New Zealand’s Freedom Camping Act has created a whole new class of people to regulate and control: Freedom Campers. So who are they? Quite a diverse group it seems.
Young People
Whether they be locals or international tourists, a road trip is almost a right of passage for young people of university age. It’s not a new phenomenon either. But it is one that many oldies complain about: they’re scruffy and unruly, their vehicles are unsightly, they leave a mess, they steal and so on. But many of these miserable old buggers forget that they once queued to see Easy Rider at the cinema and dreamed of life on the road. Many of the whining old bastards even did a bit of freedom camping themselves in their younger days and relished the experience. Of course, they’ll say: ‘but we did it responsibly’. Yeah right. None of you oldies were ever unsightly, unruly, drove old dungers or littered.
Retired Elderly
With nothing better to do, thousands of retired Kiwis hit the road in their RV’s, converted delivery trucks and house buses. Their vehicles, often old retired Japanese buses, are an impediment to other road users as they chug along belching black smoke. We sit behind them choking on the fumes and trying to work out on what planet the mottos these people adorn their travelling hovels with would be considered amusing: ‘Not Dunroamin’, ‘Grouse Inn’, ‘Adventure Before Dementia’, ‘I keep no cash on this bus – I’m married’. And so on ad nauseum.
Cheapskate Campers
These can include the retired elderly of course but are generally just people who could afford to pay their way but won’t if they can get away with it. There are thousands of cheapskate campers, many displaying a curious sticker with wings on either side of a red circle. You know who you are. The sticker denotes membership of a club that offers members: ‘…benefits including, but not limited to, discounts on services and products, free and low cost overnight sites…’
The Department Of Conservation has an extensive network of camp sites situated in some of the most beautiful parts of the country. The $8 per night charged at these is way too expensive for cheapskate campers. They can hold onto their cash by parking up in the dingy corner of a car park on the edge of town. These people flock together in such places where they can exchange tips on camping for free. Of course they’re not unsightly, not like those scruffy young Freedom Campers.
The Homeless
There’s a housing shortage in New Zealand. High prices, relentless immigration and a house building rate that’s not fast enough to keep up with demand, leaves many Kiwis unable to find or afford a house. Some of these will hit the road.
There are also those who are temporarily homeless due to short-term crisis such as marriage break-up. These people are likely to be found sleeping in their cars and can fall straight into the legislation trap. Not many people have a car that complies with the requirements of the Freedom Camping Act (i.e. a mobile toilet). So these folk become Freedom Campers in effect and risk a $200 fine for being homeless in possession of a car.
So where can Freedom Campers hole up for the night? To be continued …