NZ on a 5-year plan

[Jax]

Unfortunately "Freedom Camping" has been getting a lot of Bad Press recently due to some really antisocial behaviour by some Continental visitors.

A lot of Town and City councils are talking of bringing in By-Laws to restrict Freedom Camping.

It is really shocking how a few can screw it up for most. Hope you will still be able to Have Fun.

Hopefully the restrictions will apply only to Campervans without Waste storage capabilities and only within Town or City Boundaries.

[Kevin James]

Very good point Jax.

We have been to some river systems where we have seen nappies tossed into bushes.
The freedom campers are a bludge on society - crapping in the bushes, leaving a mess behind.

I'm not surprised the councils are trying to stop them.

[KevinE]

Hi Mario,
Yep, March is a good time to go. The weather is likely to be settled (but anything can happen!), waters low and clear, and the fish will still be looking up for food. There will also be fewer anglers on the water. I would prefer March over December. It makes for a much more pleasant experience.

December/January can be easier fishing if you strike conditions right. Mostly because the water is a bit higher, the fish less established, and they will have seen fewer fishermen. But striking the right conditions is still a big if. The days are long at this time of year so you will be tempted to fish until you drop.

South Island is easier for DIY fishermen. A guidebook will lead you to hundreds of kilometres of great fishing water with easy access. You don’t need to have access to secret spots to catch fantastic fish. When comparing the islands, the The South Island is generally more scenic, the rivers clearer, and the fish bigger. But they can be few and far between in some spots. Blanking on some days is a real possibility. You will be doing well to catch 4 or 5 fish in a day on backcountry rivers, but you will have shots at fish of 6lb and over.

North Island relies more on local knowledge / guides. There are fewer angler access signs and you may need to knock on a few farm doors to get access to fishing. Permission is readily given, but many tourists are shy to ask. The north has more rainbows, and they are undoubtedly easier to catch than browns. On the better rainbow rivers you might catch a dozen fish in a day’s fishing, mostly between 2 and 4lb, with the odd bigger fish.

Regarding campervan or DIY, both have advantages and disadvantages. Having a campervan makes you quite flexible as you don’t have to always be getting back to your accommodation, which can be a long way from the water. But there is a stigma with campers, I would feel a bit sheepish knocking on farmers’ doors with a camper full of tourist anglers in tow. You may want to double-check your campervan prices – looks a bit low to me.

If you’re not doing the campervan thing there are plenty of cheap accommodation options in most areas. Cabins at motorcamps (caravan parks) can be very economical. You will generally have a basic cabin with bunk accommodation to yourselves and share a communal kitchen and bathroom. This can be quite a fun social experience. Also there are backpackers accommodations that offer cabins or private rooms.

If you decide to come to the North, I would be happy to help out by pointing you to where the fish are biting. And maybe even take you guys out and show you the ropes.

[Jax]

Good on you Kevin. Mario, Kevin can show you some real top waters so I'd take him up on the offer when the time comes.

[JustinM]

Dogtooth: let's not generalise hey?... Most do not leave a trace and as has been identified, it's a very small minority ruining it for the rest.

[Kevin James]

Dogtooth: let's not generalise hey?... Most do not leave a trace and as has been identified, it's a very small minority ruining it for the rest.

Not really mate - most of the places we have been where the campervans have been they are breaking the law.
Open fire places and remnants of burnt wood, grass etc
Sleeping in conservation areas because they don't want to pay for a nights accommodation somewhere or worse yet, in a parking lot somewhere or off the side of the road not designated as freedom camping.
I have no problem if areas are designated for such purposes such as DOC areas, but up river systems, close to streams etc and then having the audacity to climb out of the van and say they have 'booked' the river.

Driving like ****wits on roads and not moving to the left to let traffic pass.......even though there is a trail of traffic behind.

Let me go on......

As a bloke that spends more than my fair share of the time over there, I'm siding with the locals and their displeasure of the freedom camping mob and cheap bludging attitudes they seem to have.

Until I see otherwise, I'm happy to generalise and paint the whole lot with the same tar brush!

[JustinM]

Not really mate - most of the places we have been where the campervans have been they are breaking the law.
Open fire places and remnants of burnt wood, grass etc
Sleeping in conservation areas because they don't want to pay for a nights accommodation somewhere or worse yet, in a parking lot somewhere or off the side of the road not designated as freedom camping.
I have no problem if areas are designated for such purposes such as DOC areas, but up river systems, close to streams etc and then having the audacity to climb out of the van and say they have 'booked' the river.

Driving like ****wits on roads and not moving to the left to let traffic pass.......even though there is a trail of traffic behind.

Let me go on......

As a bloke that spends more than my fair share of the time over there, I'm siding with the locals and their displeasure of the freedom camping mob and cheap bludging attitudes they seem to have.

Until I see otherwise, I'm happy to generalise and paint the whole lot with the same tar brush!

I spent 6 weeks driving around NZ in a campervan, mostly "freedom camping". It was a great experience. I can speak from my own experience of doing it. I can guarantee you that we did so responsibly and did not leave a trace behind. Why go to enjoy the scenery and nature only to ruin it at the same time? We were in the midst of a full year travelling so money was extremely tight. With fuel and van rental, we simply couldn't afford to pull into a holiday park every night. This would actually prove quite expensive for a backpacker budget as most holiday parks (such as 'Top 10' parks) are not actually that cheap. We would do so on average once every 3 days to make full use of the facilities, charge up the van, etc. Between those dates we would freedom camp and use public ablution and shower facilities in the towns and dispose of our rubbish responsibly.

At the time, the issue of "freedom camping" was quite topical i.e. there were talk show discussions about it on the radio, etc, so we were aware of the issue and rising discontent. We spoke about it to other campervan travellers and all shared the same ethos as us and distaste for the actions of the few bozos who were responsible for the bad press.

It sounds like you have had personal experience of irresponsible behaviour, and so did we. Maybe it has got worse or more commonplace in the last 4 years since we were there? However I think the actions of a small minority have tarnished your views and your generalisation is wrong. Generalising is a dangerous thing to do. In my experience people behaving badly, ignorantly or irresponsibly is unfortunately a reality in all walks of life - I'm sure you will have encountered such situations when fishing. Does this mean all fisherman are rude, arrogant and offensive?

[smallstreams.co.za]

Thanks Kevin, that's one helluva reply, and one I greatly appreciate!!

I had a great chat with Darryl Lampert late into last night, and got some great insights into having a limited amount of time in NZ (as he had on his trip). One thing he cleared up for me, was the misconception that even though both islands are not big, traveling time is MUCH more than you'd anticipate, and 2 weeks is actually a very short time to fish. These inputs are making the planning and realization of a dream so much easier to do, and hopefully it will culminate into a well planned and worked out trip.

Wrt campervans, the idea was to park close/at access points, but this seems to leave a bad taste in the locals' mouths, as you'd have a far better chance of getting on the water 1st. So that is something we'll also have to consider. I don't want to wake up or come back after day on the water to find slashed or flat tyres.

So it seems I'll have to look at average costs of food and alternative accommodation too.

Brilliant replies and advice so far from everyone, and I thank you all for that!!!

[Korrie]

Just a word of caution, be very careful who you take as your travel/fishing buddies/friends along.
I have heard some very terrible stories about trips gone so sour that it ended up as the fishing trip from HELL!!!
Where guys where left stranded in the middle of nowhere, others had not a single picture of the trip to show etc etc
Great friends ending up as enemies for life
There is a big difference in fishing a couple of times together and living in a cramped camper-van for 3 weeks and fishing.

[smallstreams.co.za]

Just a word of caution, be very careful who you take as your travel/fishing buddies/friends along.
I have heard some very terrible stories about trips gone so sour that it ended up as the fishing trip from HELL!!!
Where guys where left stranded in the middle of nowhere, others had not a single picture of the trip to show etc etc
Great friends ending up as enemies for life
There is a big difference in fishing a couple of times together and living in a cramped camper-van for 3 weeks and fishing.

Jip, I have been fortunate enough to hear both side of a story from a trip that friends (on both sides of the spat) made. You just have to make sure that everyone knows, agrees, and sticks to what was decided before the trip.

5 years is a long time. I'm sure that things can/will change a lot ito who can go and who cannot go. I'm going to try my darndest to make it happen for me though!!