Opinion: A few bad eggs ruin it for the majority

PHOTO/FILE

As with many things in life, it's often a few bad eggs that ruin things for the majority.

That seems to be the case with freedom campers, as we report today.

Rotorua campground owners and some locals are fed up with freedom campers who are trying to save money by parking up and sleeping in public places rather than paying for a campsite or hotel.

The problem is, apparently, some are sneaking into the holiday parks to use their showers, toilets and facilities without paying. Then there are the environmental issues, with dishes and bodies being washed in our lakes and rubbish left behind when the campers move on.

Clearly, the above scenarios are unacceptable and the calls by those affected for some sort of clear, consistent rules across New Zealand when it comes to freedom camping make a lot of sense. With a national review under way - and the Rotorua Lakes Council keeping a close eye on what comes out of that - hopefully these aren't too far away.

However I think it would be a shame if significant restrictions are put on freedom camping.

Travelling in a foreign country is expensive and while many visitors to our country have plenty of money for hotel beds, others would happily kip the night in their van or a tent in a New Zealand paddock if it means having more to spend on experiences, or enables them to extend their stay that little bit longer. Plus - the morning view is often better than anything from a 5-star hotel!

Having travelled on a shoestring in a foreign country many times myself, I would have loved the opportunity to camp somewhere as beautiful as New Zealand for a minimal or no cost.

But the key is respect. Respecting the environment, respecting those whose land you are on and respecting business owners trying to make a living.

Two young Germans we spoke to yesterday say the vast majority of freedom campers they had come across were doing all those things. And I believe that to be true.

If the small minority are either ignorant of, or don't care about reasonable standards of behaviour, then they need to be educated and clear rules put in place. If they continue to flout rules they should be sanctioned.

But let's not tar all freedom campers with the same negative brush. Most of them, I reckon, probably love our beautiful country almost as much as we do and treat it accordingly.

Speaking of bad eggs, we report today how injuries from Rotorua's luge cost ACC more than $140,000 last year.

Of course, there's an element of risk with the activity, as there is with many others in adventure tourism. But the vast majority of riders manage to obey the roles and emerge unscathed from the experience.

In many cases it's those who think they are invincible that push their luck too far. You only have to see groups of young men take to the track to see the competitive, macho attitude come out and the reckless behaviour begin.

There seems little more Skyline can do - it can have all the rules and safety procedures it can in place, but you can't do much about human stupidity.