Freedom camping at Pouawa for 50 years

Tony Coutts has been camping at Pouawa every summer since his parents first camped there when he was five. Picture by Liam Clayton

It would take a cyclone at least to send stalwart camper Tony Coutts home from his favourite summertime locale.

For the past 50 years — ever since his parents first took him there as a five year-old — Tony has spent every summer holiday freedom camping at Pouawa Beach.

And although there’s been a lot of rain in recent years, it doesn’t put Tony off. Even in wet weather, he enjoys a wander along the shore or launching his dinghy to go fishing. And there’s always a good book to be read or a crossword puzzle to do in his and wife Anne’s weathertight camper.

This year’s changeable weather has, however, kept some of the usual crowd away — before Christmas there were a few empty camping sites that would normally have been in high demand. Nonetheless, at least 50 groups of campers have settled in all the way along the foreshore’s designated camping area.

Tony and Anne secured their spot just a few steps away from the sand at the start of December and treat it as their summertime base, commuting back to Gisborne as they need. The couple had Christmas with family at their Hexton orchard and Anne is currently travelling daily for her work as a district nurse.

Tony says the thing he loves most about summers at Pouawa is seeing all the kids on the beach just having fun and living life without the mod-cons people usually rely on at home. Internet and cellphone coverage is patchy at best, so kids have to play outdoors — although he admits the rain can put a bit of a dampener on that.

When the weather’s good there’s so much to do out there. And, apart from a small camping charge that hasn’t changed much over the years, it’s all free, Tony says.

A sunny day will also bring a lot  of day-trippers out to the beach, including Rhythm and Vines concertgoers venturing further afield for a look around.

New Year’s Eve at Pouawa doesn’t disappoint, “especially because no one has to drive home”, Tony says. He enjoys “doing the rounds” saying hello to all the other campers. Some he has known for years while others are new faces. He enjoys finding out where people are from and why they’re there. He also likes their shared enthusiasm for freedom camping, especially visitors who appreciate that it’s still allowed in Gisborne, despite changes in attitudes and in the landscape over the years.

Tony recalls camping sites used to extend all the way north to the lagoon area but have since shrunk back considerably due to a change in ownership of that land and various environmental concerns. Some favourite spots have also been lost to erosion.

As forestry has taken off over the years, the potential danger posed by passing log trucks has become a bit of a worry, especially as campers get nearer the roadside. However, the council’s decision to reduce the speed limit at Pouawa during the holiday season has really helped allay some of that concern, Tony says.

Another recent initiative he applauds is the rule for campers to take all their rubbish home with them. He says bins that used to be supplied were unfortunately often taken advantage of by non-campers looking to offload their household waste.

One thing that hasn’t changed over the past 50 years though is the local menu — tarakihi and crayfish caught just offshore are always a favourite summer catch.