Theft from campervan at trail heads?

[duckonin]

Oh come on !- wakey wakey!

Im 50 years old and in that time Ive been ripped off more times than I should have been.

So it is true then you really are a slow learner.

[cave weta]

Don't bring a dog. We tried a MC tour round the South Island and found it difficult finding camping ground/motels which liked dogs let alone DOC who refused to let us travel on the Milford road or just about anywhere they had control over. Apparently there were "thousands" of Kiwis aound franz Joseph glacier just waiting to be disturbed. Only saw "hundreds" of tourists being disturbed by the local parrots ourselves.

On another note I tried a motorcyle/camping/walking tour on the central plateaux and gave up on the walking part since everyone I met told me I'd be mad to leave my bike unattended in any of the car parks near the walking routes and indeed the campsites. Did actually see a nondiscript van turn up at the odd car park and just 'wait' on more than one occasion.

I used to work in Rotorua every second weekend a few years ago- in the tourism industry - I soon learned about 'The Ford Block' and also Te Kutu park. STAY AWAY FROM BOTH AREAS. Also I heard of a couple shagging in a car on the lake edge, at 2.30am a big 4x4 came up behind them and shunted their car off the edge into the lake-just for kicks. all the geyser and thermal area carparks are frequented by local theives in cars who just roll up with hammers and smash their way into all the parked cars and empty them. In about 2 mins they can do the entire carpark.

petty theft statistics, including theft ex motor vehicle for Rotorua and Taupo are not available separately- they are lumped into the stats for the entire region to protect the local tourism economy. -everyone in the business knows the truth though...

[cave weta]

So it is true then you really are a slow learner.

Ha ha - you can talk!- counted your
sheep this morning?

[duckonin]

Since you're all so against freedom campers, what did humans do with their excrement before toilets were invented? It must have all gone somewhere, and on the ground is my guess.

My Guess they may of been more like a good cat..

[cave weta]

After saying all that though- Beachbum, come and spend some time here- Ill take you to the abandoned goldmines on dirtbikes and you can stay on my lawn for a coupla nights. - Ill take you to meet the grumpy old c%^nt around the corner who goes pig hunting and rides a Boulevard...

[Road kill]

Oh come on !- wakey wakey!

Im 50 years old and in that time Ive been ripped off more times than I should have been. I can think of the times when Ive had stuff pinched and it has been discovered who stole it- it was the Tanga Te Whenua.
Outboards- Motorbikes- Bicycles-Mag Wheels-Cars-Lawnmower-wheelbarrow-fishing gear-Trailer-scrap steel-Beer fridge-stereo-cash all of these things have been pinched and then either recovered or the perpetrator uncovered. and each time it was by a Maori.
Nobody taught me to be racist- I had a good upbringing and schooling. Life experiences and lots of travel have formed my outlook.

You don't sound like a racist to me mate,you sound like a dumb fuck.
I'm 54 and only been ripped off once in my life,,and it was by an Australian,,,guess that makes all Aussies thieves in your book huh.

BTW,,,if your that easy,,do you mind telling me where you park your boat,,I need a new motor aye.

[Lozza2442]

I used to work in Rotorua every second weekend a few years ago- in the tourism industry - I soon learned about 'The Ford Block' and also Te Kutu park. STAY AWAY FROM BOTH AREAS. Also I heard of a couple shagging in a car on the lake edge, at 2.30am a big 4x4 came up behind them and shunted their car off the edge into the lake-just for kicks. all the geyser and thermal area carparks are frequented by local theives in cars who just roll up with hammers and smash their way into all the parked cars and empty them. In about 2 mins they can do the entire carpark.

petty theft statistics, including theft ex motor vehicle for Rotorua and Taupo are not available separately- they are lumped into the stats for the entire region to protect the local tourism economy. -everyone in the business knows the truth though...

I can confirm this. I went to school with people who moved to Rotorua, and then fell in with the wrong crowd (look at me sounding all old and stuff). They will smash anything that looks valuble. Including humans. Be careful in Rotorua, it's worse than parking in Otara.

[curly]

beachbum Have you thought of hiring a campervan? They also have cars too. http://piwiwiwi.co.nz/ Haven't tried them personally but I heard good things about them.

[nodrog:Me]

........ a trained American fighter .....!

Is that where you mount your Segway and try and mow me down with your stomach?

[gammaguy]

Oh come on !- wakey wakey!

Im 50 years old and in that time Ive been ripped off more times than I should have been. I can think of the times when Ive had stuff pinched and it has been discovered who stole it- it was the Tanga Te Whenua.
Outboards- Motorbikes- Bicycles-Mag Wheels-Cars-Lawnmower-wheelbarrow-fishing gear-Trailer-scrap steel-Beer fridge-stereo-cash all of these things have been pinched and then either recovered or the perpetrator uncovered. and each time it was by a Maori.
Nobody taught me to be racist- I had a good upbringing and schooling. Life experiences and lots of travel have formed my outlook.

We all know the demographics at work here,you know the gap between the haves and the have nots

Is that what Labour meant when they used to talk about closing the gaps?

Maybe they are just helping themselves......

[placidfemme]

Hmmm, a bit of mixed messages in this thread for sure...

I spent 9 months freedom camping in the South Island last year. And in general, you will only have issues freedom camping in actual towns, mainly Queenstown ($250 fine for freedom camping, minimum), and larger towns like Christchurch, Westport, Greymouth etc.

There are DOC camp-grounds everywhere, and they are really cheap, and most provide the basics that you need (toilets and water), some are often monitored by DOC workers, others not too much.

In the 9 months I traveled down South I didn't have a single issue with anything being stolen. You just have to be smart, firstly don't hire a camper van painted in the gayest colours that scream "dumb ass tourist". Don't litter, don't shit everywhere and respect the locals.

The risk of having things stolen are higher in the North Island, and higher in towns/cities. But in the wops you are generally safe. I often left my van in isolated spots for days on end while doing hiking.

Make sure you research the Freedom Camping bill, you would be surprised at some of the laws, like not being able to freedom camp within a certain distance of rivers and foreshores, sealed roads, camp grounds/backpackers etc.

Mainly, stop being so paranoid. It's not that bad, just be aware of your surroundings.

[reggie1198]

Hey mate,

If you're heading to the far North (northland) give me a shout as we may have space for ya, also, just because you can bash thieving scumbags, doesn't mean you should, unfortunately NZ has great laws to protect the light fingered pricks, e.g, in the states you can probably shoot an intruder, over here you're likely to end up in Jail as a result of protecting your private property, stupid I know.

I know of a few really good 1,2 and 3 day beach rides on the West coast you'll just need to lug in your own fuel

reggie

[unstuck]

This thing gets left all over the place, but no bastard will touch it.

[JimO]

This thing gets left all over the place, but no bastard will touch it.

can you tip it over and use it as a boat

[unstuck]

can you tip it over and use it as a boat

I suppose I could take the roof off if I was desperate to get aquatic.