‘Pulling up the Tent Pegs?’ The Significance and Changing Status of Coastal Campgrounds in New Zealand

Abstract

This article considers the importance of beach-front campgrounds in NewZealand, both as physical sites offering affordable public access to coastal environments, and as sites of social and psychological meaning. It traces the evolution of coastal campgrounds from 'freedom camping', to more formal (if initially basic) facilities, to the development of relatively up-market holiday parks offering a wide range of services and accommodation options. While camping styles and options changed significantly over the twentieth century, coastal camping itself became valorized as a 'kiwi tradition'. This mainstay of domestic tourism is widely perceived as an ideal way to use and access the coast. However, as part of a coastal property boom, many campgrounds are at risk of closure, and conversion to residential uses. Drawing on multiple sources of data, we chart the ongoing social and emotional significance of coastal campgrounds in New Zealand. While the immediate effect of closure is the displacement of a discrete number of current campers, the longer-term consequences include lost opportunities for future generations, the destruction of a sense of community, and a loss of place attachment. Résumé : On retire les fixations des tentes ? La signification et le changement de statut des campings en bord de mer de Nouvelle ZélandeDans cet article, l'auteur considère l'importance des campings qui existent le long des plages en Nouvelle Zélande comme sites physiques qui offrent un accès publicà la merà prix raisonnable et comme sites qui ont une signification sociale et psychologique. Cet article retrace l'évolution de ces campings au cours du vingtième siècle qui ont débuté avec un format simple pourêtre ensuite mieuxéquipés et finalement devenir des parcs qui offrent un largeéventail de services et de types de logements. Si les formes et les choix de campings ont changé de façon significative, le camping en bord de mer aété valorisé comme 'tradition kiwi'. Cette forme majeure de tourisme domestique est perçue comme une façon idéale d'utiliser et d'avoir accèsà la mer. Cependant, l'explosion de la valeur des propriétés en bord de mer menace de fermer de nombreux campings pour les convertir en lots résidentiels. Nous décrivons la signification sociale etémotionnelle des campings côtiers de la Nouvelle Zélande grâceà de nombreuses sources de données. L'effet immédiat de la fermeture de campings est bien sûr le déplacement de quelques campeurs mais les conséquencesà plus long terme comprennent des occasions manquées, l'éradication d'un sens communautaire et la perte d'un lien d'attache. Mots-clés: Camping, délassement balnéaire, tourisme domestique, immobilier, Nouvelle Zélande Zusammenfassung: 'Die Heringe herausziehen?' Die Bedeutung und der sich wandelnde Status von Campingplätzen an den Küsten Neuseelands Dieser Aufsatz befasst sich mit der Bedeutung von Campingplätzen an neuseeländischen Stränden, und zwar sowohl als physische Standorte, die einen erschwinglichenöffentlichen Zugang zu Küstenumgebungen bieten als auch als sozial...

The challenge of proximity: the (un)attractiveness of near-home tourism destinations

“…Yet, a too-overt focus on otherness could neglect the significance of familiarity in tourism. We found familiar and comfortable social environments to be important to many proximity tourists in Friesland, in line with findings on camping tourists elsewhere (Blichfeldt, 2004;Collins & Kearns, 2010;Mikkelsen & Cohen, 2015) and secondhome tourists (M€ uller, 2006). Thus, tourism policy should be sensitive to the importance of mundane activities in tourism, doing nothing as a way to 'vacate' (Blichfeldt & Mikkelsen, 2013) and the often strong attachments tourists develop to the destinations they visit.…”

A Photo-elicitation Approach to Exploring the Place Meanings Ascribed by Campers to the Ningaloo Coastline, North-western Australia

“…Aesthetic beauty, facilitation of desired recreational activities, escape from the everyday and experiences with family and friends were all key meanings identified by Wynveen et al (2010) in their study of recreational visitors to the Great Barrier Reef. A review of coastal camping in New Zealand identified the ability of undisturbed beaches to evoke feelings of awe, inspiration and fostering a sense of wonder (Collins & Kearns, 2010). This is a similar sentiment to that expressed by participants in this study in their description of the colours of the rock pools or the vast expanse and kilometres of coastline.…”

“…This is a similar sentiment to that expressed by participants in this study in their description of the colours of the rock pools or the vast expanse and kilometres of coastline. In addition was the sense of community that developed when regular campers returned to the same campground each time, thereby renewing acquaintances (Collins & Kearns, 2010;Garst, Williams & Roggenbuck, 2010). In this study, they formed important friendship groups based on shared experiences of camping and boating.…”

Freedom in mundane mobilities: caravanning in Denmark

“…As Veijola and Falin (2014: 14) argue, mobile dwellings 'allow people more personal freedom in how they perform their neighbouring than permanent neighbourhoods do.' In this case, the caravan site allows for casual chats and social interaction more so than the private spaces they may experience in their home neighbourhood (see also Collins and Kearns, 2010). However, this does not mean that caravanners wish to be with other people all the time; rather, a 'good holiday' included spending time close to others, reflecting a non-obligated, casual sociality.…”