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A Cost-Saving Guide to Freedom Camping in New Zealand ~ continued Article by Alicia Harney, pictures by Conor Lappin/Alicia Harney |
| WAVE Journey |
| Women's Adventures, Vacations & Experiences ~ Your Journey Starts Here! |
A Woman's Directory For Travel and Life.
WAVE Journey is your one-stop online resource for women-oriented businesses and
services around the world.
WAVE Journey is for every woman to enjoy. If you love to travel, cook, read or revel in outdoor
activities this website is for you. If you are looking to connect with other like-minded women or
if you are interested in finding businesses or services that cater to women, WAVE Journey is your
number one online resource.
WAVE Journey is your one-stop online resource for women-oriented businesses and
services around the world.
WAVE Journey is for every woman to enjoy. If you love to travel, cook, read or revel in outdoor
activities this website is for you. If you are looking to connect with other like-minded women or
if you are interested in finding businesses or services that cater to women, WAVE Journey is your
number one online resource.
Gypsy camping grounds
Some local councils offer areas of land that can be used by
campers, free of charge. They have toilet facilities and
sometimes even BBQ grills. These areas are often right in
townships, with the best on offer in Southland District
Council zone. Check in local iSites and on council websites
for details.
Look out for Department of Conservation campsites.
Charging very little they offer a great option for those on a
budget. Although in the summer more of the sites are
open and more facilities are offered, they still give you
somewhere to rest your head safely. They are especially
useful in council areas where freedom camping is banned
and campsites have raised their prices accordingly (Deer
Valley Camp about 40km from Hanmer Springs Village for
example). Take time and plan your route, and where you
will sleep each night!
Some local councils offer areas of land that can be used by
campers, free of charge. They have toilet facilities and
sometimes even BBQ grills. These areas are often right in
townships, with the best on offer in Southland District
Council zone. Check in local iSites and on council websites
for details.
Look out for Department of Conservation campsites.
Charging very little they offer a great option for those on a
budget. Although in the summer more of the sites are
open and more facilities are offered, they still give you
somewhere to rest your head safely. They are especially
useful in council areas where freedom camping is banned
and campsites have raised their prices accordingly (Deer
Valley Camp about 40km from Hanmer Springs Village for
example). Take time and plan your route, and where you
will sleep each night!
Free activities
My top free activities are the ones that other people are paying for! Harvest
your own green-shell mussels from the rocks by the coast and cook yourself
a delicious sunset meal. Stop at local produce shops, often offering free
tastings and mouth-watering treats to take back to the van for later! Take
the tourists routes and enjoy the scenery from your own bedroom!
On the South Island; see the endangered yellow-eyed penguins waddle
clumsily ashore from the lookout about the petrified forest in Curio Bay.
Soak in the natural hot pools at Sylvia Flat, only 30km or so from the
thermal resorts at Hanmer Springs. Take a stroll along the Kaikoura
Peninsula, but watch you don’t trip over a southern fur seal!
Have fun!
Not all activities in New Zealand can be done for free; I certainly don’t
advise a DIY bungee jump or homemade skis but shop around to get the
best deal available. Don’t commit until you have priced everywhere else and
know what you are getting for your money! The cheapest company may not
be the best for your needs; sure you can see dolphins from a boat, but if
you want to swim with them you have to pay a little more!
Lastly, collect any vouchers that you may get on the back of shopping
dockets and receipts, or hidden in the pages of tourist pamphlets and
newspapers. These alone can save you a small fortune, with buy one get
one free and half price offers regularly popping up!
Now go enjoy the peacefulness of Cape Reinga, burn your bum in your own
spa at hot water beach, say “Kia Ora” to a Maori in Rotoura. Don’t forget to
salute Mt Cook while cuddling a Kiwi and drinking some Speight’s; just make
sure your handbrake is up for the night!
My top free activities are the ones that other people are paying for! Harvest
your own green-shell mussels from the rocks by the coast and cook yourself
a delicious sunset meal. Stop at local produce shops, often offering free
tastings and mouth-watering treats to take back to the van for later! Take
the tourists routes and enjoy the scenery from your own bedroom!
On the South Island; see the endangered yellow-eyed penguins waddle
clumsily ashore from the lookout about the petrified forest in Curio Bay.
Soak in the natural hot pools at Sylvia Flat, only 30km or so from the
thermal resorts at Hanmer Springs. Take a stroll along the Kaikoura
Peninsula, but watch you don’t trip over a southern fur seal!
Have fun!
Not all activities in New Zealand can be done for free; I certainly don’t
advise a DIY bungee jump or homemade skis but shop around to get the
best deal available. Don’t commit until you have priced everywhere else and
know what you are getting for your money! The cheapest company may not
be the best for your needs; sure you can see dolphins from a boat, but if
you want to swim with them you have to pay a little more!
Lastly, collect any vouchers that you may get on the back of shopping
dockets and receipts, or hidden in the pages of tourist pamphlets and
newspapers. These alone can save you a small fortune, with buy one get
one free and half price offers regularly popping up!
Now go enjoy the peacefulness of Cape Reinga, burn your bum in your own
spa at hot water beach, say “Kia Ora” to a Maori in Rotoura. Don’t forget to
salute Mt Cook while cuddling a Kiwi and drinking some Speight’s; just make
sure your handbrake is up for the night!
Bio
Alicia Harney is a 23 year old teaching graduate, who after finishing
university decided not to try and get a near nonexistent job in
teaching during the credit crunch, instead using the hard saved
cash to travel around the world!
My long term boyfriend and I left the "Big freeze" in Northern
Ireland on New Year’s Day and have been travelling in South
America for 5 months, Easter Island, Tahiti and New Zealand for 9
weeks and during that time I have been keeping a blog of our
adventures; (travelpod.com/members/conorandalicia). Our journey
is not yet over and I have taken a break in Australia before heading
on through Asia.
Alicia Harney is a 23 year old teaching graduate, who after finishing
university decided not to try and get a near nonexistent job in
teaching during the credit crunch, instead using the hard saved
cash to travel around the world!
My long term boyfriend and I left the "Big freeze" in Northern
Ireland on New Year’s Day and have been travelling in South
America for 5 months, Easter Island, Tahiti and New Zealand for 9
weeks and during that time I have been keeping a blog of our
adventures; (travelpod.com/members/conorandalicia). Our journey
is not yet over and I have taken a break in Australia before heading
on through Asia.