What is Freedom Camping?

It’s camping at places not designated for camping, where there are no camping facilities, no campgrounds, no motor parks, etc.  Camping in this sense includes camping in a tent, sleeping bag, bus, caravan and campervan. Location can either be in remote areas or public places like car parks, beaches, shopping mall precints, road sides, basically anywhere that’s possible to safely pitch a tent or park a vehicle.

In New Zealand, freedom camping is popular with both Domestic and International travellers throughout the year. People do it for different reasons. Some for the freedom of being independent and to ‘get away from it all’, some to save money on accommodation, some for fun and some because there are no camping grounds or holiday parks around.

Why crack down on Freedom Campers?

There are a number of reasons why New Zealand’s, Nelson City Council is considering cracking down on freedom campers at the Lions Playground at Tahunanui Beach and at the Trafalgar Centre.

Many are irresponsible, using bushes as toilets and throwing rubbish everywhere. They are also an eye-sore for local inhabitants.  Most times about a dozen or so campervans are parked at the Tahunanui Beach carpark in the morning.

Locals are certainly not happy and want freedom campers kicked out.

In Tasman district, residents claim that freedom campers are abusing the district’s hospitality. Tasman District Council’s policy is that “overnight camping may only be carried out in mobile vehicles fitted with a minimum three-day capacity toilet and greywater storage facility”. In most cases camping is allowed as long as there are no signs forbidding it and for no more than two nights in a month at any one place.

The problem is that, this policy is often ignored and difficult to enfore. However, according to regulatory manager Jean Hodson, the policy was primarily educational, and in such a big district, with so many places to camp, the problem of freedom camping would exist whether or not the council allowed camping outside camp grounds.