Campervan berths in motorcamps aren't cheap, so I can understand the appeal of a discreet lakeside spot.
I have a confession to make: I plan on doing a spot of freedom camping someday.
I took my first major motorhome trip last year and had a great time (look out for a story in the next couple of weeks). But driving around with a mobile dunny planted inthe middle of your wagon makes for a cumbersome trip. They rattle, they smell like portaloos (which they kind of are), they take up a lot of space and, honestly, I would rather use the toilets and showers in the motorcamp anyway.
Crucially, I encouraged my fellow travellers to also use the toilets in the motorcamp - after all, I was the guy who had to empty the wastewater.
So - as I'll explain in my upcoming, unwritten and now twice-promoted feature - next time I do a campervan trip, I'll choose a van with no toilet and no shower. I might even look for a spot where we can park up with no check-in fees. In short, I'll be a freedom camper.
I am, however, a classic smugly tidy Kiwi, so I won't be sullying any campsites or lakesides with waste - of any sort.
Campervan berths in motorcamps aren't cheap, so I can understand the appeal of a discreet lakeside spot.
Last week's editorial on freedom campers got a heap of interesting responses from readers.
One online poster said councils need to make a greater effort and apply a little common sense.
"We have huge numbers of [freedom campers] visiting in the Orewa area and the council goes around locking up all the loos at dusk - stupidity. Tourism is our biggest earner so they should be littering the country with pay-shower/dunny units.
"There's no way they can stop freedom camping - so embrace it as part of the tourism industry and make NZ the best freedom camping country in the world."
Well said, that man!
On the subject of rogue pooing: fines are all well and good, but are the travellers getting enough information?
