Welcome to the Akarana Caravan Club

Where it all began

Akarana Caravan Club is a community of motorhome and caravanning enthusiasts founded and based in Auckland, New Zealand.

We are an Incorporated Society, with the first rally being held at Puriri Park, Orewa in February 1972. Akarana Caravan Club started as a family club with younger couples and their children joining in a rally around once a month.
Today the club is comprised of those enjoying the many benefits of motorhome & caravan travel and regular club gatherings & rallies. Family friendly - everyone's welcome.
Way back in the 70's when the club was formed, caravans ruled the camping grounds & campervans and motorhomes weren't very common. However, motorhomes or 'RVs' now make up around 70% of the membership. Of course we still welcome all caravanners and motorhomers.

If you live around Auckland and would like to explore areas outside the city, in the company of other travellers, join the Akarana Caravan Club.

Get to experience many different locations as we head north and south to a variety of sites. Explore the local area and see what each location has to offer.

If you are interested in owning a caravan or motorhome but don't know where to start, contact the Akarana Caravan Club for some handy hints.

If you already own a caravan or motorhome but don't use it very often, join the Akarana Caravan Club on our scheduled rally weekends.

"You are most welcome to join us on one of our rallies to experience the club and meet our friendly members before deciding."

Click here to contact us - we would love to hear from you.

2025 Club Rallies

2025 Rallies have been spread around the North Island. Check the locations on the map.

Interested to find out more? For details of our next upcoming rally use this link:

Contact us about Club Rallies

Our friendly Membership Officer or Club President will be happy to fill you in on the details.

We welcome you to come along to a club rally and find out what we're all about.
Unfortunately, we can't accomodate your pets at our rallies as almost all sites prohibit this. So Fluffy, Rover & Captain Flint will have to find alternative lodgings for the duration if you wish to join us. Sorry, no exceptions, except of course for authorised assistance animals, such as guide dogs.
There is a small charge to attend each rally (usually in the order of $15-20 per van per night). This is for donation to the venue (when we stay at schools or community facilties), or pays for the entry in the case of commercial venues. We are non-profit.

& more on Club Rallies

· The Akarana Caravan Club holds rallies once every 3-4 weeks. Members gather at a pre-arranged site Friday evenings with the rally usually running through to Sunday midday.

· Most rallies are within 1-2 hours drive from Auckland, although on long weekends we may go further.

· Rally venues can be schools, regular camping grounds, POP stops and a variety of other venues with enough space for our group to meet.

· Activities are organised during the rally by the rally coordinator or individual members, i.e. riding a local bike path to a cafe or going somewhere local for dinner – these activities are informal and always optional.

· Members are encouraged to take a turn as rally captains and current members are more than willing to help newer members on their first time as captain.

Membership

Joining The Akarana Caravan Club provides the opportunity to get the best value from your motorhome or caravan. It is a chance to explore the country we live in at a reasonable cost, while enjoying the company of like minded people who will become new friends.

The club is based in Auckland, however our current members are spread far and wide from Orewa to Cambridge and Tauranga and many places between. Having a mobile home makes it easy to stay connected.

Rallies are also spread far and wide, or sometimes closer to home, usually across the upper North Island, but we recently ventured to the South Island for a 'roving rally'.

Membership in Akarana Caravan Club is open & anyone who is keen on motor-homing & caravaning is welcome to apply to join.

Happy Caravanning from the Akarana Caravan Club

Useful Stuff Section

NZMCA

· The Akarana Caravan Club has no direct ties to the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association, however, the majority of our members are also members of the NZMCA. There are number of benefits of membership of the NZMCA such as discounted fares on the Interislander Ferries & access to their members only camping sites.

Here's a link to the NZMCA website if you would like to find out more:

New Zealand Motor Caravan Association

Self-containment

· Having a self contained vehicle isn't a condition of membership of our club but it is highly recommended. Many of the sites we hold rallies at do require you to be self contained.

Is this all new to you?

Don't know where to start?

Here's a link to an external video link with some information:

🇳🇿 The Self Containment Rules for Caravans & RVs in NZ (2025 Update) ♻️ Green, Blue or Yellow card?

1. Ensure your motorhome is equipped with the following:

Fresh Water Tank:

Capacity for 4 liters of water per person, per day, for at least three days.

Sink:

A fitted sink with a smell trap that drains into a watertight, sealed wastewater tank.

Wastewater (Grey/Black) Tank:

A sealed tank with sufficient capacity (minimum 12L per person) for greywater and a toilet's blackwater. The tank must be vented to allow wastewater to enter.

Toilet:

A fixed or portable toilet with a waste tank capable of holding at least 1 liter of waste per person per day.

Evacuation Hose:

A hose at least 3 meters long (or long enough to connect to a sealed portable tank) for emptying the tanks.

Sealable Refuse Container:

A rubbish bin with a lid to contain solid waste.

2. Find a Testing Officer

Contact an approved Self-Containment Issuing Authority or a qualified Self-Containment Testing Officer in your region. You can find a list on the Self-Contained Motor Vehicles Register.

3. Get Inspected

A testing officer will inspect your vehicle to ensure it meets the requirements.
For a first-time test, the vehicle typically requires inspection by two officers.
If your vehicle passes, you will be given paperwork to process your certification.

4. Process Certification

Follow the instructions to submit your paperwork and pay the government levy and processing fee.
Once payment is complete, your self-containment certificate, sticker, and window card will be issued.

Note: The information on self containment above is for information only and no responsibilty is taken for the accuracy or currency of that information, in particular with reference to external website links.