Freedom campers across Auckland are now freerthan ever,as dozens of new overnight sites become available to them.<\/p>\n
In a two-month pilotstarting this week, 29 locations from Wellsford in the northto Pukekohe in the south have been highlighted as safe havensfor tourists in campervans and tents to stay overnight.<\/p>\n
Auckland Council said thescheme was aneffort tocombatincreasing tensions between freedom campers and locals in Auckland, after abumper tourism season.<\/p>\n
The\"dispersalprogramme\" hopes to see freedom camping visitors spread out over the multitude of new locations across the city, rather than crowd into thefew well-known hot spots.<\/p>\n
\"If we can encourage campers into new areas, we hope to reduce overcrowding and spread the tourism dollar to other local board economies, while also introducing visitors to some of the lesser-known but lovely corners of our city,\" Councillor Linda Cooper, chairwoman of the council's regulatory committee, said.<\/p>\n
Campers bring an estimated $1.2 million a month into Auckland's economy over summer, and Cooper estimated 320 freedom camping vehicles per day are either travelling on the region's roads or parked in public places. <\/p>\n
\"We want to be welcoming hosts to our visitors.However, the influx of freedom campers intohot spotareas - particularly in northeastern coastal and inner city locations - is creating problems. <\/p>\n
\"Overcrowding, parking and access difficulties, and increasing rubbish at popular destinations is frustrating local communities and other park users.\" <\/p>\n
She said the sites includedparking lots, pre-existing freedom camping spots, parks, and reservesand wereselected following extensive consultation with local boards. <\/p>\n
At the outer edges of Auckland, the Franklin and Rodney local boards put forward seven and eight sites respectivelyfor thepilot scheme, and the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board chose five sites. <\/p>\n
Other sites are based in the Howick, Maungakiekie-Tmaki, Upper Harbour andPanmure,Puketapapaand Albert-Eden Local Boards. <\/p>\n
Throughout the trial, council officers will ensure the sites are kept well-maintained and tidy, with clearaccesswaysfor the public to traverse and park, Cooper said. <\/p>\n
The issue lies in travellers overloading amenities at the few well-known spots,causing strife for the local residents, Auckland Council's manager of social policy and bylaws,Michael Sinclair, said. <\/p>\n
\"They have been known to overload the rubbish bins, which are only designed for day-to-day use, not camping use. <\/p>\n
\"And they may go into a public toilet, that's got one or two basins designed for casual use and end up doing their whole ablutionsthere, which is notsonice for the people who use it all the time.\" <\/p>\n
Sinclair said freedom campers have also been known to overwhelm parking areas to places such as beachs, so locals can't get a spot. <\/p>\n
He said the new spots have been considered based on availability ofrubbish and bathroom facilities, and where inadequate, extraport-a-loos will be brought in and rubbish collected more frequently. <\/p>\n
Auckland Council operates 44campgroundsin regional parks throughout Auckland and there are also threeholiday parks. <\/p>\n
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Auckland Council frees up 29 new overnight spots for freedom camping - Waikato Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Freedom campers across Auckland are now freerthan ever,as dozens of new overnight sites become available to them. In a two-month pilotstarting this week, 29 locations from Wellsford in the northto Pukekohe in the south have been highlighted as safe havensfor tourists in campervans and tents to stay overnight. Continue reading