Campers asked to contribute to costs

UPKEEP COSTS: Campers at Tora on the Wairarapa coast may soon be able to help pay for maintaining camping sites.PHOTO/FILE.

Camping at popular tourist spots in South Wairarapa will remain free but an honesty box system will be put in place, councillors have decided.

Voluntary donations will be welcomed at North and South Tora, Te Awaiti, Lake Domain and Ruamahanga River camping sites to help South Wairarapa District Council recover the costs of servicing them.

The Ngawi and Fell Museum sites were excluded because Ngawi already has a system in place and Fell Museum because of vandalism concerns.

But all the money collected will go towards the $26,600 it costs for all sites' rubbish removal, maintenance and a coastal ranger who oversees campers in busy holiday seasons.

A report tabled by council officers at a meeting last Wednesday outlined options for the status quo; enforcing and collecting fees; or a recommended honesty box/donation system.

Chief executive Paul Crimp said if the council went "the whole hog" and charged compulsory fees, there would be obligations to go with it.

By law, charging fees would mean the campsites would be treated like a business and upgrades and providing facilities like laundries and drinking water were likely.

This would cost council money to set up and run.

Mr Crimp said with an honesty box system, there was a high risk of vandalism.

Councillor Brian Jephson said there was already a successful honesty box system running at the Ngawi camping site, set up by the Ngawi Ratepayers Association.

He said the association wanted to tidy the site up and has used the money to improve the campground, such as adding planter boxes.

"It came about after a lot of people said where can we donate some money for this?

"Campers are more than willing to pay."

Mr Crimp said council did not want to take it off the association if it was working.

Deputy mayor Viv Napier said if it continued with its work, it would continue to draw people there. Councillor Julie Riddell said the ratepayers needed to be applauded.

"The place is just so tidy, it's really immaculate."

Councillors opted not to put an honesty box at the Fell Museum site in Featherston because its central location meant it could be at risk of theft and vandalism.

The report estimated secure, sturdy boxes could cost $900 each but Mr Jephson said the ones at Ngawi cost $100 each.

The boxes will be put in place in time for the 2014-15 summer camping season.