Land and Information New Zealand (Linz), which manages the region’s lakeside camping sites in conjunction with contractors and the Central Otago District Council (CODC), will start work to ‘‘upgrade and enhance’’ the sites next week.
The first work would be done at the Bendigo site, where vehicle counters continued to show high visitor numbers — about 900 vehicles a week — of freedom campers, day visitors and boat users, Linz deputy chief executive Crown property, Jerome Sheppard, said.
The work at Bendigo would include the installation of new toilets and solar-powered rubbish bins, Mr Sheppard said.
The bins, known as "belly bins", were self-compacting bins which could compress rubbish and recyclables, meaning less frequent emptying. They also had sensors, which alerted the collection company when full.
Other work being done at Bendigo included levelling and resurfacing the road and car park areas, marking out designated parking spaces and campsites, and installation of fencing and other features to keep vehicles in designated areas and improve access to the boat ramp.
Mr Sheppard said the work was being done because of the "ever-increasing popularity" of the Central Otago lakeside camping sites, in particular Bendigo.
Last summer, problems with irresponsible campers at the Bendigo site were the worst they had been, toilets and rubbish bins at the Bendigo site overflowing and up to 100 vehicles staying at the area on some nights.
Linz and the CODC later resolved a joint approach was the only way to tackle the problem and they have had various discussions and meetings to discuss strategies this year.
Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan said yesterday the relationship between the two had been "a very positive one of late" and he looked forward to the camping site works being completed.
The work would take about two to four weeks, Mr Sheppard said.
There would be "some disruption" for campers and boat users, including partial or possibly full closure of the Bendigo area for a short period.
Boat users could still access the lake from various other ramps, and there were other freedom camping sites at Lowburn and Jacksons Inlet.
Minor work would also be done at the Lowburn and Jacksons Inlet campsites.
At Lowburn, this would include improved signs and access from the state highway, as well as painting of the toilet block. Additional fencing was also being considered.
At Jacksons Inlet, improved signs, including better information for campers, would be put in place, as part of a move to have consistent signs at all Linz sites around the lake.
