By WAYNE THOMPSON
Tonight's the night
Who cares about Y2K glitches when you have the sky above to watch, a guaranteed feed of snapper, cold drinks from the gas-operated fridge and a sea-breeze to keep you cool?
That was the attitude yesterday of a dozen Auckland families who are among a hundred people looking forward to New Year's Eve at the camping ground at Tawharanui Regional Park, 20km north east of Warkworth.
Set on a farm beside 2km of white-sand surf-beach, Tawharanui is termed a "remote" camp site by the Auckland Regional Council.
Its back-to-basics set-up makes it an idyllic cocoon from any Y2K effects on modern living.
Electricity cuts will not worry residents because the camp does not have power points, and its water supply and sewage system run on gravity.
The only snag is that the water system has an electric pump, and if this goes out, the camp will close.
Adding to the no-worries equation is the campers' self-sufficient attitude.
"We've come prepared," said Harvey Dixon, of Mt Eden, whose family has joined five other families for their fifth year at the "Hilton Tawharanui."
Touches of comfort and order brought about by practice and ingenuity are evident in their campsite, dominated by a large communal dining tent.
Trailers now form the kitchen bench and sink. An awning shelters the chefs as they produce - without fuss - 48 cajun burgers over two barbecues and a gas-ring.
One trailer is a drinks bar with a 70 litre container of drinking water and a 20 litre one of fruit juice.
A neighbour uses the sides of his trailer to build a shower cubicle.
Generators for running appliances are banned in regional parks - to keep down camp noise.
There is no television set, which is not missed by anyone, including the dozen children in the group, said Mr Dixon.
"They amuse themselves - swimming, playing volleyball, walking up the hill - and they are working on a concert."
Substitutes for other appliances include gas lamps, candles in tin- can holders, solar-heated showers and clothes dried on lines raised and lowered by tent poles.
A neighbour's dining tent is illuminated by a large light run from a truck battery.
Mr Dixon says food is kept in a tent insulated with a canvas fly, aided by a battery of chilly bins.
So far, the bins have been kept topped up with ice bought during excursions out of the camp.
David Izzard and Janine Bickerton, of Auckland, have a gas-operated fridge, much to the envy of some neighbouring campers, who are considering bringing one next year.
And Mr Izzard has found a way of listening to his beloved music - a stereo that runs on 10 D-size batteries.
"This is the life - getting away from the rat race and bringing a few luxuries with you."
* A permit is required to camp at Tawharanui for a maximum of seven days, and sites are fully booked for six months, says the Auckland Regional Parks office.
Not a Y2K worry in the back of beyond
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