The 1964 guide to the sweet campgrounds of the South Island.
IF NEW ZEALANDERS HAVE A SUPERPOWER, IT’S THE ERECTING, AND DECONSTRUCTING, OF CAMPING INFRASTRUCTURE WITH MILITARY PRECISION. EVERY SUMMER, THEY USE THIS POWER TO SPEND SEVERAL WEEKS LIVING ON A DIET THAT IS 70% SAUSAGES AND 30% FRUJU ICEBLOCKS, DROPPING MANUS OFF WATERLOGGED WHARF STRUCTURES, AND ENJOYING MILLION-DOLLAR VIEWS FOR A PER- NIGHT PRICE THAT IS LESS THAN THE COST OF A TICKET TO THE NEW, AND SLIGHTLY DISAPPOINTING, WONDER WOMAN MOVIE.
We made a pledge when we launched 1964 not to promote Aotearoa’s secret, untouched spots, which, in this case, is easy. The not-secret / officially-sanctioned campsites are so good, and so cheap (if not free), there’s just no need to be sneaky. And with the FruJu-scarfing hoards all back at work and school, now’s the time to check them out.
CURIO BAY HOLIDAY PARK
The Curio Bay Holiday Park has location location location squared. It’s tucked in a maze of flax bushes perfectly-placed to keep the Southland wind at bay, which is beautiful, sure, but it’s what’s nearby that make this place impossibly epic. For one, Curio Bay is coveted a beach break that serves up yeets for all levels of surfer. It’s also home to an incredibly-rare colony of Hector’s dolphin / papakanua. There are only about 7000 of them left on earth, and at Curio they love to hit the waves with, under, and sometimes above, the surfers. Yeet, indeed. Then there’s the population of the equally-rare hoihoi, or yellow-eyed penguins, who waddle to and from the water’s edge each morning and evening to feed.
Not enough awesomeness for you? Just along from the penguins, lying oceanside like it ain’t no thing, is 180-million- year-old Jurassic fossil forest, one of only three of its kind on earth. Visit at low tide to wander through the thickets of fossilised tree stumps and ponder the minuteness of your own existence against the enormity of time. A stern note: Be a good human around wildlife. Don’t touch or feed the dolphins, it’s bad for them. People make penguins nervous, so keep your distance, and for the love of Feathers McGraw, leave your dog at home. – LW
GLENDHU BAY MOTOR CAMP
When I first moved to Hāwea, everyone was incredibly cool. And the coolest of the cool had stories that comprised the winters they’d spent camping at Glendhu Bay, skiing every day at Treble Cone and existing on noodles and cool. Nobody I know calls Glendhu Bay Motor Camp Glendhu Bay Motor Camp, they just say Glendhu Bay. Set on the shores of Lake Wānaka, far enough away from town that it’s wise to remember your supplies for the weekend, though with Velo, the Glendhu Bike Park café, across the road now, and ice creams available from the camp shop, all you need is your paddleboard and your book and your noodles, unless you’re one of those people with an actual boat in which case you can launch it from the ramp on the reserve.
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Trees line the lake and if you get one of the prime spots you can get up and in there in seconds. It’s deep enough fast enough for a good swim and the scenery is not shabby. Even when the campground is packed, over the summer school holidays, or for the TUKI festival, it still feels like a place to potter and play. There’s a little bridge, and there are cabins. Also, importantly, hot water on tap for your noodles. – LB
PELORUS BRIDGE CAMPGROUND
Located about 20 kilometres from Havelock (the one near Nelson, not the North one), this place is proper idyllic. The campsites and tidy-as amenity block sit on a river flat next to the Pelorus River in the shadow of a grove of kahikatea, beech and rimu trees. Expect to spot pīwakawaka, kerurū, weka, tui, bellbirds and, if you’re lucky, the odd native long tailed bat – basically, it’s like that scene in Snow White when all the forest animals flock around Snow when she’s sad, except without the regressive storyline about the Prince. Speaking of sad, hire an inner tube on site for ten bucks and take a float down the Pelorous to watch all your worries float away to the slap slap sound of the mellow whitewater. Do bring bug juice, the sandflies are enthusiastic. – LW
LAKE POAKA CAMPSITE
Driving from one coast to the other is always further than we remember, and Twizel’s Lake Poaka campsite, conveniently situated just off State Highway 8, is the perfect layover. Roll in for a rest and a cold one, and pretend you’re in the backcountry. The birdlife is second to none, although some swans and ducks have decided they’re nocturnal, which is romantic or annoying depending on the volume and time of night.
The picnic table on the water is a great place to enjoy a ramen dinner or an oatmeal breakfast, or skip the budget food and dishes and go ball it out in Dam City! Five minutes from camp you’ll be walking the street of Twizel and enjoying wontons, duck curry, T-bone steaks, pints, chips, cinnamon buns, screwdrivers and pies. – NW
WARRINGTON RESERVE
Freedom camping is almost as controversial as the question of Marmite. In 2017 the DCC upgraded the facilities at the Warrington Reserve near Blueskin Bay, investing in toilets, bins and signs. They’ve also got a handy map online showing you where on the reserve you can park depending on whether you’re in a self- contained vehicle (top end), a budget-as van like mine (bottom end, nearer the facilities) or a tent (smack bang in the middle).
Last time I stopped in, there was no paper in the toilets except the paper that was plugging the holes in the walls. Which is one of the problems, isn’t it, with freedom camping, because what, ever, in life, is really free? Not even advice.
If you want my advice, Warrington is a perfectly reasonable place for an overnighter. The rules, anyway, say you can only have two nights at most. We swam between the flags at the beach, which was a less than three-minute walk along a sandy track. Also, you can rent surfboards and wetsuits and buy coffee from the Warrington Surf & Coffee Kiosk, if you happen to be there between November and ANZAC Day on weekends. We did. So fun. – LB
