Queenstown sets up facilities for freedom campers in summer crackdown

January 3, 2019

The councils have tightened up the rules.

Queenstown and Wanaka are taking a tougher approach on freedom campers this summer, trialling a new scheme to keep them out of popular tourist spots.

The Queenstown Lakes District Council has tightened up the rules and set up special areas with free facilities to ease the impact on public reserves. 

In 2017 more than 100,000 visitors did some freedom camping while they were in New Zealand. 

But they left a mess behind.

"The cost that we pay is in the loss of our parks and reserves. We can't go swimming in there, we can't picnic there," Scott Stevens, a Queenstown Lakes District Councillor said.

This summer Queenstown Lakes District has a new approach. The council has banned campers from popular public spots in Wanaka and Queenstown, instead adding facilities to two free overnight camps outside of the town, including one near Kingston.

The council is also promoting the Department of Conservation's existing low-cost sites.

"We need to partner with them to make sure that that message for responsible camping goes across," Mr Stevens said.

New government-funded service hubs have also been set up to help campers.

"We must act, and this is the first step along that path," Mr Stevens said.

Sites in Frankton and Wanaka are equipped with free wifi, toilets, showers and rubbish facilities, giving campers a place to drop in, although they can't stay overnight.

The council has also employed camping ambassadors to teach visitors the rules.

"The last couple years I've seen the damage that has occurred first-hand with campers coming here and not having the facilities they need," Brittany Spark, a camping ambassador, said.

"Make sure they're doing the right thing and keep our environment as beautiful as possible - that's really important in this job."

But campers using facilities have mixed reviews on the changes.

"Because we aren't self-contained it means that we need to stay on proper campsites with all the facilities," one camper said.

Another said: "It is difficult. Because of all the restrictions, it's not freedom camping anymore."

If the trial goes well, the scheme could be a model for other summer spots to follow.

SHARE ME

More Stories