Letter to the Editor - Wellington Dominion Post
re: Rental vans without facilities
re: article Making Waves In
cool campervans - Business section -
Tuesday, April
10 - This article was about Escape Vans
My answer:
Dear Editor:
How these campervans are
destroying clean green New Zealand
I am a travel writer living and working 24/7-365 days a year from a
seven metre self-contained bus traveling New Zealand. I am constantly
in contact with Holiday Park owners, Council staff and am in visual
contact on a daily basis with the many vans on the road. I take note of
what they are doing and where they go just by virtue of being there
myself as a part of the whole.
I am very familiar with the Escape vans and am quite impressed with the
way they have marketed their concept. A very large problem has
eminated from their style of rentals and all others of like style.
The business article on Escape vans stated: “European tourists realise
an onboard toilet and shower are not necessary in New Zealand”.
Then it goes on to infer by Mr. McGregor that these people who rent the
vans use our camp grounds. Rarely true! They generally park
overnight where it is free.
Perhaps if he actually went on the road he would see the amount of his
vans parked off the road in areas they do not have to pay for and
shouldn’t be parked overnight.
The biggest problem by all of New Zealand motorhome people (30,000
members of the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association) is we are faced
every day with complaints about the vans like Escape by holiday park
owners and Council members who monitor the situation.
The problem lies in the fact these vans, without any toilets and
cooking facilities, park in areas where they leave behind toilet paper
and their personal waste along our streams and on the land. Trash
is everywhere. Open fires are prevalent. Because of the fact
these Escape vans are so noticeable, as are a couple of other
companies, I personally see them
actually fouling the countryside and yes the majority are Europeans.
Not picking on them but having conversations with the renters of these
vans (I speak with dozens) and I have yet to talk to an Aussie, a Brit
an American parked off the road away from a holiday park overnight and
running off to the bush for their toilet. Maybe that is why in Europe
the facilities are bloody tragic as Mr. McGregor stated in the
article.
Having interviewed Mayors and Council members for articles on their
areas relative to freedom camping the biggest cause of problems are
these camper vans without facility.
Many places are being closed down to all of us because of it. Holiday
camp owners are up in arms at the fact almost daily they see within
their radius one of these vans parked off the road for the night. Yes
they are getting by cheap and we get the New Zealand countryside
littered with their refuse as payment.
I also receive a lot of complaints from campground owners who are
constantly finding these vans have sneaked into their camp after hours,
use the facility and sneak out before anyone notices them. It became so
bad for one park owner they had to install an automatic gate whereby
only those registered could come and go.
I also receive a lot of information from members of the New Zealand
Motor Caravan Association relative to what they see while on the road.
For an example: One relayed to me the following: He watched as a person
parked near him, who had been there all night, got out of his van
toilet paper in hand and headed into the bush. Upon his return he told
the person this was not the way to treat New Zealand. The person from
the van told him
he just didn’t give a damn and go to hell. This sort of total disregard
is the average concept of these visitor to our shore.
So, as a result of this the Kiwi self-contained camper van traveler is
losing places to park overnight and also finding many of these places
so filthy and ruined they can’t. Lovely looking vans but many of the
people who rent them are destroying clean green New Zealand and don’t
care.
All vehicle rental companies sending people out into our countryside
should either provide proper facility or it should be made a law the
people renting the vans must stay overnight in a campground with proper
facilities.
The new environmental catch phrase is everyone worries about global
warming. New Zealand will be destroyed by reckless and uncaring people
deficating in our bushes and trashing our country long before we have
to worry about the water rising.
Ron Laughlin
New Zealand Travel Writer/Photographer
www.ronlaughlin.net
If
you need to get in touch with Ron or Paula
(or Sylvester and Chocolate):
© Copyright 2005
Ron Laughlin - All rights reserved
