Freedom campers looking for a nice spot to stay overnight along the Clutha River system will have five official camping areas to choose from in the Central Otago district.
The Clutha Management Committee last week approved five areas for freedom camping along the Clutha - at Bendigo, Lowburn, Champagne Gully, Jacksons and Pinders Pond, near Roxburgh.
Campers will be allowed to stay a maximum three nights at Bendigo and the Lowburn boat harbour and one night at Champagne Gully and Jacksons, between Cromwell and Clyde. Only self-contained campervans can stay overnight at Jacksons. Details for the Pinders Pond site - already a popular freedom-camping spot - were not available yesterday.
It was decided not to erect signs advertising the camping areas due to the cost and also out of consideration for commercial camp operators. However, "No camping" signs will continue to be used in problem areas.
Central Otago District Council district development manager Anne Pullar said the council was producing a brochure which would inform visitors where they could camp and the number of nights allowed at each location. The information would also be on the council's website.
The council was still "trying to work out what is the best strategy" to tell people about the camping areas.
"Other regions say 'no, we don't want you' but we don't want to do that in Central Otago because we've had generations of people coming."
The brochures would also encourage people to camp at commercial campgrounds.
A survey by the Central Otago District Council indicated a significant number of freedom campers were seasonal workers or short-term visitors.
The campers were mostly self-contained but some, including the seasonal workers, stayed for most of the summer.
Committee member Clair Higginson said many complaints about freedom campers were in relation to those not "self-contained". The survey also showed the number of people in hired campervans using these areas had dropped significantly. This was credited to a national campaign to ensure commercial fleet operators provided information to clients on appropriate camping areas.
The committee decided to contribute $8000 over the three busiest months of the holiday season - December, January and February - to Land Information New Zealand, which administers the land, to cover extra cleaning costs.
It also decided the Lowburn Collie Dog Club should be fenced off, effectively closing it to campers, as it was considered an inappropriate place to camp. The work will be done by Linz, which owns the land, in conjunction with the collie club.
