CAMPING THE KIWI WAY

Firth Tower near Matamata is a tranquil place to camp overnight. You can wander around and even have your dinner in the picturesque gardens that surround the museum buildings.

Firth Tower was built in 1882 by Josiah Clifton Firth to provide a lookout over the countryside. Josiah Firth was an Auckland entrepreneur who established the 56,000 acre Matamata Estate.

The tower and the adjoining villa are now the centre piece of the Firth Tower Historical Reserve. A sizeable collection of other historic buildings from the local area have been moved to the site to create the museum. These include a colonial chapel, schoolhouse and gaol along with a large collection of historic farm machinery. The museum is set in spacious gardens with wide lawns and shady trees.

For $15 a night per vehicle you can camp in the carpark of the museum. There are some powered sites available for $20 per night. You need to be self-contained to camp here. 

The toilet block is open all night for the use of campers. Campers have use of the grounds of the museum even after the museum closes. 

More details available at firthtower.co.nz/motorhomes.

If you are there on a day that the museum is open, I strongly encourage you to buy a ticket and have a look through the museum buildings. They contain an immense amount of historical information about the local area and the staff who work at the museum have lots of great stories to share.