The Mayor of Whanganui says provincial towns should be encouraging freedom camping to entice people off the main tourist route and ease the pressure on places like Queenstown which is banning the roadside campers.
Following complaints, including about people not using public toilets, Queenstown is banning the freedom campers from next month.
But Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall told TVNZ1's Seven Sharp freedom campers are welcome in his area.
"We're saying come to Whanganui, it's a great place to sleep in the back of your car, " he said, speaking from the back of his own car, which he sometimes sleeps in.
Mr McDouall said he drove across America in the 1990s and "I remember waking up parked by a cliff by Big Sur in California and that's one of the most memorable moments of my life".
He thinks towns like his can help towns like Queenstown where freedom camping is out of control.
"We should be encouraging people off the main tourist route."
He thinks issues with freedom camping should be able to be solve this without outright bans.
"I think you ban something, it blanks out little bit of New Zealand culture."
Whanganui council is preparing with a big push for many more public toilets.
"It's essentially about more toilets, 100 per cent. And most freedom campers want to park up near ablution blocks," Mr McDouall said.
SHARE ME