Camp crush eases as home beckons

By STAFF REPORTERS


"Camp Full" signs have come down at most North Island holiday parks as people return home after what one camp proprietor described as an average summer.

In Northland, cloud and winds throughout much of the holiday period did not deter large numbers of campers, and several grounds had to turn people away during the Christmas and New Year peak.

The Bay of Plenty's weather was not as good as last year's hot summer, but many campgrounds are still fully booked.

The proprietor of Waihi Beach Holiday Park, Ian Smith, said this year was quieter than past years, but his sites would be full next week.

"Certainly a lot more people did not go away at Christmas because of uncertainty about the New Year [millennium bug], and many went home and spent it with their families. Businesses also had people on call."

Mr Smith believed a beach liquor ban from December 26 to January 6 kept a lot of young people away.

Gloomy weather forecasts last season hurt holiday parks on the Coromandel.

This year, the Mercury Bay Motor Camp in Whitianga reported bookings up on last year, and the Department of Conservation's 15 camping grounds were 75 per cent full this season, which was average.

Northland camp proprietors report plenty of bookings for this month and into February.

Keith Kelly, proprietor of the Hihi Beach holiday camp near Mangonui, said numbers this season had been much the same as last year.

His camp was now half full, but February bookings looked strong.

At Tauranga Bay, near Whangaroa Harbour, 130 out of 240 camp sites were still occupied, and bookings until the end of the month were similar to last year.

The Matauri Bay holiday park was home to between 700 and 800 people between Christmas and New Year, and was still two-thirds full yesterday.

At the Haruru Falls Caravan Park, near Paihia, 30 of the about 40 sites were still occupied yesterday. The camp was full over the past fortnight.

At Waipapakauri Ramp on Ninety Mile Beach, the proprietor of The Park, Paul Brljevich, was "reasonably happy with what he said was "an average sort of summer."

In the Bay of Plenty, Ohope Beach Motor Camp had a few vacant tent sites. Camper numbers were slightly down on last year.

The Taupo Motor Camp was full, but a few people cut holidays short because of the overcast weather.

Mt Maunganui Motor Camp was fully booked for the next few weeks, and Holdens Bay Holiday Park in Rotorua is full until late this month.

The Raglan Kopua Holiday Park had between 1500 and 2000 campers over Christmas, but that had now dropped to about 400.