Sun setting on Orewa's campers

Brenda Lang

Auckland's only five-star campground has been sold for $30 to $40 million and will be turned into a residential estate of up to 420 houses.

Just as the Government is about to receive a review of campground losses nationally, Puriri Park Holiday Resort at Orewa is about to close. Despite having had more than $1.3 million spent upgrading it, its location, escalating land values and high park overheads have forced its sale.

Camp owner Allan Clarke, founder of the former Allan Clarke Motors at Albany, has sold the 9.5ha park to developer Kensington Properties, which is planning a $300 million-plus housing estate.

Kensington managing director Patrick Fontein said he had also bought an adjoining 6ha site west of the camp, allowing him to amalgamate the blocks zoned for medium and high-density housing.

Mr Clarke said he only had to give residents one month's notice but had instead given them three months to make alternative arrangements.

He has also offered to pay moving expenses to transport mobile homes to any other North Island site.

"You can't do better than that, can you?" asked Mr Clarke, who started his career as a motor mechanic, bought the park when it was in financial strife 15 years ago, and took over as proprietor in December 2002.

Park overheads were up to $7000 daily, making it a marginal business venture that generated a return of about 2 per cent, he said.

Rapidly increasing land values and a steep annual rates bill meant retaining ownership was not viable.

Over the past holiday season the park was home to 1600 to 1800 people. It has a 25m tepid pool, conference centre, games room, kitchen, toilet and shower blocks and a cafe. The park has 400 sites for tents, motels, tourist flats and mobile units.

The site is bordered by the Alice Eaves Scenic Reserve and Orewa North Primary School.

Resident Brenda Lang pays $120 a month to live in one of the park's largest two-bedroom trailer homes and is considering shifting to Tauranga.

Fellow resident Chris Van der Vegte has lived at Puriri Park for four years and said many residents were sorry it was shutting.

"We feel absolutely sad because this was absolute paradise," he said.

"The facilities are so great that I was going to stay here until my last day." He will move to Mangere.

Long-time resident Carol Schultz, who moved to the park as a sickness beneficiary receiving just over $150 a week, praised Mr Clarke.

"If it was not for Allan, a lot of people wouldn't have had anywhere to go - they arrived here without a thing," she said.

Fergus Brown, chief executive of the 295-member Holiday Parks Association, said he was disappointed about the closure because it was Auckland's top campground and one of only three five-star grounds in the North Island.

He said it was an urban myth that New Zealand was losing its campgrounds. While many in the Coromandel had shut, others had opened. There were now about 400 campgrounds in total, up from 390 five years ago.

Ree Anderson, Rodney District Council's director of strategy and policy, said the Orewa land had been zoned residential since 1993 and while the closure of Puriri was a loss, Orewa had other campgrounds.

Last month, Conservation Minister Chris Carter lamented the national loss of campgrounds and said more Department of Conservation land could be used for camping.

A DoC review on the issue is expected by April.