Police arrive to move on these freeom campers at no-go zone Frankton Beach
Queenstown Mayor Clive Geddes has had a gutsful of rule-breaking freedom campers like these – he’s calling for a total ban.
Police were called in to move this lot on from Frankton Beach last Sunday. Prior to that they’d spent a month dossing around the Wakatipu for free.
It’s the tip of the iceberg for local authorities sick of picking up after freedom campers showing little regard for the environment.
Rubbish and human waste is regularly found around free camping no-go zones at Frankton Beach and Lake Hayes – despite adequate toilets and nearby rubbish bins.
Photos given to Mountain Scene even show one group spending the night in the women’s changing rooms at Frankton Beach a month ago when it rained.
Geddes believes the only solution is to ban freedom camping altogether.
“There’s a ton of information [about freedom camping] but it’s only of so much value,” he says.
“The people who freedom camp without [onboard] facilities and use the outdoors as a toilet space, and the rivers and creeks to wash in are doing so in full knowledge that what they are doing is wrong.
“For some reason they believe as a visitor they can denigrate our countryside,” Geddes fumes.
Queenstowner Lyall Smillie, who photographed the vanload of Frankton freeloaders, says locals are fed up with all the “crap” left behind.
“We were talking about it in the smoko room and everyone had a different story about the rubbish and waste left around,” he says. “No one is very happy about it and it’s getting worse.”
Queenstown Lakes District Council community services boss Paul Wilson wants to replace the existing “friendly patrol-type approach” to issuing instant fines to those who flout the rules.
At the moment QLDC contracts Southern Monitoring to rouse illegal campers from their slumber and issue warnings to move. On average they tell 15-20 people off each morning.
“We’re trying to encourage people to camp responsibly and we are lucky most of our facilities are good,” Wilson says.
“There should be no reason for people to crap in the woods. If people are then they should be done for it.”
Wilson hopes by next summer parking wardens will be able to issue instant fines.
Once news of the fines spreads it should help deter visitors from sleeping around the Wakatipu for free, he says.
It’s illegal to freedom camp within 10 kilometres of the residential areas in Queenstown.
Basic camp sites are available at 12-Mile Delta and Moke Lake – both off Glenorchy Road – for a minimal fee.
Wilson is part of a national group initiated by the Tourism Industry Association to manage growing concerns about freedom camping.
The group’s message is “assume nothing – always ask a local”. It provides brochures for regional I-Sites, Department of Conservation centres and holiday parks.
TIA advocacy manager Geoff Ensor says information for visitors was lacking when they formed the group in 2007.
Now a freedom camping website launched in December 2008 is attracting solid traffic from all over the world, he says.
“We want to make the big differences through educating people.
“However, we do realise this potentially isn’t enough and councils may need to introduce an enforcement element to manage freedom camping. We haven’t cracked it yet but we’re getting there,” Ensor says.
Your say
Residents taking problem into their own hands..
I think part of the problem is that there are not enough public toilets in NZ. Blandswood residents in South Canterbury have sprung into action with a sustainable solution, for their public toilet problem. Their greener living attitude has certainly helped to maintain their little slice of paradise! You can read more on this at http://greenerliving.co.nz
09 Mar 2011 10:05AMGreener Living NZ
Any update on this?
Has the ban happened? If the rubbish levels don't drop and they work out that the small percentage of people in the region who freedom camp are not actually the ones making all the rubbish, will the council rule be reversed? I've certainly seen non-freedom campers all over NZ discard rubbish and sneak into the bushes to do their business ...
26 Oct 2010 07:52AMadventurekiwi
Ideas to control freedom camping
Freedom campers fall into 4 categories: Retired campervan owners - generally kiwis. These guys should not be targeted in any way, as far as I have had experienced they have love and respect for the land and just want to explore in their retirement. They generally have a DOC camp pass as part of the camping and caravaning association. Large commerical vans - (The road snails). These guys are more of a P in the A on the road than off. They tend to stay alot in motels and hotels as well as use the van and are worthwhile to the NZ tourism dollar. Small commerical vans - These guys are generally young, trying to save as much money as possible and are either not well informed by the rental companies, or choose to avoid the cost of campsites. Small campervans should be under the same sort of WOF as an accommodation provider needs for a building WOF and this should be part of registration. In addition to further encourage good responsible behaviour why not ping them for a DOC campsite pass as part of registration. This is not currently available unless the owner is a member of the camping and caravaning association, though come on DOC - how about opening it up further.
Very Cheap backpacker vans - These are generally border line road worthy, marginally sleep worthy and the chosen transport for your bottom dwellers coming to NZ to spend just $40 per day on everything! We need to lose the bottom dwellers and the only way I can think of is to fine them with instant fines.
Go 5 minutes over in a park in London and a wheel clamp will cost you 100 pounds. Saving our precious environment for $100 instant fine or a wheel clamp till you can find it, is a great idea.
We have had a scruffy old Bedford van on the waterfront for over 2 weeks and there is no backup in Glenorchy. I am very much forward to some stronger positive action to stop our visiting 'home' wreckers.
17 Feb 2010 11:28PMToni G
Define the differences
Mayor Geddes is showing his lack of knowledge in calling for a ban of ALL freedom campers. I read it as his bid to be re-elected by the voters of Queenstownin the upcoming local body elections. Those who own fully-self-contained motorhomes have no need to leave behind any waste whatsoever. Our motorhome is valued at $200k+ and is fully self-contained. We chose to visit Queenstown because we love the area and see our contribution to the local economy in purchasing food, retail items and enjoying taking part in some of the tourism ventures, just as we do in other parts of NZ and without further cost to our accomodation. If Mayor Geddes wishes to have us return, perhaps he should differentiate between those who are fully self contained and those who aren't. A further stipulation on freedom campers might be those who are members of the NZ Motor Homes Assn. We don't dirty in our own nest.
05 Feb 2010 10:30PMJena
We're not all bad!
I don't think that all freedom campers should be tarred with the same brush. The real problems are the people who are travelling in the small vans which have very limited facilities in them; often no more than a bed, a couple of chairs, a water container and a gas hob; and no waste containment whatsoever! Who's to blame for this? The rental companies. If there was a blanket rule that all camper vans rented in New Zealand had to have grey and black water (ie: kitchen sink and toilet) containment facilities then freedom camping wouldn't be so bad. We've freedom camped around the whole country for years now and have never had any issues because we are completely self-contained: if we take it in, it comes out with us. We've seen the bad seeds out there and we do try to re-educate them when they'll listen and some of them do. The camp at 12 Mile is great, we've been there lots and love it to bits but it could be so much better with a little TLC.
05 Feb 2010 09:28PMMrs Mills
Free camp fury
As a DoC concessionaire driving along the Glenorchy road & having to explain to clients that we have to collect all the garbage left behind & remove human feces, is not showing NZ at it's best. To top it all we end up in heated arguments with freedom campers that decide to park above our house in Fernhill & swear they are not camping overnight, but only working or looking at the view, only to hear car radios most of the night & finding food & human waste left for us to pick up the next morning. I personal agree with handing out fines & they should be much larger than the fee they would have had to pay if they had been a responsible tourist.
04 Feb 2010 10:40PMscenewalking
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