Freedom to Camp

Without a doubt, New Zealand is a spectacularly beautiful country.  It is not without irony that, had it not been for COVID, we would not have been able to explore the length and breadth of New Zealand in such a relaxed and leisurely way.  Even better when your mode of transport is also your home allowing us to not just pass through but spend time in so many stunning locations. Bear in mind that we have literally just crossed the water to the reach the South Island, so all our experiences to date have been of the North Island so we feel truly spoilt that the scenery is going to get even better!

Equipping Cyril with solar panels last month has been a game-changer for us. All our onboard energy needs are now being met by the sun, so we no longer need to pay to stay in privately run campgrounds to recharge our batteries. This has meant that we been able to take full advantage of New Zealand’s extensive freedom camping – i.e., camping in public places instead of official campgrounds. The generous and extensive nature of freedom sites is because of the Freedom Camping Act that was passed into law in 2011, the same year that New Zealand hosted the rugby world cup, presumably to help accommodate the influx of international rugby supporting travellers.  

The freedom camping sites are predominantly on the Department of Conservation (DOC) and local council land.  Don’t be fooled by the potential dreary sounding local council land. While some of the council land maybe a car park in a town centre, even then you are likely to have some nature around you, but there are also some fantastic local council sites especially the ones we have experienced in the coastal council areas that are literally on the water’s edge.  The council sites usually, but not always, provide toilet facilities and often dump sites for grey and black waste.

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Freedom camping does not automatically mean that the campsites are free, though many are. An exception was in the North Island Gisborne district where permits are required for most of the freedom campsites during the summer months (roughly end of October until April).  We paid $36 for a 10-night permit, with the payments going towards offsetting the costs of maintaining the public facilities and allowing us to dispose of rubbish at set locations.

Similarly, the Department of Conservation campsites also charge a nominal amount. The DOC manages more than 200 campsites throughout New Zealand in forest settings, lakeshores, and beaches.  We have stayed on several DOC sites in some stunning locations, and undertaken some of the many walks that are usually in proximity and managed by DOC. One of our favourites was the Sandy Bay site in Coromandel where we challenged ourselves with the 20 km trail loop along the Coromandel walkway.  When the last few kilometres of a trail are getting tough it is nice to know our “home” is waiting for us at the end where we can kick off our shoes and revive with a hot cup of tea or a refreshing G&T!

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One further option for campsites are those managed by the NZMCA (New Zealand Motor Caravan Association) that has 45 parks for exclusive member use.  We joined the NZMCA when we bought Cyril, and then also purchased the NZMCA DOC pass allowing us to stay free of charge in the DOC campsites. So, along with the local council sites, we have no shortage of options for where we choose to freedom camp.  Even with the NZMCA membership cost, DOC pass payment and the Gisborne Council permit, balanced out with the numerous locations that are completely free, our average overnight parking cost is just a few dollars a night.

We have been taking full advantage of all the benefits that freedom camping in New Zealand brings.  Given that we only tend to plan where we are going to stay a night or two ahead of time, we have come to rely on a couple of apps that do a great job of helping us to find freedom camping spots.  Locating them on a map is one thing but being able to read reviews of people who have visited them is even better. We will often choose a freedom camping location based on walks or places of interest that are close by, but some are simply beautiful locations that we enjoy looking out onto or waking up next to in the morning.

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It is difficult to narrow down our favourite freedom camping locations, but some stand out ones along with Sandy Bay in the Coromandel have been Dickeys Flat at the Kaimai Mamaku Conservation Park (Waikino) and Anaura Bay and Kaiaua Beach on the East Cape.  There have been a couple of fun social experiences also with the Glenview Social Club last month and our recent stay at the Kahutia Bowling Club in Gisborne. The Bowling Club is yet another camping option that is on the fringe of the freedom camping world know as a POP or Park over Property. In these locations the landowner offers overnight parking space to NZMCA members free of charge, with the option of some charges being made for access to some of their facilities such as a hot shower. The Kahutia Bowling Club was a standout experience for the warm welcome and hospitality shown to us by the members there.

Freedom Camping is an apt name, as freedom is what it has given us.  I hope that we would have appreciated this freedom pre-COVID, but with so many countries around the world still experiencing travel restrictions, it makes it even more special to be able to camp freely and enjoy having a back yard that is the whole of New Zealand.

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