John Fridd explains how you too can enjoy this - and it's cheap or even free.
This summer, I spent four days camping at St Bathans.
I had a great time soaking up the history, exploring the district on my mountain bike and visiting the new Oteake Conservation Park.
Every day was sweltering and I enjoyed my daily plunge into the cool waters of the Blue Lake before tucking into an even cooler ale at the famous Vulcan Hotel.
At night, when the stars came out, I sat outside my tent transfixed by the majesty of the night sky as only it can be viewed in the country, away from light pollution.
The bill for my four-night stay at the Department of Conservation (Doc) St Bathans domain conservation campsite? Zero.
The site is classed as basic by Doc, which means there is no fee.
The swishest Doc campsites are designated "serviced", which means you can expect a hot shower, flush toilets and kitchen, among other facilities.
Fees range from $8-14 per night for an adult.
In between the top and bottom grades, there are two more designations - standard and back country, with fees ranging from $3 to $12.
The basic designation hints at what facilities one can expect at camps such as the St Bathans Domain - in this case a modern long-drop toilet, cold-water tap and rubbish bins.
Compensating for this is the fact Doc campsites are usually in beautiful places beside lakes or rivers and/or with great mountain views.
There's nothing nicer than sitting by a lake or under a mountain range sipping fresh-brewed coffee, munching on fruitcake and taking in the scenery, knowing this is home for several days.
The St Bathans facility is one of 16 conservation campsites maintained in Otago by Doc, according to the free South Island Conservation Campsites guide, available from Doc offices.
The guide told me there were 118 in the South Island (the North Island has its own guide).
Down our way, Southland has 14 campsites, with all but two in Fiordland National Park. Otago's include four on the coast - two between Palmerston and Oamaru and another couple near Owaka - while the others are the two near St Bathans and 10 in the Queenstown Lakes district.
While at St Bathans, I drove about 17km up the Upper Manuherikia Valley to inspect Otago's newest conservation campsite, Homestead.
Established at the site of the original Michael Peak homestead, the camp is sheltered by a wall of tall pines surrounding it and sits beside a stream stocked with small, lightning-fast brook trout.
Once again it's a free basic site, with the only facilities a water tap and a large, modern long-drop toilet.
However, when I finished wandering around the tree-stump-studded site and turned east to look over the Manuherikia River, I could see why this would be a wonderful place to spend a few days.
Stretching out in front of me was the magnificent Hawkdun Range, captured by painters and photographers since the early days.
The Hawkduns are now part of Oteake park and the new camp makes the park more accessible to visitors.
From the campsite, I drove down to the river and was surprised to see the bridge I had often used had been blocked off.
The wide ford across the Manuherikia looked daunting but my Suzuki 4WD cruised across.
The pool under the bridge looked inviting on a sweltering Central day so I leapt in, before driving back to St Bathans via the alternative access road, which passes Falls Dam and joins State Highway 85 at Hills Creek.
If you're thinking of heading in to the Homestead campsite, be aware that if you don't have a 4WD, fords on both access roads could be tricky to cross unless the weather has been dry - and they are probably tricky for campervans at any time.
Obviously, setting up a temporary home in a place like the St Bathans domain means you have to take everything you need.
Over the years I've amassed a garage full of gear, so I already had everything I needed.
I was lucky a local couple agreed to rotate my ice packs through their freezer, so my milk, beer and cheese stayed cool, although I could have packed powdered milk.
Apart from my tent, sleeping bag, camp stretcher and foam bed-mat, items I packed included folding chairs, two camp tables, a two-ring gas cooker, small tramping gas cooker, unbreakable plates and bowls, various pots and pans (try your local second-hand store for these), some cutlery, a gas-fire camp toaster, a decent battery-powered light for the tent (mine even has a remote control) torches, bucket with lid for rubbish, plastic washing-up basin, tarpaulins to create a floor if it's wet.
Other essentials include matches, rope for washing lines and fixing guy-ropes, string, pegs for the washing line, a toolbox packed with tools, a big water container - preferably with tap - and a brush and pan to keep the tent tidy.
On the food front, canned and dried meals are great for camping and a roll of salami keeps well, as does heavy Swiss rye bread.
One glorious night I tucked into a hearty venison steak with seven veg - I must admit this was on my cook's night off, when I wandered up the hill to the Vulcan Hotel for dinner.
Conservation campsites are popular with Motor Home Association owners, and Doc must love these folk, as their vehicles are self-contained, carrying their own water and taking away all sewage and grey-water to be pumped out at dump-sites.
One North Island couple who parked their Mercedes motor-home in the St Bathans domain near my tent were coy about what it cost exactly, but I gathered they didn't get much change from $200,000.
For that they got a shower, toilet, fridge, four power sources (including solar) and a home-away-from-home better equipped than most New Zealand houses.
Oh, well - something to think about when the old tent wears out.
