South Island campgrounds busy over the holidays

Campgrounds across the South Island have been busy over the holidays. Photo / Getty Images

Campgrounds in the South Island have been teeming with visitors over the holiday period despite having no international tourists.

Operations manager of Tahuna Beach Kiwi Holiday Park & Motel in Nelson, Peter Fraser said their numbers this year are about identical to what they had pre-Covid.

"We have been pretty busy. People are staying in larger numbers which is fantastic. There are lots of families around.

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"People have been booking space for a while but we haven't had the walk-in traffic we usually do. Our numbers are still quite high though so that's great."

It is a similar story at the Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve campground.

Marketing executive Ali Kimber said they have been completely at capacity.

"The campground is full, as are the apartments and cabins. The beach is full, everybody's here.

"We've had an influx of new visitors from Auckland. We are really pleased to see so many people here."

The campground has had between 1300-1500 campers a night over the holiday period.

Christchurch's Spencer Beach Holiday Park manager Suz Cross said they had more visitors between December 27 and January 1 than they did last year.

"It's been a great Christmas and start to the New Year. The Spencer Park Gala is always a hit with the campers on January 1 and 2."

Lakes in the Waitaki district have also been very busy.

Otematata Holiday Park and Lodge owner Brent Cowles said he had not seen the council-run camping grounds in Waitaki so full in years.

His own holiday park was at capacity and people had booked in for longer than usual.

"We had one of the best winters, then we had a wee lull prior to Christmas. Now there is just people on the road everywhere — it's really busy."

Sisters Aisha (8, left) and Dakota (7) McKellar, of Dunedin, get the camp chores done at the Waitangi Recreation Reserve at Lake Aviemore over the New Year break. Photo / Gregor Richardson

His hotel business was steady and he expected to take more in the bar when the weather got better, but his Kai Ote Street Food Bus was running flat out.

"We can't keep up — it's really busy. This evening we are taking it to Sailor's Cutting campsite, then a private function."

He had been concerned when Covid-19 struck that visitor numbers would drop because of the closed borders, but that had been far from the case, Cowles said.

That has been mirrored across the district, many camp sites reporting they were booked out from Christmas to New Year.

- Additional reporting Otago Daily Times