Hopes that pristine scenic areas beside Lake Hawea would stay free from human waste and litter have been dashed less than three months after public access to several reserves was reinstated.
Freedom campers have been blamed by the Hawea Community Association (HCA) for an "appalling and disgusting" repeat of the sight and smell of excrement, toilet paper, and rubbish at the reserves.
A huge local effort was made to clean up areas at Craigburn, Deep Creek, and by the Lake Hawea lookout in October when boulder blockades stopping access to the site were removed.
HCA president Rachel Brown has called for a culture change in New Zealand tourism in the wake of a sickening return to form by freedom campers.
"It's the No 1 way of visiting New Zealand - just hire a van and drive around the country and [defecate] anywhere you want," she said.
Ms Brown called for more action to be taken and wants the Queenstown Lakes District Council to do more in enforcing litter fines and overnight parking breaches in council reserve areas at Lake Hawea.
Signs at Craigburn warning against leaving human waste and litter were found broken and strewn in bushes - among piles of human faeces - when the Otago Daily Times visited yesterday.
Queenstown Lakes Mayor Vanessa van Uden said the council was bound by statutory requirements and was unable to issue litter or parking fines unless offenders were caught in the act.
She said the council was working "as quickly as possible" to address the matter and aimed to have enforcement regulations in place by June, once a central government law change was made permitting local authorities to fine freedom campers.
