Alex and Mel Beley have taken a 33-year lease on the camping ground at Hampden.
The couple came from Basel, Switzerland, via the Coromandel, where they managed a camping ground.
Mr Beley worked in tourism and marketing in Switzerland and has worked in the same fields in New Zealand.
The wide open spaces of New Zealand, particularly around the Hampden-Moeraki area, appeal to him.
He tells visitors to the Moeraki Boulders Holiday Park they may just find themselves alone on the New Zealand beach.
Many overseas visitors found the fact they were standing on an empty beach "unbelievable" but it was taken for granted by local people, he said.
People come to New Zealand for that "unspoilt look" which was becoming harder to find.
The unspoilt look was very apparent in the Hampden-Moeraki coastal area, Mr Beley said.
The holiday park's beach access allows people to fish, swim and see the bird and marine life and the Moeraki Boulders are only a 25-minute walk away.
The Beleys plan to build tourist flats and motels at the camp and improve other facilities.
