Freedom campers
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="JC" data-cid="562500" data-time="1457129174"><p>And worse, some of those ratepayers will be in the holiday accommodation business themselves, whether they own them or make a living from working there. If I owned a campground I'd be pretty pissed off if my rates were being used to fund facilities that actively drew people away from by business.</p></blockquote>
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Good point , I'd be furious if I owned a campground and was expected to support these freeloaders through extra rates. -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="562503" data-time="1457130084"><p>
Stump up on what? We shouldn't be encouraging this type of tourist at all , their contribution is minimal.</p></blockquote><br>
Yep, to roughly borrow an angle from Sir Paul Callaghan, more tourists being good doesn't mean that we need ten times the number of people walking the Milford track/Tongariro Crossing either. Somewhere there's got to be a balance between volume and value, yet without chasing away the 'young now but in future more wealthy' MajorRage type tourists who do actually clean up after themselves. -
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="562505" data-time="1457130160"><p>Good point , I'd be furious if I owned a campground and was expected to support these freeloaders through extra rates.</p></blockquote>
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These campground owners are in the prime position to benefit from these travellers but have not adjusted their business models to suit. <br>
I stayed at a campground just north of Gisborne this summer that charged $40 for us to set up on a non powered site. The toilet and shower facilities were extremely basic and the kitchen like something cobbled together with spare parts and held together by flies. <br>
The was basically no advantage staying there over a free camping area. <br>
There is actually a good argument for central govt planning and involvement here. Many of these tourists take money into areas of the country that locals don't. <br>
I don't condone the bad ones at all and agree with Mokey on dealing with them. I just think plenty of good ones are getting a bad rap as well and the whole situation could be handled better to mutual benefit. -
<p>Interesting how quickly attitudes change, I was at Carters yesterday and two very hot female tourists came in asking where they could buy foam. Instantly everyone was offering helpful suggestions and someone asked if they it was for a bed in the back of their people mover and one of them giggled and said they were freedom camping, all the guys in the room were saying how cool they thought freedom camping was and hoped they were having a good time and if they followed their car he would direct them to the nearest Spotlight where they could buy foam.</p>
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<p>I imagine to male german backpackers would have got a very very different response.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Crucial" data-cid="562524" data-time="1457145380">
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<p>These campground owners are in the prime position to benefit from these travellers but have not adjusted their business models to suit.<br>
I stayed at a campground just north of Gisborne this summer that charged $40 for us to set up on a non powered site. The toilet and shower facilities were extremely basic and the kitchen like something cobbled together with spare parts and held together by flies.<br>
The was basically no advantage staying there over a free camping area.<br>
There is actually a good argument for central govt planning and involvement here. Many of these tourists take money into areas of the country that locals don't.<br>
I don't condone the bad ones at all and agree with Mokey on dealing with them. I just think plenty of good ones are getting a bad rap as well and the whole situation could be handled better to mutual benefit.</p>
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<p>I was at Tolaga bay at the same time as you and was impressed by those people camping on the roadside, they'd bought their own portaloos etc in accordance with the signs that were placed around the area. I didn't really have a look at the motor camp but if I was a backpacker the safety aspect of being in one would outwiegh the cost of staying there, theres been a few of these people attacked when they camped off the beaten track.</p> -
<p>I have to declare my stupidity here I thought freedom camping was when you went hiking and just set up a tent in the bush somewhere rather then stay in a hut. </p>
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<p>So people drive around in vans and sleep in the back? How scenic is the average car park in NZ these days?</p>
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<p>Mooshld</p> -
<p>I must confess I laugh my fcuking ar$e off every time I see someone complain about campers coming over here and making a mess.</p>
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<p>People have no idea what kiwis are like in europe.. am going to throw out there that they're a shedload worse.</p>
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<p>here's an example from a 'freedom' camping site in germany...</p>
<p>[attachment=1997:MOre Carnage.jpg]</p> -
<p>Looks to me like gypsies have stolen someone poor Kiwi's motorhome. ;)</p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="WillieTheWaiter" data-cid="566301" data-time="1458530176">
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<p>I must confess I laugh my fcuking ar$e off every time I see someone complain about campers coming over here and making a mess.</p>
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<p>People have no idea what kiwis are like in europe.. am going to throw out there that they're a shedload worse.</p>
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<p>here's an example from a 'freedom' camping site in germany...</p>
<p><img src="http://www.daimenhutchison.com/rugby/public/style_images/master/attachicon.gif" alt="attachicon.gif"><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/rugby/index.php?app=core&module=attach§ion=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=1997'>MOre Carnage.jpg</a></p>
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<p>If you look carefully, you can see Mooloo jersies and empty cans of Waikato...tells you a lot about the people there! :)</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="WillieTheWaiter" data-cid="566301" data-time="1458530176">
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<p>I must confess I laugh my fcuking ar$e off every time I see someone complain about campers coming over here and making a mess.</p>
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<p>People have no idea what kiwis are like in europe.. am going to throw out there that they're a shedload worse.</p>
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<p>here's an example from a 'freedom' camping site in germany...</p>
<p><img src="http://www.daimenhutchison.com/rugby/public/style_images/master/attachicon.gif" alt="attachicon.gif"><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.daimenhutchison.com/rugby/index.php?app=core&module=attach§ion=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=1997'>MOre Carnage.jpg</a></p>
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<p>I'm sure kiwis over there behave like ferals, thats the problem of the countries in europe to deal with not ours. Does anyone think kiwis are going to stop going to europe? Thats one of the excuses that keeps cropping up, "unless we create better facilities for these freeloaders to use without paying for them they'll stop coming". </p>
<p>Good, sounds like a plan to me.</p> -
<p>some of the slogans on those campers are very poor taste and offensive.</p>
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<p>The ones I've seen are just puerile. </p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Godder" data-cid="567655" data-time="1459073879"><p>Interestingly, the freedom campers spend more money than the average tourist.</p></blockquote>
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Can you post a link to that? I saw a story about that last week and the maths looked a bit messed up. -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="antipodean" data-cid="566332" data-time="1458542254">
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<p>The ones I've seen are just puerile. </p>
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<p>the vans look like shit on the whole. They look like they spent the week parked up in the ghetts of LA or South Auckland, tagged to shit.</p>
<p>They are just a fucking eye sore. Im sure they are popular with freedom campers (aka parasites) but from reports overseas families use them too. Why would you ?</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Virgil" data-cid="567751" data-time="1459119806">
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<p>the vans look like shit on the whole. They look like they spent the week parked up in the ghetts of LA or South Auckland, tagged to shit.</p>
<p>They are just a fucking eye sore. Im sure they are popular with freedom campers (aka parasites) but from reports overseas families use them too. Why would you ?</p>
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<p>Price. They are cheap</p>
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<p>About 2/3s the cost of an equivalent 'Spacehip' camper and if you look at at the Wicked website they look quite tidy with no sign of offensive slogans just comic like graphic art.</p>
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<p>Plenty of families probably being quite shocked with what they go to pick up.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="567693" data-time="1459103775"><p>
Can you post a link to that? I saw a story about that last week and the maths looked a bit messed up.</p></blockquote>
<br><a class="bbc_url" href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/78139668/freedom-campers-spend-more-but-stay-longer-than-other-tourists">http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/78139668/freedom-campers-spend-more-but-stay-longer-than-other-tourists</a><br><br>
Basically, they stay a lot longer than average, so they spend more. The figures are from MBIE (Immigration NZ is part of MBIE), so are likely to be reasonably accurate.
