So, who goes camping in a city over the holiday season? Chris Morris visits Dunedin's camping grounds to find out
Tourists Craig Payne and Kasia Kurek keep a close eye on the weather while pitching their tent at the Dunedin Holiday Park.
A few metres away, Lumsden couple Stephen and Andrea Diack and their four children squeeze into a traditional caravan, thankful for the shelter.
And, around the corner, the Donnelly family unpack their bags from their car into the comfort of a cabin.
Each story is different, but together they are the faces of Dunedin's camping grounds.
And, according to camping ground operators spoken to by the Otago Daily Times, they are part of a diverse collection of souls visiting this holiday season.
As well as the traditional influx of campervans and caravans, and mushrooming tent villages, operators have played host to a mix of tourists and holidaymakers from around New Zealand and abroad.
There was also a smattering of Dunedin residents seeking short breaks close to home, and those facing exceptional circumstances - staying in a tent while renovating a home, or camping close to Dunedin Hospital while caring for a seriously ill family member.
John Donnelly (46), of Blenheim, said he and wife Catherine (41) and their two teenaged children had decided to stop in Dunedin for a night while on a tour of the South Island.
They were staying in cabins while visiting southern centres Christchurch, Cromwell, Te Anau and Invercargill, as well as Aoraki Mt Cook and Milford Sound.
They were drawn to Dunedin by the attractions, and planned to visit Cadbury World and engage in some "retail therapy", Mrs Donnelly said.
"We just wanted to do a South Island trip before the kids don't want to do it with us anymore," she said.
Cabins were less problematic than tents in unpredictable weather, and cheaper - at $74 for the family at the Dunedin Holiday Park - than other accommodation options, she said.
Mr Diack (38), of Lumsden, said his family had come to Dunedin for a wedding, towing a caravan for the adults and carrying a tent for their four children.
"We set up the tent but it rained that hard . . . the kids got flooded out of it," Mr Diack said.
They arrived on Wednesday, choosing the camping ground so the children were close to nearby St Kilda beach, and had visited Moana Pool, Cadbury World and the Royal Albatross Colony at Taiaroa Head.
"We have had a fair look around - it's great," Mr Diack said. "Even though the weather has been bad, we have still had a pretty good time."
Mr Payne (28), of England, said he and partner Kasia Kurek (33), of Poland, were partway through a two-month trip around New Zealand, spending one month in each island, and chose a tent to conserve their funds.
"It's so we could spend more on Milford Sound . . . doing the boat trips and that."
They arrived in Dunedin yesterday and planned to spend the next two days exploring Baldwin St - the world's steepest street - the Speight's Brewery and Otago Peninsula, before visiting the Catlins, Milford Sound and the West Coast.
Dunedin Holiday Park manager Daniel Grubb said the camping ground had been full of tourists and New Zealand travellers throughout the holiday period, helped by bad weather that drew people to the city for shelter and indoor attractions.
He expected to be particularly busy into April, as children went back to school and older visitors - and some savvy tourists - keen to avoid peak season holiday crowds called in.
The split between tourists and New Zealanders was roughly even, although many of the tourists appeared to be from Europe or the United States, as well as a "huge mixture" of smaller numbers of other nationalities.
Leith Valley Touring Park co-owner Lyn McLaren also said she saw an even split of travellers from overseas and around New Zealand at this time of year.
Outside the holiday season, the balance shifted towards tourists.
Bad weather had deterred those in tents, with more visitors preferring cabins and motel units, caravans or campervans, she said.
Many overseas visitors planned to stop for one night, but ended up staying longer to visit city attractions, she said.
"We get a lot of people coming to stay in our place because we are close to town but we have got bush around us and the stream and the glow-worm."
Portobello Village Tourist Park owner Sherryl Charles saw mainly international visitors, staying short periods of a day or two, who kept a close eye on weather reports while planning Otago Peninsula activities.
Tent sites and backpacker accommodation had been "reasonably full" over the holiday period, helped by "a few" Dunedin residents spending long weekends on the peninsula, she said.
It appeared more New Zealanders wanted to head inland, away from Dunedin, "chasing the sun", she believed.
Brighton's Caravan Park and Boat Hire manager Eunice Lee - who has just sold the site - said she, too, saw a split of tourists and New Zealand guests, with about 60% from New Zealand during the holiday period.
Many overseas travellers were looking for a single night's accommodation, often arriving during the late afternoon and early evening.
Most were travelling by campervan or car, "following the coastline" along the Southern Scenic Route, and looking for cabins, she said.
The camp also had its regulars, with one couple travelling from Alexandra for a break each year for the past 14 or 15 years, she said.
Other New Zealand guests opted to escape "commercialised" sites in Queenstown and Wanaka, preferring "the laid-back holiday thing - no rush and bustle, shopping and stress".
