Winter 2025 ISSUE 12 BUY PDF ToC Click on image for full view and caption editorial_H_quinney's-after.webp GO TO CHILLY CHILLY CHILLY OUT THERE The impact of our changing weather. Weather, climate and camping: editorial Miriam Richardson Campers of all stripes are feeling the impact of our changing weather. Both Kaiteriteri’s Bethany Park in Tasman and Quinney’s Bush (also in Tasman; above) face a big cleanup after 2 once-in-100-year floods in a fortnight. A mini-tornado destroyed one camper and upturned another in Tauranga Bay in Northland. The damage from Cyclone Gabriel is still being remedied 2 years later, and some of the devastated campsites seem unlikely to reopen. Narrow winding roads through our steep mountains and hills, leading to more out of the way places are very vulnerable to slips and reinstatement is not quick, and each time raises question about the economics of repair. Read Vunerable Roads National funding for extreme weather events has been repurposed for things this government considers more important so the energy, effort and costs of recovery as well as of future-proofing for changing weather is left to famillies, businesses, and local councils. How, as campers, can we support affected campgrounds? If we want to keep camping facilities alive in remote and beautiful parts of the country, what can we do? 🏕️ Tiaki mai, tiaki atu, Miriam Richardson, Editor Above photos: ©2025 Quinneys Bush Up Up 12 Winter 2025 , p 4

Seven things to fix • Use the current standard. • Remove the fixed toilet fetish. • Remove the offence “preparing to freedom camp” — who can determine intentions? • Make the delivery of offence notices fair. • Remove the revised definition of homelessness. • Ensure adequate facilities for all travellers. • Differentiate between citizens and tourists. Summer 2023 ISSUE 6 BUY PDF CONTENTS Up The freedom camping law needs to change Up Miriam Richardson Return to the use of the NZ standard on self-containment for now. Initiate a revision process to bring it up to modern requirements, with all the checks and balances required for the proper making of standards. If freedom camping requires more than the general standards, make it an extra certification for just those things that are different. There are so many technical errors in the current regulations, trying to fix them all is virtually impossible on a clause by clause revision. Remove the need for two parallel systems of self-containment assessment. The new system only applies to freedom camping, and is needlessly restrictive, so a parallel system has to be maintained to cater for other places and uses. Remove the requirement for fixed toilets. It is the using of toilets that protects the environment, not their ‘fixedness’. Tent campers, campers with small vehicles, poptops, roof top and other kinds of campers often carry a portable toilet and a toilet tent when camping in places that do not provide toilets: this works; and works perfectly. Remove the offence “preparing to freedom camp” because it is impossible to ascertain what someone is intending to do later in the day. “Day-trip excursions,” which are explicitly allowed in the law, are identical in appearance to “preparing to freedom camp.” Parking in order to shop is also explicitly allowed, but it is identical in appearance to preparing to freedom camp, since “parking with the intention…” is the legal measure of an offence, and intentions are not visible, but parking is. Differentiate between NZ citizens and tourists. Citizens should have rights to access their own country, whether tourists do or not. Ensure tourists who exit NZ pay any fines they incurred while here. Require education about self-containment and appropriate behaviour to be delivered by businesses that provide campervans to travellers. Make the delivery of offence notices fair. Currently, the mere fact a council employee presses the send button in their email programme is sufficient to make a notice ‘served’. Electronic delivery has many obvious problems. You can’t respond to an alleged offence if you don’t receive the notice. The current law is not fair. Remove the revision to the definition of homelessness. This seems to have been intended to stop people who live in their vehicles being treated as ‘homeless’ when parked in freedom camping areas. NZ is short so many thousands of houses, anyone who can manage in a vehicle deserves to avoid legal arguments about whether they are homeless or not. The homeless person is forced into a legal battle with the council to add to their other woes. People can be or become homeless while living in a motorhome or bus. Physical and health challenges can reduce their capacity to manage the physical work required. As they search for accommodation or sit on waiting lists for housing, they are homeless, even though they still live in their tent, car, van, bus or motorhome. The law is vague: are you ‘unable’ to stay in this campground/motel/boarding house/hotel? What does ‘unable’ mean? • A motel or camping ground is too far away? What is ‘too far’? • Not enough money to pay? Is having 1 night’s worth of dollars for a campground enough?• … what about on night 2? • What if the campground is not open when they arrive in a town so they are ‘unable’ to stay there? Ensure there are adequate facilities for travellers Many councils spent money on enforcement that could have been spent providing facilities so no enforcement was necessary. Turn this around. Ensure there are enough public toilets in enough places to meet the needs of all the travelling public. It’s people in cars (who don’t carry a toilet) who are getting caught short, not those with portable and accessible toilets on board. More on Freedom camping and self-containment: The freedom camping law needs to change Self-containment certification: which one is yours? What to do? Upgrade? Wait? Editorial — Caught in the middle Who is advocating for NZers who camp? There’s no need to rush this summer NZ’s independent national network for certification Up Up Mt Cook_MNR_5721_mw.webp Mt Cook_MNR_5721_mw.webp 1/1

Sometimes the best medicine you need is going somewhere with no phone signal so you can spend the whole day just giving each other shit. Summer 2023 ISSUE 6 BUY PDF CONTENTS Up The best medicine Up Jayme Groeneveld Sometimes the best medicine you need is going somewhere with no phone signal so you can spend the whole day just giving each other shit. 
 ©2023 Jayme Groeneveld, Chilly Bin Adventures Instagram Up Up tiny-chilly-best-med_mw.webp tiny-chilly-best-med_mw.webp 1/1

We love freedom camping, and great charity recycle shops. My vintage-clothes-obsessed daughter and I did a wee roadie and filled her with treasures (lower North Island). Summer 2023 ISSUE 6 BUY PDF CONTENTS Up Van tour of the op shops Up Bette Cosgrove Not only do we love freedom camping, we’re also keen on finding great charity recycle shops to purchase anything we need. So my vintage-clothes-obsessed daughter and I did a wee roadie in ‘A Van Called Wanda’ and filled her with treasures, found on the west coast, lower North Island. We freedom camped all the way. So it was a great way to spend some mother daughter time doing what we both love. Adding to the vintage wardrobe collection and finding top spots to camp. Heres a summary of all the places we found and the fabulous spots to camp along the way. Map images show the op shops we found. Ōtaki First stop on the new expressway out of Wellington was the Ōtaki River mouth — right on the beach is great. Part of the Kapiti District Council responsible camping site network. ckw.nz/kapiti-freecamp Down Mill Road there are three great charity stores run by lovely local volunteers and plenty of $2 bargains to be found. Ōtaki has 3 opshops, Main St Otaki, down Mill Road. Plenty of on-street parking. Large vehicles can park in the carpark behind the shops. Toilets are in the library and the park beside Little Theatre. Levin Levin has a great selection of opshops trailing along the main highway on both sides, and if you need to stay over, freedom camping is available during summer at Kimberley Reserve. We passed through Levin heading north and picked up some excellent deals along the way. ckw.nz/horowhenua-kimberley Levin has 8 opshops & Save Mart. Most along Main St (SH1). Parking behind the shops on east or west sides. Whanganui Whanganui is opshop heaven with 4 great stores in the central city and three suburban shops worth seeking out on Google Maps. We spent a lovely night at the Barrage Road site beside Virginia Lake which was perfect for a morning walk and spending time with the birds in the lovely aviary. There are several great places to free camp here thanks to Whanganui Council and because there are many opshops plus a SaveMart you could stay a couple of nights in different places. ckw.nz/whanganui-freecamp Whanganui has 8 opshops plus Save Mart. Mostly in the Victoria St area. Easy parking, weekdays. Worth visiting the suburban stores. Hawera Hawera is a great little town in the South Taranaki District where there are a good selection of free sites to camp. We enjoyed the dramatic coastal spot only 6 min from town at Waihi Beach Reserve with shelter belts and accessible toilet. This site accesses the dramatic Coastal Walk from a historic pa site and it was the perfect backdrop for a crazy photo shoot of the 80s classic wedding dress my daughter couldn’t resist in Gonville, Whanganui. ckw.nz/south-tara-freecamp Hawera has 4 great opshops along High St, Hawera. Parking & toilet off Little Regent St with walkway to shops. Returning home Returning home via the Kāpiti Coast, there were quite a few opshops in Waikanae Village, Paraparaumu and Raumati. Our favourite spot to overnight on the way home was the beautiful, North Waikanae Beach, Field Way site next to Waimeha Stream. Our van was packed full of treasures by then.  ckw.nz/kapiti-freecamp Up Up Click on the gallery for a full size view van-opshop_171639_mw.webp The Waihi Beach Reserve site accesses the dramatic Coastal Walk from a historic pa site and it was the perfect backdrop for a crazy photo shoot of the 80s classic wedding dress my daughter couldn’t resist in Gonville, Whanganui. Otaki hospice shop van-opshop_waihi-free_mw.webp We enjoyed the dramatic coastal spot only 6 min from town at Waihi Beach Reserve with shelter belts and accessible toilet. van-opshop_171639_mw.webp The Waihi Beach Reserve site accesses the dramatic Coastal Walk from a historic pa site and it was the perfect backdrop for a crazy photo shoot of the 80s classic wedding dress my daughter couldn’t resist in Gonville, Whanganui. 1/8

8 Winter 2024 Winter 2024 ISSUE 8 BUY PDF CONTENTS Click on image for full view and caption GO TO Autumn Gold some random tips Tips for campers Editor Disposing of empty small LPG canisters “I attach to my stove to make sure they are empty then bash a hole with a screwdriver and hammer, then put in recycling.” “You can drop them off at some recycling/transfer stations (check first).” Or use this tool, pictured: JetBoil CrunchIt. JetBoil CrunchIt. Calculating the rear axle load for rear bicycle racks How to calculate the rear axle load of a caravan, mobile home or campervan with a loaded rear rack. ckw.nz/axle-load-bike iOverlander A free website and app created to help overlanders on the road find their next destination. You can improve the data by updating and adding places you have been. There are 540 places in New Zealand so far. ioverlander.com Up Up 8 Winter 2024 , p 36

7 Autumn 2024 Autumn 2024 ISSUE 7 BUY PDF CONTENTS Click on image for full view and caption Haere ra Haere ra Bette Cosgrove Beautiful Sunday at Morison’s Bush. Enjoy, and haere rā everyone. Shame we can’t stay longer. ©2024 Bette Cosgrove GO TO Celebrating Summer shame we can’t stay longer Private property. Not affected by law changes. Up Up 7 Autumn 2024 , p 15 ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 4 editor@campingthekiwiway.org

10 summer 2024 Summer 2024 ISSUE 10 BUY PDF ToC Click on image for full view and caption GO TO Springing Sunday morning caravan Lego Beverley Stoneley Sunday morning caravan Lego with our boys, Eddie and Boston. ◊ ©2024 Beverley Stoneley Up Up 10 Summer 2024 , p 9

7 Autumn 2024 Autumn 2024 ISSUE 7 BUY PDF CONTENTS Click on image for full view and caption SH 35 is a magical journey Stunning coastal camp site at Maraehako Campground, Whanarua Bay (East Coast).©2024 Bette Cosgrove SH 35 is a magical journey. Stunning coastal camp site at Maraehako Campground, Whanarua Bay (East Coast).©2024 Bette Cosgrove Maraehako Campground Stunning coastal camp site at Maraehako Campground, Whanarua Bay (East Coast).©2024 Bette Cosgrove SH 35 is a magical journey. Bay Church in the distance there. ©2024 Bette Cosgrove Bay Church ©2024 Bette Cosgrove Waihau Bay SH 35 is a magical journey. ©2024 Bette Cosgrove Camping beside the pub in Waihau Bay ©2024 Bette Cosgrove Celebrate-SH 35-8.jpg camping beside the pub in Waihau Bay.©2024 Bette Cosgrove Not FREE but truly freedom at its best Bette Cosgrove SH 35 is a magical journey. Put it on your list. GO TO Celebrating Summer a magical journey Campground. Not affected by law changes. Private property. Not affected by law changes. Up Up 7 Autumn 2024 , p 7 ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 4 editor@campingthekiwiway.org

2 Summer 2022 Summer 2022 ISSUE 2 CONTENTS PDF BUY Up Battery capacity Collyn Rivers 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 ) Up Up 1/1

2 Summer 2022 Summer 2022 ISSUE 2 CONTENTS PDF BUY Up Overnight beside the Aparima River Heather Auckram Up I slept overnight beside the Aparima River near Opio (Southland). A couple of 4WDs drove along, but apart from the noise caused us no bother. Lots and lots of wild ducks. ©2022 Heather Auckram Up Up 1/1

Camping events coming up BUY PDF CONTENTS Spring 2023 ISSUE 5 Up EVENTS — Camping 22–24 Sept: Test the waters: Leithfield Friday, Leithfield Beach, Canterbury It’s time to Test The Waters for those who have not been out for a while. Amberley Farmers Market, a winery, walk on the beach, ride your bike to Leithfield Village. Dogs on leads. 1pm arrive, 10am depart. Powered & non-powered. ckw.nz/leithfield ckw.nz/leithfield-rsvp 22–24 Sept: NZMCA Motorhome Caravan & Leisure Show Friday, Ōhaupō, Mystery Creek, Hamilton Join All Points Camping at the show. We will have a stand at the show and be staying on site for the weekend. You’ll find your favourite brands of motorhome & caravans, a host of new products, an array of innovative accessories and some unbeatable deals. ckw.nz/show-mystery-creek-23 nzmotorhomeshow.co.nz 29 Sept–1 Oct: Spring Camp in Carterton Friday, Carterton Holiday Park, Wairarapa Come and join us for an early spring camp in the Wairarapa. Booking with the motorcamp is required. ckw.nz/carterton-apc ckw.nz/carterton-apc-rsvp cartertonholidaypark.co.nz 13–15 Oct: Calm before the storm Friday, Kowhai Domain, Springfield, Canterbury The weather is warming up. Grass is growing and so are the weeds. Put your feet up before it gets busy. Cash only, on arrival. Dogs on leads. Limited power sites. ckw.nz/calm ckw.nz/calm-rsvp 20–22 Oct: Foxton Spring Fling Camp Friday, Foxton Beach, Manawatu Come and join us for a family-friendly camping weekend at Foxton Beach School. This is also the weekend of Foxton’s Spring Fling in the main street on Sunday. Tents welcome. ckw.nz/foxton-spring-fling ckw.nz/foxton-spring-fling-rsvp 20–23 Oct: BOP Family Fun Weekend Friday, Paengaroa, Bay of Plenty Weekend of camping & family fun and games. Paengaroa School. ckw.nz/bop-family-fun ckw.nz/bop-family-fun-rsvp 11–12 Nov: Nelson Motorhome & Caravan Show Sat, Tahunanui Campground, Nelson Come and meet the All Points team at our stand. Tahuna Beach Holiday Park are offering a discount to those attending (RSVP to get the details). ckw.nz/nelson-motorhome-show nelsonmotorhomeshow.co.nz 1–3 Dec: Pre-Christmas camp at Battle Hill Friday, Pāuatahanui, Wellington Join us for a fun weekend for all ages. Battle Hill Farm Forest Park has plenty of grassy space, a creek to play in, as well as walks and local history. You can also feed the eels. ckw.nz/battlehill-dec ckw.nz/battlehill-dec-rsvp For more camps keep an eye on allpointscampingnz.org/events ckw.nz/nzfunadventures-events (FB) Up Up Up 1/0

Do you park your camper facing outwards? (Quick evac if needed.) Or just how you feel? BUY PDF CONTENTS Spring 2023 ISSUE 5 Up Thinking about your overnight park Keith Rowland Queen’s Park, Hunterville, parked on the main gravel hard standing, facing outwards, the area directly in front is quite low and was quite boggy with standing water puddles, and the grass behind the trailer was a bit dicey too. Timona Park, Feilding, wet weekend of localised area flooding; hard standing parking was fine, but its not much of a river rise and the park gets flooded, even with the kind of stop bank formed by the garden features on the right of this image. Paekakariki Holiday Park, its was hot between the shelter belts of planting, parking had to be worked within the space given, of course, and being a powered site meant no issues with running out of power… Bartletts Ford, Manawatu — Jan 2022 Bartletts Ford — Jan 2023 river approx 500mm from top of bank… and it was still raining hard up in the headwaters. Bartletts Ford — January 2023 some of the low spots had standing water; others, the grass hid the water quite well (until stepped in). Norsewood after a 2am wind storm that came through and destroyed 8 gazebos, damaged a further 6 and scared a couple of people who had never experienced wind under canvas before. • Do you park your camper facing outwards? (Quick evac if needed.) Or just how you feel? • Do you park close to the riverbank? • Do you park near the gate? • Do you consider any fire risk? Is there a 3m space between you and the neighbour in case of fire or emergency access? Or do you just crowd in? • Do you suss out the vibe before even getting out? • Do you think about emergency evac (or getting emergency help) if the gates are locked? • Do you love parking under trees? (Has pros and cons, pros: shade during hot days & degree of shelter during winter, somewhere to have a nice hammock set up… Cons: blocks solar panels, debris falling on van and solar panels, tree damage during storms or even snowfall if you’re winter camping.) • Do you have a look at the grounds and see if anywhere is abnormally lower than others with arisk of flooding? • Or do you chuck it all in the wind and leave it to fate? For seasoned campers these may sound a little ridiculous but I can assure you, you do all these things naturally… Oh, and crime risk doesn’t really come into this discussion; crime can happen everywhere and anywhere, just trust your gut instincts and leave if your gut-feel changes… Up Up Up Seasoned campers do all these things naturally... 1/0