The freedom camping debate has exploded into life in New Zealand … with free campers being labelled ‘parasites’ by the managers of a popular campsite.
The couple running the Buller District Council’s Punakaiki Beach Camp have resigned, saying their position has become untenable since a Department of Conservation opened a free camp at nearby Porarari River in December.
Linda and Ross Eddy said the free camp took business away from them and, as it had no self-contained facilities, also brought freeloaders to the council camp on New Zealand’s South Island.
“These free camp areas will always attract the parasites, and that’s what they are,” Ross Eddy told the New Zealand Herald. “They are not prepared to pay anything.” He said that over the Christmas period he and his wife had photographed 57 freedom camping vehicles breaching DOC’s rule that campers must be self-contained. DOC had issued about 10 infringement notices during that time.
The Eddys will leave after their current contract expires on May 23.
If the sign says self-contained only, that’s what it means. Maybe some people are confused as to what exactly self-contained means. Trouble is, the freeloaders (or parasites) will ruin things for those with self-contained RVs. Pretty typical in this old world though… I’m okay Jack, stuff you.
Did Ross and Linda ever consider that the camp site that they run may be a little over budget for some traveller’s especially over the Christmas period?
And yes you are entitled to make a living Ross and Linda
The Eddys are like all other small Busness they do not like competition and when they have competition they all spit the dummy and it is the fault in this case of the free campers. It’s not their fault that the free campers are not going to there CP because of different reasons. They may be aged pensions and $40 per night they cannot afford it on the aged or self funded retires money .
The real problem is the high charges the camp site takes, some of the recognized sites are no better than DOC facilities offer, having stayed in some fee paying sites the toilets were disgusting, smelly and bins overflowing as well as some toilets. No money is spent on upkeep hence the freedom of choice to freedom camp. Most of us only leave our footprint behind its the cheap nasty “colourfull” mini camper tourist giving it all a bad name.
This is a constant argument, it comes down to the CP or the whole community. If people are forced to stay in CPs they won’t stay long, so the CP is the only one to benefit. If free camping is available people will stay longer and buy food, fuel, entertainment etc and the whole town benefits, and these people will pass the word. There will always be a percentage if people who will only stay in CPs.
We recently enjoyed a holiday in NZ using mostly DOC camping sites, consider that if we couldn’t have used them we couldn’t afforded to go, so wouldn’t have contributed to NZ at all. Look at the big picture!