Crackdown on freedom camping in Golden Bay working, council says

Wednesday, 24 January 2018

There have been fewer complaints since a new bylaw restricting freedom camping in Golden Bay was introduced.

Freedom camping is causing fewer headaches in Golden Bay this year, and council staff are happy with how the new rules are working.

Last summer the area was inundated with travellers parking up around Takaka, in particular along the river at Reilly St behind the memorial library, where hundreds of people had set up camp.

The carpark at Reilly St in Takaka was inundated with freedom campers last summer.

Tasman District Council regulatory manager Adrian Humphries said a new bylaw which outlawed freedom camping in most of Golden Bay was working well.

Two areas with basic facilities for freedom campers were put in place at Waitapu Bridge in Takaka and at Taupata Point in Puponga.

Illegal freedom campers parked all the way down the Takaka River bank last year.

Information signs installed at the entrance of the Reilly St car park. They were made by Golden Bay residents concerned about protecting the environment at the river.

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The general consensus is that freedom camping in Golden Bay is tidier and more controlled now the bylaw is in place.

Humphries said both spots were busy. It had not received reports of other areas being particularly busy elsewhere in the bay.

'Our main concerns there have been that the places are too popular and sometimes vans park too close to each other for safety and in Waitapu too close to the river.'

There had been 'far less complaints than in previous years'.

The provision of basic facilities and specific areas for non-self-contained campers seemed to be a practical way of lessening negative effects, he said.

About a dozen complaints had been recorded by council, mostly about the library car park in Takaka and children's play area, and at the times about the river flooding.

There had been one complaint about the reserve at Parapara and at the Collingwood cemetery, plus several more at other areas.

'More complaints are made to our officer in the bay and she deals with this when she patrols. She pre-empts a lot of issues by visiting the most popular spots.'

TDC enforcement officers had issued about 70 infringement notices across the district this summer, with about 10 of those in Golden Bay.

It had also seen the 'usual problems' with people camping in reserves such as at Rototai.

There were serious concerns about freedom campers safety during two recent heavy rain events.

However, Humphries said a lot of effort was put in by civil defence staff, police and council to warn and move people from high risk areas.

Humphries said there was no 'silver bullet' for freedom camping, but it would continue to do the best it could.

River Inn owner Richard Sixtus said he noticed freedom camping was tidier and more controlled this year.

'We live by the Waitapu Bridge, and my daughter lives beside it, and we notice people are turning up and staying for the night, and then they disperse through the day and are gone.'

He said there was a mess left down there on a few occasions, but mainly after the festivals around Golden Bay.

'TDC needs to actually put some more signs up down there. There's two wee little signs up, but they need to be bigger and more obvious.'

Golden Bay ward councillor Sue Brown said it had made 'a huge difference' that the popular Luminate Festival on the Takaka Hill wasn't on this year, and that SH1 to Kaikoura was open again.

'The only complaints I've generally had is people parking at the beach [river's edge] at Waitapu and actually camping there, and people having to go down and ask them to move,' she said.

'That will improve with signage and education over time.'

TDC is allocating $335,000 grant from the Government's Tourism Infrastructure Grant (TIF) to improve facilities in Golden Bay.

This will include solar-powered rubbish compactors and an additional toilet at Waitapu, plus a shower and wash-basin at the Takaka Visitor Centre.

Brown said it would ideal if the TIF fund contributed to the purchase of land for the creation of new freedom camping sites.

'That would really help us.'