Foreshore Reserve on the outskirts of Napier city is set to be closed as a freedom camping site later this year. Photo / NZME
Foreshore Reserve on the outskirts of Napier city is set to be closed as a freedom camping site later this year. Photo / NZME
Napier has decided to close its only non-self-contained freedom camping spot, effectively banning vehicles without a fixed toilet from staying on public land in the city free of charge.
It is the last remaining site in the immediate Napier-Hastings area where people can freedom camp with a non-self-contained vehicle.
Two international tourists visited by Hawke’s Bay Today after the announcement, who are travelling and sleeping in a non-self-contained vehicle, say it is a shame the site is closing and it may turn off travellers like themselves from visiting the city on a tight budget.
However, most submitters (72%) have supported the move.
Last week, the council adopted its draft Freedom Camping Bylaw 2025 to replace its old bylaw, after considering about 250 submissions.
The changes will be implemented later this year, as early as July.
The main changes include removing two of the city’s four designated freedom camping sites, and adding two new designated sites.
Foreshore Reserve and Westshore Reserve are being axed, the latter of which has been temporarily closed to freedom campers since 2021 due to complaints.
Freedom camper Cheryl Goes with her cabin-caravan at the Foreshore Reserve site in Napier in 2024. Photo / Gary Hamilton-Irvine
The Napier Pump Track carpark off Marine Parade, which is Napier’s busiest site, and the Perfume Point site at Ahuriri will remain open to self-contained vehicles only (which include a fixed toilet).
The National Aquarium carpark and Coote Rd carpark (off Marine Parade, just north of Ocean Spa) are also being added as freedom camping sites for self-contained vehicles only – with four car parks each.
Coote Rd was not included in the initial draft bylaw but was added after community consultation. Restrictions will be placed on that site so not to interfere with the Sunday markets.
French tourists and friends Aurelie Bataille and Ermenilde Valentin have been travelling through New Zealand for three months, and bought a station wagon (without a fixed toilet) to tour the country.
They stayed at Foreshore Reserve and said it was a shame to hear it was being closed.
Bataille said when the new bylaw kicks in, it would probably turn them off from visiting Napier.
“Because the accommodation is not very cheap, and the closest freedom camping site for non-self-contained vehicles is quite far away.”
The closest spots are DoC’s Waikari River Mouth Campsite near Pūtōrino and DoC’s Kuripapango Campsite halfway up Napier-Taihape Rd, according to the CamperMate website.
Valentin said it generally cost $10 or $20 per person per night to stay at a camping site with their vehicle, and she claimed it was slightly higher prices in Hawke’s Bay.
Wairoa District Council still has a couple of non-self-contained freedom camping sites, making it the only council in Hawke’s Bay to offer that (once Napier’s bylaw kicks in).
Generally, campers can stay at freedom camping sites for a maximum of two nights.
Recent changes by the Government to the Freedom Camping Act led to the council revisiting its bylaw.
The act strongly encourages freedom campers to have a certified, self-contained vehicle.
However, councils (like Napier) can still, at their discretion, designate freedom camping sites for non-self-contained vehicles.
One submitter recommended Napier City Council turn one of the reviewed sites into a location for the homeless to stay, which has not eventuated.
Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.
