New Zealand's Coromandel Peninsula
Backpackers who camp for free on New Zealand’s stunning Coromandel Peninsula are being slapped with $40 fines in an attempt to keep freeloaders out of the area.
The North Island locals have urged their council to carry out the crackdown after getting fed up with so-called freedom campers using their facilities for free and leaving litter.
“They don’t have self-contained campers so they’re defecating behind the nearest bush, mayor Philippa Barriball told New Zealand’s 3news. “It’s really soiling our clean-green image.”
Campsites and hostels are particularly upset, saying they have to stay up all night to stop backpackers trying to break in and use their showers for free.
However, the council has been warned they need to cater for freedom campers if they don’t want the area’s visitor numbers to drastically drop.
The Motor Caravan Association claims rental companies will simply start telling their customers to go elsewhere if they can’t afford to pay for accommodation.
3news found one German backpacker, Markus Doebele, who agreed. “We sleep in football court, behind public toilet, everywhere, near houses, we don’t care,” he said.
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