THE woeful state of Martinborough's camping ground is due to come under the spotlight again tonight.
Martinborough Community Board will consider a report to be presented by ward councillor Mike Beckett, who is on the camping ground committee, on the inadequacies of the camping ground in light of Martinborough's new-found popularity.
It
refers to the camp having only two toilets and two showers to cater for up to 100 people ? "woefully inadequate and in fact illegal".
A long list of the camping ground's other shortcomings will also be put before the board.
These include too few lights, no rubbish bins, a lack of power points for camper vans and caravans, not enough campsites and poorly maintained grounds.
An earlier story on the state of the camping ground was accompanied by comments from the custodian of Greytown's highly successful camp.
Noeline Ball said the Greytown camp is "bursting at the seams" and that people are coming earlier and staying longer.
Mr Beckett said at that time Martinborough had four caravans "and a couple of tents".
The difference was that Greytown had proper facilities and the grounds were well cared for.
Mr Beckett said camping grounds in the three South Wairarapa towns were all established long before local body amalgamation in 1989.
He said the old Greytown Borough Council was the most far-sighted and left the district with a "very pleasant, well patronised camp that pays its way".
Featherston established a camping ground in a large stand of beech trees immediately to the east of the existing lookout at the foot of the Rimutaka Hill Road.
It has basic facilities that provide an "au natural" camping environment.
The camp was well used but was eventually closed down as it was continuously overrun by rats from the nearby Featherston rubbish tip
Featherston now has a small camping area attached to a motel.
The report concludes that Martinborough's wealth is now created by tourism that brings many jobs.
Campervan tourists who travel the North Island bypass Martinborough because of the state of the camping ground that is "letting the town down badly".
The report contains over a dozen ways the camping ground could be brought up to scratch and includes a suggestion to open up an unused area to the west of the camp that would increase the size of the camping ground by 63 per cent.
