Castlepoint Holiday Park & Motels

Castlepoint Holiday Park is the only game in town if you want to wake up with New Zealand’s most iconic lighthouse view, but you need to respect the weather here. Located on the Wairarapa coast about 50 minutes east of Masterton, this park sits directly across the road from the famous reef and lagoon. The Dad Warning: Castlepoint is legendary for its wind. It is beautiful, but it can blow a gale that will turn a cheap gazebo into a kite in seconds. Use your storm guys and heavy-duty sand pegs. The park itself is a classic Kiwi setup with powered and unpowered sites that are tiered to maximise views, though space can be tight in summer. The massive selling point for families is the Lagoon. While the open ocean here is rough and wild, the lagoon is shallow, calm, and perfectly safe for toddlers and paddleboards. Amenities are solid with decent communal kitchens and hot showers, but come prepared with food. The local store is great for an ice cream or emergency milk, but you do not want to be doing your full grocery shop there—stock up in Masterton before you tackle the winding road in. No dogs allowed.