TIM NEWMAN

Last updated15:07, July 31 2017

Kavinda Herath / stuff

freedom campers in Lumsden

At onetime Lumsden was known as the "hub" of Northern Southland.

Threerailway lines converged on the town: north to south through the Kingston branch, to the west along the Mossburn branch, and linking to Gore in the east on the Waimea Plains railway.

While the town's last line shut down more than 30 years ago, duringthe past two years the railway station has been as busy as ever.

TIM NEWMAN/STUFF

Earlier this year freedom campers congregated outside the old train station at the Lumsden Information Centre.

Lumsden is making a name for itself as a hub again, but in 2017 it is tourists, not trains, being drawn to the town.

READ MORE: *Offbeat New Zealand: St Bathans, Central Otago's ghost town *An undercover freedom camper: My eight days on the road *Freedom campers turn campsite into a 'zoo'

During this time, Lumsden's population has grown by as much as one quarter, from 400 to more than500.

ROBYN EDIE/STUFF

Currently freedom campers are only allowed to stay in the car park directly adjacent to the railway station, although during summer there have been issues with the camp stretching beyond its set limits.

Home to a few cafes, a Four Square, and a defunct railway carriage, Lumsden doesn't immediately scream "tourist trap".

Migrating from their wintry Northern Hemisphere climes, flocks of young, educated, and perhaps slightly whiffy sojourners descend on the town's railway station.

While compared to spots like Queenstown, Te Anau, and the Catlins, Lumsden might seem like an odd tourist destination, for some reason it has become a haven for freedom campers.

KAVINDA HERATH/STUFF

Lumsden CDA chairman Rob Scott by the old railway station where freedom campers congregate in Summer.

Freedom campers: a dirty word for half of Lumsden, and a beacon of opportunity to the rest.

While there has been no end of debate over what to do about the town's newest institution, it was a development that no-one seemed to have anticipated.

In the Freedom Camping Act 2011, central government made provision for people to freedom camp in any local authority area, unless prohibited through a bylaw or any other enactment.

KAVINDA HERATH/STUFF

Lumsden Motel co-owner Brian Ross said residents have been waiting two years to have their say on the freedom camping bylaw.

The legislation was brought in before the 2011 Rugby World Cup in anticipation for the high tourist numbers that would come through then.

In 2015, the Southland District Council enacted its ownbylaw, designating thelevels of freedom camping allowed throughout the district.

The various Community Development Area subcommittees were able to choose what level of freedom camping, if any, they would allow in their territory.

KAVINDA HERATH/STUFF

Lumsden resident Chris Henderson.

Some opted for a blanket ban, while others like Lumsden chose to allow it in certain spots, with the latter designating asmall area chosen right in the middle of the town, adjacent to the railway station.

MORE THAN EXPECTED

Lumsden Community Development Area Subcommittee chairman Rob Scott said the initial expectations for the summer season were low.

ROBYN EDIE/STUFF

Lumsden residents Robyn Gleye, left, and Mick Ellis.

Looking out the window of his Route 6 Cafe to the railway station across the road, Scott spies about half a dozen vehicles congregated in the freedom camping zone.

"Initially the expectation was half a dozen to 10 or 12, sort ofwhat we're getting now in the winter was what we thought we'd be getting at the peak."

Scott said the town had never been known as a real destination for tourists, and was off the main tourist route between Queenstown and Te Anau by about 15km, being bypassed by State Highway 97.

KAVINDA HERATH/STUFF

Lumsden CDA chairman Rob Scott and freedom camping liason Wallace Drummond.

"The very first day the bylaw came into action there wereabout 6 or 7 [vehicles].

"The next there was 10 or 11, then 13 or 14, then it peaked at about 30 or 40 at for that first year.

"One dayI was counting them and thought'whoa, this is quite a lot more than I'd expected'."

Retired farmer Wallace Drummond was given the task of monitoring the campsite and liasing with the campers.

Drummond said this summer was the busiest yet, with the total number of campers per day pushing 100.

"One night we had 108, we've had some people claiming there's been 130 with tents but that's bullshit.

"108 was the most, but we were at overload."

WHY LUMSDEN?

According toDrummond, word travels fast among the freedom camping community.

"We're averaging about 4500 people coming to Lumsden, and they're all finding it on their phone on thatapp - about 99 per cent of them."

"That app" Drummond is referring to is Camper Mate, launched in 2011 by New Zealander Adam Hutchinson.

It uses GPS to locate "points of interest" for potential campers, including things like toilets, accommodation, and tourist sites throughout the country.

Accommodation sites are then broken down into categories such as free, low-budget, or premium, and can be voted and commented on by app users.

Lumsden's freedom camping area has been singled out for special praise, with several commenters even calling it the best freedom camping site in New Zealand.

"We're getting the good ratings because of the facilities we've got and that it just naturally works here", Scott said.

"Having the toiletsthere and the nice safe environment, they're all commenting on how safe it is.

"We can see them and they can see us, so it's all contained in the centre of town."

Indeed, the Lumsden site is something of an anomaly, compared to the other freedom camping sites in the Southland District specified by the 2015 bylaw.

While there are 19 sites dotted around the district, only six of them allow non self-contained freedom camping (camping where toilet and washing facilities are not self-contained, as they would be in a campervan).

Of those six, Lumsden is the only one in the middle oftown, with most of the rest located in parks or by beaches well away from any settlements.

With freedom camping banned in tourist destinations such as Te Anau and Queenstown, Drummond said Lumsden was being used as a base to explore the rest of the south.

"They're going out of their way to come here... they stayhere for a day or two, and then go on to walks like the Kepler and the Routeburn.

"If everything was set up like this here in Mossburn, this site wouldn't exist."

Whatever the reasons for them descending on Lumsden, freedom campers have divided the town.

There are few fence-sitters on the subject, with the tourists described alternately as either the potential saviours of destroyers of the town.

In the "pro" camp, it is argued that the freedom campers are bringing an economic windfall to Lumsden, presenting business opportunities that would never otherwise happen.

Whether going to the pool, the pub, or stopping for a pie, the new visitors are creating a burgeoning tourist economy.

Scott said everyone in town had a chance to cash in.

"We've got a lot of businesses for a small town,so having that boost is really important for them, it's keeping people employed.

"We haven'tgot a very wealthy population, so all of a sudden getting 100 to 150 people a day is bringing outside money into the mix and is actually expanding our economy."

Some of the town's neglected assets were also receiving a boost, with the Lumsden pool now able to re-open during summer.

"Now there's actually people in the pool, benefiting it to about the tune of around $3000.

"This has been an asset to the community which has been struggling for years, it couldn't stay open over Christmas due to thelack of people...last year was the first Christmas holidaysthe pool's been open in about three years."

As well as an economic shot in the arm, supporters also say the freedom campers bring a vibrancy that has been missing in Lumsden for some time.

Former schoolteacher Chris Henderson said the youth of the new visitors was something the town sorely needs.

"When you've been here for 40 years, you can see the peaks and troughs and effects of government decisions on Lumsden.

"We used to have two banks, a post office, and a bus company,all taken away from us apart from the post office.

"One of the things we miss in a place like this is this demographic,young people and their families.

"I love the fact that more young people are around.

"At the beginning we were caught a bit short, but Rob and his team have scrambled well, and as the market matures we'll become more organised."

However, that "vibrancy" is not appreciated by all residents in Lumsden.

Duringthe past two years, tales of unsavoury behaviour have followed the freedom campers around like a bad smell.

Reports of unhygienic campsite practices, public nudity, and other unsavoury incidents have made the rounds in Lumsden.

Retiree Mick Ellis andpartner Robyn Gleyeare strongly against freedom camping, after experiencing its effects up close through their job cleaning the town's public toilets.

"The thing that gripes people is that [the camp] is so unsightly", Ellis said.

"We came down from Auckland 14 years ago and we bloody love it here...the fear is that people are going to start avoiding the place."

Ellis said during the peak of the tourist season, the toilet blocks used by the campers were dirty, wet, andfilled with wet toilet paper and items such as discarded tampons.

"They're mainlyEuropeans, and they've got a totally different bloody standard of hygiene compared to us...Southlanders aren't like that.

"We've put up notices in the toilets asking them to respectthe facilities, they get ripped off or just ignored...the standard of respect for the property hasjust gone out the window."

The campers were also using the toilets as washing facilities, Ellis said.

"It's just not set up for that...we've had cases where 300m of toilet paper hasgone in as little as a couple of hours."

Some of this behaviour was experienced first-hand by Southland District Council mayor Gary Tong.

Tongsaid he was in Lumsden for a community meeting at about 5.30pm one evening, when he saw a completely naked man "having a wash" beside his vehicle.

A family would not want to see that, he said.

According to those against the bylaw, the economic benefits of freedom camping were also dubious at best.

Lumsden Motel owners Brian and Tracy Ross saidthe presence of the campers mightactually be driving potential customers awayfrom both their business and the town.

Positioned just on the other side of the road from the camping site, during summer the rows of tents are mere metres away from the motel and its guests.

"Our motel guests have made us very aware they don't like the negative impact on their Lumsden experience by the presence of the freedom campers...the worry is they may choose to stay somewhere else.

"No-one else in Lumsden lives closer to the tenting area, which apart from being outside the designated camping area, it's also only 20 metres or less away from our house."

While there are many criticisms regarding the visual effects of the site and the lack of enforcement of the bylaw, for people like Ross and Elliswhat is most upsetting is the perceived lack of public consultation.

While most starkly illustrated in Lumsden, issues with the freedom camping phenomenon are present all over Southland.

See the rest here:

Lumsden: A town divided over freedom campers - Southland Times