Click on image for full view and caption Lake Ohau ©2024 Pam Clarke Looking to the moutains from the Round Bush campsite ©2024 Pam Clarke Looking down from the Round Bush campsite ©2024 Pam Clarke Dusk on Lake Ohau ©2024 Pam Clarke Lake Ohau ©2024 Pam Clarke Lake Ohau Track I also walked half of the Lake Ōhau Track which follows around the lake for 10km coming out on Glen Lion Road. This is part of the A2O and I really wished I’d brought my bike! Again, next time! ©2024 Pam Clarke Glen Lion Rd I also walked half of the Lake Ōhau Track which follows around the lake for 10km coming out on Glen Lion Road. This is part of the A2O and I really wished I’d brought my bike! Again, next time! ©2024 Pam Clarke Part of the A20 great ride. I also walked half of the Lake Ōhau Track which follows around the lake for 10km coming out on Glen Lion Road. This is part of the A2O and I really wished I’d brought my bike! Again, next time! ©2024 Pam Clarke Parsons Creek track I walked some of the Parsons Creek track, which goes up through beech trees then joins the Te Araroa Trail with amazing views over the lake. It was a really hot day so I only continued on for about 45 minutes then turned back, but will go back in cooler weather to do more. ©2024 Pam Clarke A lovely long weekend away at Lake Ōhau Pam Clarke I’ve just had a lovely long weekend away at Lake Ōhau in my little Wanda. Stayed one night at Round Bush campsite and 2 at Lake Middleton, both are DOC sites, Round Bush is free and Lake Middleton just $10 at this time of year and free from Easter to October. It was quite windy the entire weekend so my plans of getting out on my paddleboard didn’t happen, but I did have a (very quick and cold!) swim in Lake Ōhau which was refreshing! I walked some of the Parsons Creek track, which goes up through beech trees then joins the Te Araroa Trail with amazing views over the lake. It was a really hot day so I only continued on for about 45 minutes then turned back, but will go back in cooler weather to do more. I also walked half of the Lake Ōhau Track which follows around the lake for 10km coming out on Glen Lion Road. This is part of the A2O and I really wished I’d brought my bike! Again, next time! At the campsite I got chatting to a guy about local walks and he said it’s possible to get up to the Tarnbrae Lookout track from a path behind the village. I had a quick wander to look but didn’t find it. With all the new building going on it’s hard to tell what’s a public path and what’s a new driveway to somebody’s section. As there were high winds Sunday afternoon I decided to stay another night, and drove straight to work early Monday morning, which was of course a bright sunny and calm day! Driving past the lake it was like glass, and much as I enjoy my job I did wish I had the day off to stay and paddleboard. n Photos ©2024 Pam Clarke ​ GO TO Celebrating Summer as i drove to work on Monday the lake was like glass Two DOC camps. Not currently affected by law changes. Up Up 7 Autumn 2024 , p 11 Autumn 2024 ISSUE 7 CONTENTS PDF BUY ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 4 editor@campingthekiwiway.org

Click on image for full view and caption These display cards make a clear statement to enforcement officers, as to your intention while parking I am not freedom camping’ cards Miriam Richardson We are now in a surreal world of peculiar freedom camping rules. Every camping vehicle is now at risk of substantial fines, wherever it is parked, as the new offence of “preparing to freedom camp” is defined as “parking”. Well, literally, “park a motor vehicle to use it for freedom camping” (20 (2) (b)). Since the intention of the parking is not a visible thing, any parking of a camping-capable vehicle at a cafe, on the street, in a residential area, in a shopping area, at a reserve or a beach opens the driver (or owner) of the vehicle to the risk of a fine of up to $3,000. There are 4 kinds of parking/overnighting/sleeping that the law says are NOT freedom camping. “temporary and short-term parking” “recreational activities commonly known as day-trip excursions” “resting or sleeping at the roadside in a motor vehicle to avoid driver fatigue” “unable to live in appropriate residential accommodation”. There is no observable way to determine if the person is shopping, ‘day tripping’, temporary parking or short-term parking, undertaking a recreational activity, suffering from driver fatigue or a migraine, or homeless. • “Temporary and short-term parking” looks identical to preparing to freedom camp. • “Recreational activities commonly known as day-trip excursions” look identical to preparing to freedom camp (awning/sun umbrella, chairs, table, BBQ, togs and towels out to dry etc). • Resting because of driver fatigue looks like resting or sleeping for any other reason. • The homeless live in their vehicles the same way as travellers do but aren’t restricted to designated areas, nor required to be certified self-contained. The Responsible Campers Association has been selling window cards alerting anyone interested as to their freedom camping status. These display cards make a clear assertion to enforcement officers, as to the intention of the parking. I can see no down side in being clear about my intentions, so I think I will prepare some cards to put on my dashboard when I am parked but not freedom camping. I am not freedom camping, I am recovering from driver fatigue, as allowed by the Freedom Camping Act 2011, 5, 2(c). I am not freedom camping, nor am I preparing to freedom camp. I am on a day excursion, as allowed by the Freedom Camping Act 2011, 5, 2(b). I am not freedom camping, nor am I preparing to freedom camp. I am shopping or short-term parking as allowed by the Freedom Camping Act 2011, sections 5, 2(a) and 2(b). Homelessness is a whole other issue. When it comes to freedom camping the definition of homelessness has been changed, presumably in an effort to exclude people who live on the road and do not have a residential address. If a person ‘is able’ to stay at a boarding house, campground, motel, hotel, hostel, etc, they are, by definition, not ‘homeless’ when it comes to freedom camping. What counts as ‘able’ or ‘appropriate accommodation’ is not defined. Most living on the road would be excluded by this definition, though in places where the listed forms of accommodation are unavailable, they would, indeed, be homeless in terms of ‘freedom camping’. I might add another card advising that I will contest any infringement notices; I haven’t quite decided about that yet. With such draconian laws falling on our heads, contesting notices in court may become necessary. References: Freedom Camping Act 2011 ckw.nz/FC-law Homelessness: Freedom Camping Act 2011, 5, 2A (a)(b)(c) Temporary parking: Freedom Camping Act 2011, 5, 2(a) Day trip excursions: Freedom Camping Act 2011, 5, 2(b) Driver fatigue: Freedom Camping Act 2011, 5, 2(c) Articles in this issue on the freedom camping law changes: Predictable problems with the new CSC green warrant system (p2) Editorial (p3) Self-containment warrant cards: Which one is yours? (p6) So you want to freedom camp (p8) What is ‘self-contained’, anyway? (p10) Enforcement of freedom camping rules (p12) I am not freedom camping' cards (p14) Do your bit: Task of the week (p16) No more freedom camping (p16) Kaikōura: the freedom camping Wild West (p18) Hey NZ Govt? You are messing with my mental health (p20) 7 days a week (p21) Celebrating Summer (p5) ​ GO TO Celebrating Summer I can see no downside in being clear about my intentions Imagine if other NZers had to justify their parking or risk a $400 fine every time they went to the shops or the beach. ​ Up Up 7 Autumn 2024 , p 14 Autumn 2024 ISSUE 7 CONTENTS PDF BUY ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 4 editor@campingthekiwiway.org

1: Spring 2022 ISSUE 1 CONTENTS PDF BUY Up Issue 1, Spring 2022 Miriam Richardson Up Buy a copy, subscribe for a year's worth of copies, read it on paper, read it here or read the pdf. The choice is yours. Only $12 a copy delivered, $36 for 4 issues. BUY We bring you travel stories, tips, wonderful places to visit, insight into political changes, some solid information, a crossword: light reading, serious reading and some fun browsing. Enjoy Up Up Your magazine 1/0 ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 1 editor@campingthekiwiway.org

1: Spring 2022 ISSUE 1 CONTENTS PDF BUY Up Issue 1, Spring 2022 Miriam Richardson Up Buy a copy, subscribe for a year's worth of copies, read it on paper, read it here or read the pdf. The choice is yours. Only $12 a copy delivered, $36 for 4 issues. BUY We bring you travel stories, tips, wonderful places to visit, insight into political changes, some solid information, a crossword: light reading, serious reading and some fun browsing. Enjoy Up Up Your magazine 1/0 ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 1 editor@campingthekiwiway.org

Summer 2022 ISSUE 2 CONTENTS PDF BUY Up Battery capacity Collyn Rivers Up Up ​ Up “Cabins and RVs should have the maximum solar capacity feasible. This ensures batteries will charge fast and deeply even with intermittent sun.” Collyn Rivers. Read the article: ckw.nz/battery-capacity Collyn Rivers' 2004 4.2 litre TD Nissan Patrol and TVan each had their own self-contained solar system. (Photo rvbooks.com.au ) ​ 1/1 ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 2 editor@campingthekiwiway.org

Summer 2022 ISSUE 2 CONTENTS PDF BUY Up Implications for councils of the proposed ‘Nash bill ​ Up Up ​ Up Implications for councils of the proposed ‘Nash bill’ Here are the issues to consider with the major legislative change which is currently proposed and going through Select Committee hearings.This far-reaching piece of national legislation affects freedom camping areas all across New Zealand, whether they have current bylaws in place or not. It will affect all people who wish to use your public spaces, and the NZTA land which falls within your area. Local government will be required to enforce this legislation. See the bill here: ckw.nz/nash-bill Minister Nash is pushing for this bill to be in place prior to the Women’s FIFA World Cup, which may bring an influx of international tourists to your regions. Minister Nash hopes to have the bill passed by March 2023. The bill is definitely going to require your attention whether you have experienced issues with freedom camping in your area or not, and soon. We see many problems in this ‘omnibus law’ which changes 4 Acts of Parliament and makes 65 amendments to the current Freedom Camping Act. Consider the questions we raise below. Listen to the oral submissions to get a sense of how the changes will affect your area, your community and the travelling public: ckw.nz/oral-submissions. There are important questions to consider, if the bill passes Keep in mind that you may be required by the new law (if it passes) to have management systems, appropriate bylaws, and enforcement capabilities in place by March of 2023. When will your new councillors discuss the implications for your local council land as well as the NZTA land in your area? Your district's NZTA land will be included under the new Act. Have you approached NZTA to discuss collaboration with them over monitoring their land to enforce the new bill? This bill redefines what a self-contained vehicle is, so that it must include a fixed toilet rather than a portable one; how does your council currently define self-contained vehicles? Do you have the time and resources allocated to review, consult and prepare appropriate freedom camping bylaws and have these in place in time? Did you meet the deadline (3 Oct) for Transitional Funding applications to provide the resource and funds to review or create the necessary bylaws? Do your bylaws enable non-self-contained freedom camp sites, wherever there are toilet facilities, to accommodate the possibly thousands of willing freedom campers who will no longer be able to stay at self-containment-required sites unless they are able (and can afford) to change their non-fixed toilets to the fixed kind? Do you currently have freedom camping bylaws to match this major amendment in the Freedom Camping Act, or can you review and send out appropriate public consultation information immediately to amend your current ones, so that this new law can be implemented in your district? Do you use contractors to ensure campers are self-contained in all restricted sites? Will they be given adequate tutorial and information on how to apply the new law? Does your local community of motor vehicle camper owners have adequate access to re-certify their vehicles to meet the proposed new standards? How do you ensure enforcement officers are safe, and also ensure the privacy and safety of the campers? Do they monitor at reasonable hours of the day? Are they allowed to shine torches into people’s bedrooms at night? Did you realise that tent-stayers are not covered by this bill? Do you have tent-camping sites allocated for freedom camping? Do you have a clear complaints policy for freedom campers who might receive incorrect infringement notices during the transition period while new bylaws are being created? Now is the time to voice any concerns or issues your council has with this bill.Talk to Local Government New Zealand and talk to your local MPs who will vote on this. Now is the time to voice any concerns or issues your council has with this bill. 1/1 ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 2 editor@campingthekiwiway.org

BUY PDF CONTENTS ​ Up A Classic Gary Hitchcock Up ​ Geraldine Classic Caravan Club ©2023 Gary Hitchcock Up Up Classic Click on the gallery for a full size view Geraldine Classic Caravan Club ©2023 Gary Hitchcock Geraldine Classic Caravan Club ©2023 Gary Hitchcock Geraldine Classic Caravan Club ©2023 Gary Hitchcock Geraldine Classic Caravan Club ©2023 Gary Hitchcock 1/4

Summer 2022 ISSUE 2 CONTENTS PDF BUY Up Articles from Collyn Rivers Collyn Rivers Up Up ​ Up Battery capacity “Cabins and RVs should have the maximum solar capacity feasible. This ensures batteries will charge fast and deeply even with intermittent sun.” Collyn Rivers. Read the article: ckw.nz/battery-capacity Lithium-iron batteries in RVs Lithium-iron batteries in RVs – they are safe to use. They deliver a lot of energy and pack a lot of power but need specialised knowledge to use safely and reliably. Here’s the how and why for the LiFePO4 (lithium-iron) variety. Collyn Rivers. Read here: ckw.nz/lithium Lithium-ferro phosphate (LFP) batteries – a lithium battery rival The two battery types share some similarities but differ in high-energy-density, long life-cycles, and safety. The use of lithium-ferro phosphate (LFP) in batteries increases the choice of chemicals for battery production and reduces reliance on the more expensive, and difficult to produce, lithium hydroxide. Collyn Rivers. Read here: ckw.nz/lithium-rival Collyn Rivers' 2004 4.2 litre TD Nissan Patrol and TVan each had their own self-contained solar system. (Photo rvbooks.com.au ) ​ electric-battery-rv_m.webp electric-battery-rv_m.webp 1/1 ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 2 editor@campingthekiwiway.org

Click on image for full view and caption A coiled power supply cord A coiled power supply cord Magnetic Field Around a Wire Whenever current travels through a conductor, a magnetic field is generated. ©2024 nationalmaglab.org The perils of a coiled power supply cord Arthur How It has come to my attention that some caravanners are connecting a 230 volt power supply, via a lead, that is “coiled on a reel”, which is not completely “uncoiled” from the cable drum. This is not good practice, as the cable, when supplying power to a caravan or any appliance, is carrying voltage & current, which will create a “magnetic field” around the cable conductors. When a cord or cable, is coiled on a drum, the magnetic field is stronger and more intensely concentrated, which in turn, can cause a “transformer effect” and load up the cables which then run at a higher temperature, stressing the insulation of the 230 volt supply cable to the motorhome/caravan (or appliance). Image and text: ©2024 nationalmaglab.org Magnetic Field Around a Wire Whenever current travels through a conductor, a magnetic field is generated. A magnetic field is created anytime current runs through a conductor. A fact famously stumbled upon by Hans Christian Ørsted around 1820. MORE: ckw.nz/magnetic-field Image and text: ©2024 nationalmaglab.org Completely unwind the cable from the cable drum when you plug it in to power to avoid this overloading, cable stress and it running at a higher temperature. Arthur How is a Registered Electrical Inspector and does EWOF inspections in Foxton, Manawatu. FIND YOUR LOCAL EWOF inspector. ​ GO TO Celebrating Summer don't do it ​ Up Up 7 Autumn 2024 , p 34 Autumn 2024 ISSUE 7 CONTENTS PDF BUY ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 4 editor@campingthekiwiway.org

1: Spring 2022 ISSUE 1 CONTENTS PDF BUY Up Issue 1, Spring 2022 Miriam Richardson Up Buy a copy, subscribe for a year's worth of copies, read it on paper, read it here or read the pdf. The choice is yours. Only $12 a copy delivered, $36 for 4 issues. BUY We bring you travel stories, tips, wonderful places to visit, insight into political changes, some solid information, a crossword: light reading, serious reading and some fun browsing. Enjoy Up Up Your magazine 1/0 ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 1 editor@campingthekiwiway.org

Click on image for full view and caption Setting up ay Campfest, Bulls, 2024. Predictable problems with the new CSC green warrant system Bette Cosgrove A gaze into the green crystal ball of hope for a consistent, reliable freedom camping vehicle certification system, designed to protect our environment and keep it ‘clean and green’, reveals an extremely stormy and very cloudy future with a lot of unhappy campers, confused councils and extremely overworked , stressed vehicle inspectors. Potentially 99% of the camping vehicles currently fully certified self-contained with fixed cassette toilets will be non-compliant under the new regulations. Government and the PGDB The Minister for Tourism, Hon Matt Doocey has the power to extend the transition period (up to 2 yrs) for private vehicles certified prior to the law change. This could provide added time to review these problematic regulations. For the thousands of fleet-hire vehicles which must all be upgraded and re-certified by December ‘24, if their customers are to be eligible to freedom camp, there is no support, no extension and very little hope. The impossibility of getting the system working properly by the legislated deadlines has been signalled by the PGDB (Plumbers Board) responsible for implementing the new scheme. Given the lack of inspectors (only 29 nationwide, Feb ’24 ), there is little chance those whose self-containment expires in June this year will be able to get a new green warrant, and the law prevents them renewing their blue warrant: no more freedom camping for them. The Responsible Camping Group of the Ministry of Business, Industry and Enterprise (MBIE), is waiting for the Minister of Tourism to request that they revisit the problematic regulations. Does he know? Will he do it? If the regulations are to change, perhaps the Minister might be inclined to rescind the bizarre fixed-toilet requirement at the same time — this was a promise made by National MPs prior to the election. Being self-contained is the point (or is supposed to be). See p10. Certifiers and inspectors The major current certifier networks across Aotearoa have yet to take up the role of Certifying Authority or to train their nation-wide roster of inspectors. It will be months, well beyond June ‘24, before they can begin issuing the new green warrants. Councils: bylaws and enforcement Councils will continue to be confused and out of pocket as they are required to implement and enforce the new laws. BYLAWS: Some received funding to make bylaws. But of the 69 local authorities only 39 have published the required freedom camping bylaws and we’ve seen only half a dozen other councils starting the bylaw process. Councils who have welcoming and open policies for freedom camping but no bylaw, must now create one in order to continue to provide free camping for all. To provide space for non-self-contained campers (or those self-contained to the old standard), it must now be specifically designated in a bylaw, a lengthy, expensive process. ENFORCEMENT: Councils are now tasked with enforcing the new law, a cost to locals which may never be covered by revenue from fines. If councils choose not to enforce the new law, there will be no national consistency, a specific goal of the 2023 law changes. It’s inevitable we will continue to see clouded and confused council interpretations of the new laws. Already we’ve seen over-zealous districts trying to enforce fixed toilets ahead of time, and officers unlawfully insisting on inspecting inside vehicles. Ensuring their officers abide by the legal limits and responsibilities of enforcement is another (and urgent) task for councils. See Enforcement p12 . Is it possible? worth the cost? the hassle? There is a turbulent market ahead for fixed-toilet appliance sales. If everyone wanting self-containment must retro-fit a fixed toilet plus vent system how will they obtain these from RV suppliers? No/low stock or supply chain issues will mean tens of thousands of campers won’t get what they need, or find the tradespeople to retro-fit them, in time to meet the 2025 deadline. Both the retrofitting and the certification process is expensive and only useful for freedom camping. The blue warrants do the job for all other camping. Is it worth the effort and cost? What’s the vision for the future? Many eligible campers are likely to be unable to get the green warrants in time, and will be forced out of freedom camping, if the regulations don’t change and the new system is not delivered in the time the law sets out. This is an immensely sad loss for NZ travellers, and for the next generation, many of whom will be effectively barred from freedom camping. Only the well-off with large vehicles will be able to meet the increased cost and carry on enjoying freedom camping. The tourism industry will also be adversely affected. There will be fewer of NZ’s most lucrative tourists, those who enjoy a long slow journey around the country, who contribute more than wealthy hotel visitors who jet in and out on short stays. The cost of retrofitting will raise motorhome hire costs; much of the rental fleet may be barred from freedom camping at all. Paid campgrounds, already full at peak times, are likely to be overwhelmed by those without fixed toilets, both international and domestic. DOC sites and affordable regional sites may become overcrowded and over-used, and this could lead to a decline in the quality of the space or potentially lead to closures. The net result of these law changes is likely to be unhappy and fewer travellers and a tarnished national tourism reputation. Articles in this issue on the freedom camping law changes: Predictable problems with the new CSC green warrant system (p2) Editorial (p3) Self-containment warrant cards: Which one is yours? (p6) So you want to freedom camp (p8) What is ‘self-contained’, anyway? (p10) Enforcement of freedom camping rules (p12) I am not freedom camping' cards (p14) Do your bit: Task of the week (p16) No more freedom camping (p16) Kaikōura: the freedom camping Wild West (p18) Hey NZ Govt? You are messing with my mental health (p20) 7 days a week (p21) Celebrating Summer (p5) ​ GO TO Celebrating Summer The 29 inspectors would need to re-certify about 260 vehicles per working day to update already-certified vehicles by the Jun ’25 deadline: IMPOSSIBLE ​ Up Up 7 Autumn 2024 , p 2 Autumn 2024 ISSUE 7 CONTENTS PDF BUY ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 4 editor@campingthekiwiway.org

1: Spring 2022 ISSUE 1 CONTENTS PDF BUY Up Issue 1, Spring 2022 Miriam Richardson Up Buy a copy, subscribe for a year's worth of copies, read it on paper, read it here or read the pdf. The choice is yours. Only $12 a copy delivered, $36 for 4 issues. BUY We bring you travel stories, tips, wonderful places to visit, insight into political changes, some solid information, a crossword: light reading, serious reading and some fun browsing. Enjoy Up Up Your magazine 1/0 ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 1 editor@campingthekiwiway.org