Pitch your lifestyle in a tent

Val and Jim Russell's days of 'roughing it' are over. Photo / Dave Roche

Getting close to nature doesn't always mean cold showers and long drop toilets - at least not on a "glamping" holiday.

Families will pay up to $76 a night this summer for a glamorous canvas experience with internet access, spa pools and children's playgrounds.

And holidaymakers are setting up camp with all the comforts of home, including fridges, en suite bathrooms, showers and televisions.

"The days of gumboots and cleaning your fish on the bench in the campground are long gone," said Dave Roche, owner of Waihi Beach's Bowentown Beach Holiday Park.

"You've got to provide a lot more these days. People bring fridges, some even bring TVs, as well as their tents.

"That's been a real change in the past few years."

During peak summer months, a family of four would pay $71 at Bowentown, which boasts facilities such as kitchens, bathrooms and separate TV rooms for adults and children.

But Roche said camping was still a cheap family holiday, and having the right gear wasn't essential.

"You can just throw an airbed on the ground and put your tent up. It's a great life."

At Taupo's Top 10 Holiday Resort, facilities include a thermal pool, bathrooms with underfloor heating, petanque, tennis courts and a children's "jumping pillow".

Trish Lusty, owner for 14 years with husband Lloyd, said two adults and two children would pay $76 for a tent site during peak season.

"There are people who want basic camping, but don't want to pay anything for it, but there are plenty of families who are willing to pay for more facilities on site," she said.

"We try to give people lots of fun things to do.

"It also gives mum or dad a chance to read a book or have a glass of wine and the kids will be safe on the playground."

Hot Water Beach Holiday Park owner Grant Webster said Christmas and New Year had been booked out for four months.

And he confirmed most campers weren't prepared to forgo modern conveniences.

"They bring most things with them, even the kitchen sink," he said. "We have a locker with power points in it because there is so much demand for recharging everything."

Charges at Mt Maunganui's Beachfront Holiday Park start at $50 a night during the peak season. A family of four would pay $70.

Sites are fully booked for New Year, but some are available during Christmas. Some campers book for popular beachfront sites a year in advance.

Donovan Hutchinson, creator of camping website happycamping.co.nz, said holidaymakers had come to expect a higher standard from campgrounds - and most were prepared to pay for it.

But for those who don't mind roughing it, pitching a tent at one of the Department of Conservation's basic campsites is still free. Campsites with better facilities - cold showers, toilets, and kitchens - cost no more than $14 a night for adults.

At the beachfront DOC site at Otamuri Bay, near Whananaki in Northland, host Peter Houchen said the low cost and family atmosphere kept the campground full all summer.

Two adults and two children would pay $27 for a site during peak season, with amenities including cold showers and long drop toilets.

"There's fishing, swimming and diving close. It's just such a lovely family area," he said.

"We came here for 20 years and the kids and grandkids still come."

Comfort zone in the great outdoors

Jim and Val Russell "roughed it" for years before deciding to bring some creature comforts to their Waihi Beach campsite.

"We're not getting younger, and we wanted the comfort," said Jim.

The Hamilton couple have holidayed at the Bowentown Holiday Park for 16 years.

They have upgraded from a tent to a permanent caravan with awning, double bed, barbecue, television and stereo - and the campground has wireless internet and Sky TV.

A fridge and freezer ensures they always have a cold beer on hand.

"And if we get too many fish and can't give them away, we can freeze them and take them home.

"It's what we call paradise," he said.

Tent gear is poles apart

It's not enough to throw the tent in the boot and head for the beach anymore.

Now families are loading up for the holidays with multi-room tents, ensuite bathrooms, chemical toilets, fridges, wardrobes - even the kitchen sink.

Kiwi Camping Co marketing manager Kelly Fredrickson said bigger, better quality tents meant campers had room for all the extras.

"Tents used to be big, ridiculously heavy things. Now they're just like little resort homes."

Extras on offer included remote-controlled lights, airbeds with built-in electric pumps, fridges and freezers, and ensuite bathrooms with showers and chemical toilets.

The improved gear and facilities were bringing new people into camping, Fredrickson said.