.

Facilities and services

A day shelter provides kitchen and cooking facilities – no pots, pans, cutlery.

The ablution block has:

hot showers that are token operated. You can get tokens from the Visitor Centre during open hours.
toilets
full access shower/toilet, and
washing machine and clothes dryer.

There is a sewage dump station opposite the cooking shelter.

Fees and bookings

Fees

19 October to 30 April

Non-powered site

Adult (18+ years): $27 per night
Child (5 - 17 years): $13.50 per night
Infant (0 - 4 years): free

Powered site

Adult (18+ years): $30 per night
Child (5 - 17 years): $15 per night
Infant (0 - 4 years): free

1 July to 18 October and 1 May to 30 June

Non-powered site

Adult (18+ years): $25 per night
Child (5 - 17 years): $12.50 per night
Infant (0 - 4 years): free

Powered site

Adult (18+ years): $27 per night
Child (5 - 17 years): $13.50 per night
Infant (0 - 4 years): free

Additional fees

Tokens are required for hot showers from either the camp host (when on site) or from the visitor centre during opening hours only.

Passes

The DOC Campsite Pass can be used at this campsite except between 19 October to 30 April inclusive.

Campsite Pass bookings must be booked online before occupying a site. If you do not book, bookings may be made by a visitor centre and will incur a $10 service charge.

There's a $3 fee per Campsite Pass user to book a powered site.

Te Araroa – The Trail Pass

Te Araroa Trail walkers should register and purchase the Te Araroa Trail Pass.

Bookings

Bookings are open for stays up to 30 June 2027.

If no availability shows online for your dates, the campsite is fully booked.
No spaces are kept for campers arriving without a booking.
Phone and in‑person bookings made at a visitor centre incur a $10 service fee.
Same‑day bookings are available online until 8 pm if spaces remain.

Book well in advance for the Christmas holiday period, classic boat show and powerboat regatta weekends, and Easter.

Book Kerr Bay campsite online.

Your booking will be for a site, which will be allocated or selected on arrival.

Getting there

The campsite is located beside Lake Rotoiti, Kerr Bay just off SH63 on Kerr Bay Road. The site is not suitable for vehicles greater than 7 m in length.

The campsite is near the St Arnaud township, which is 1 hour 30 minutes by road from Nelson or Blenheim.

Location

NZTM2000 coordinates: E1587370, N5371777
Latitude: -41.80577, Longitude: 172.84795

Know before you go

Campsite rules

The camp is within Nelson Lakes National Park, park by-laws apply.
No domestic pets are allowed.
Sites must be vacated by 10 am on the day of departure.
Speed limit in the camping areas is 5 km/hr.
No loud noise after 10 pm.
No fires.
Jet skis are prohibited.

The management reserves the right to cancel tenancy at any time if park by-laws or these regulations are contravened and under such circumstances will not refund any fees paid in advance.

Rubbish and recycling

Nelson Lakes National Park is reducing waste to be more sustainable and has a ‘pack-in, pack-out’ policy. Take your rubbish and recycling with you.

Kerr Bay and West Bay campsites at Lake Rotoiti have no rubbish or recycling.

Waste transfer stations are located at the following centres:

Murchison – 41 Matakitaki West Bank Road, Murchison 7077
Richmond – 14 Fittal Street, Richmond, 7020
Blenheim – Wither Road Extension, Blenheim 7201

No drones

Flying a drone without a permit is strictly prohibited.

Drone use on conservation land

Activities

Services offered at the Visitor Centre include walk and tramping information, maps, hut bookings and tickets, fishing licences and retail sales. Interpretive displays explain the landforms, history and wildlife of the area.