Nelson is dealing with a huge influx of summer visitors after the November 14 earthquake turned visitors away from Kaikōura.
Nelson City Council has responded by creating three new camping areas - at no cost to the tourists. It's caused quite a stir amongst locals and holiday park operators but the Council defends the measure.
Deputy Mayor Paul Matheson said "Most of them come from overseas, they've bought a ticket, travelled 12,000 k's and they're not going to cancel and go home".
"We're the first port of call prior to heading south. They couldn't head to Kaikōura so they came to Nelson."
The Council has made Wi-Fi, portaloos, rubbish bins and water available at the campsites. They are located on the fringes of the CBD and are handy to restaurants and cafes.
It's going to cost the council about $80,000 for the season and Mr Matheson said that's "caused quite a ripple" amongst locals who think the campers are bludgers.
Holiday park operators in the region aren't impressed either. Tahuna Beach Kiwi Holiday Park manager Marcel Fekkes thinks it's a "knee-jerk reaction" and he doesn't see the need for the council to be accommodating to freedom campers.
"It's very third world to see washing lines strung up between trees in the centre of town. You see people barbequing, laying on the ground on their camp mats, it just doesn’t look right".
Mr Fekkes said the council should have talked more with holiday park owners and they could have come up with a better solution.
Another holiday park owner told Newshub that what the council is doing is like standing outside a supermarket and handing out free groceries.
But Mr Matheson said if the Council didn't act the visitors would have "spread themselves like Marmite from one end of the city to the other" and there'd be a major freedom camping problem.
"You'd find them under trees, on river banks, we'd have waste problems, rubbish problems."
"Why do you want to fight it? Accommodate it, manage it properly and it'll give us very little trouble. So far it's worked."
Mr Matheson and holiday park operators agree on one thing, they'd like to see some direction from the Government and a bylaw that makes it clear to everyone what is acceptable in situations like this one.
"You've got to have consistency around the countryside" Mr Matheson said.
Newshub.
