Security stepped up on South Wairarapa coast

PHIL REID/The Dominion Post

DESERTED: A once-popular camping ground at Sandy Bay, Tora, is now closed to the public.

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Security at the South Wairarapa coastal retreat of Tora is being beefed up as new rules are policed to protect the investment of coastal property owners.

A new ranger has begun work along the coast, with a mission to rein in wayward freedom campers and flush out those who plunder the coastline of its delicate fishery.

"Freedom" camping in the rugged coastal area has long been a bone of contention between some home owners and South Wairarapa District Council.

With the closure of popular camping area Sandy Bay, visitors many of whom have been taking holidays there for years will be pushed to Te Awaiti Reserve.

The reserve, on the edge of the Oterei River, a grassed area between the road and the sea, is available to campers for no charge for a maximum of two weeks.

Residents have long maintained that campers bring dogs that run wild, light fires that endanger homes and regularly breach the two-week stay rule, a situation the council in the past admitted was hard to police.

South Wairarapa Mayor Adrienne Staples said this year was bringing big changes changes aimed at delivering on promises made to residents to protect their interests and that campers also knew what was expected of them.

The new dedicated ranger, who would cover the Tora coastal area during summer, would do regular random checks to ensure fires were not being lit, that no dogs were in the area and that no camper overstayed their two-week welcome.

The ranger was also an honorary fisheries officer with expertise in the area of poachers. The council's usual staff of rangers would also provide backup, "ensuring the area was well saturated and covered", she said.

The move was to show home owners that the council took their concerns seriously.

"We warned campers last year that the no-dog policy was coming into force. Last season was the honeymoon period but this year we will be enforcing the policy.

"People will always push a few boundaries, but we think we have the right people in place to manage things should they arise."

Property owners spoken to about the council's security beef-up said it was well overdue and welcomed.

Access for camping was further limited early this year when Doug Harris and his partner, Sara Murphy, who have land bordering Sandy Bay and Poverty Bay, erected fences and signs barring campers.

Mr Harris said that over the years they had been forced to endure rubbish being blown and thrown everywhere, strewn broken glass, motorbikes running amok and other unacceptable behaviour.

"There were no facilities except for a long-drop 50 metres from the sea and drums for rubbish, and that was all the council had done."

Mr Harris said given that safety and privacy were growing issues and that the area had no resources for camping, there was little to be gained by allowing the situation to continue.

Problems on the coast have also focused on Te Awaiti Reserve, after the council brought in its lawyers when landowner Dan Riddiford claimed historical rights to the land and fenced off the reserve.

That fence was taken down this year, but the dispute over ownership continues.