illegal Freedom Camping at the Cox’s Bay Esplanade Reserve must either be monitored more closely by Auckland Council or the area shut to Freedom Campers permanently.
This is because the use of the area by campers has led to pollution of the Bay from body waste and from cooking fats and other food waste. Neighbours often complain of the smell of urine from a path that links Jervois Road to the Esplanade Reserve.
Freedom Camping in approved vehicles with a fixed toilet is now allowed on most council-controlled public land in Auckland, including most streets and roadsides.
The Cox’s Bay Esplanade is just one of two areas in the Waitemata Local Board area where freedom camping is allowed, but restricted.
The restrictions limit Freedom Camping vehicles to just three only per night, and they are only allowed to stay for one night, vacating the area by 9am one the second day. And they must have self-contained toilets.
Most of the campers’ vehicles parking in the carpark are not “certified self-contained vehicles” meaning the occupants don’t have on-board toilet facilities.
Following complaints from nearby Herne Bay residents, our association has found that as many as up to 25 freedom campers park in the esplanade reserve every night, even though the Freedom Camping Bylaw 2022 states that campers who use the Reserve on West End Road, Herne Bay must use only one of three designed parking spaces and can stay no more than one night.
One of the biggest problems for Cox's Bay is that most Freedom Campers don’t know where to camp in Auckland and believe, from studying Freedom Camping Apps, that Cox’s Bay is one of just a few Freedom Camping spots in the Auckland area.
Glenys Daniell who lives on Jervois Road, just above where the campers locate, says that Freedom Campers tell her that they believe the Cox's Bay Esplanade is just one of several designated spots where they can camp.
“Unfortunately, a Google search also produces many results showings this,” she says.
“So, listing the Coxs Bay Esplanade as a “restricted” camping area in the council’s by-laws has had the reverse effect, “she continues.
Glenys confirms the survey completed by HBRAI; that the majority of campers do not have “certified, self-contained vehicles”.
Glenys says the issue has worsened since Freedom Campers started using the Esplanade in 2022.
“I’ve seen campers toileting in the small, sparsely treed esplanade reserve beside the zig-zag walkways up to Jervois Road,“ she says.
“On at least two occasions I have seen what appears to have been the contents of a portable/cassette toilets that had been emptied into one of the carpark’s gutter drains, which empties directly into Cox’s Bay, evidenced by the acrid smell of stale urine, and the toilet paper and other items caught in the grill.”
Next door neighbours Toni Ashton and Michael Williams agree that the council need to be pro-active and not reactive to the problem. “They set it up, they should monitor it, “says Toni.
Until we complained, Auckland Council only monitored the freedom campers when a complaint was rung in by the public.
When HBRAI complained in late May of a one-night example where 22 vehicles were parked in the Reserve at 6am in the morning, the council said it had only received eight complaints about vehicles parked in the area at night and had visited during the day only twice in the last six months.
Following the complaint from HBRAI the council sent Armourguard to the area. Armourguard reported that nine vehicles were illegally parked and had been issued with $400 infringement notices.
Following repeated questions to the council about the issue we got the following reply:
As well as Armourguard following up complaints, council now had additional “compliance warden patrols” operating across Auckland dealing with Public Safety and Nuisance By-Law Breaches (noise complaints mainly). They had been directed to “give attention” to the Cox’s Bay Esplanade and address any Freedom Camping breaches they encountered, issuing infringement notices “where appropriate.”
On the subject of inadequate signage for Freedom Campers, Adrian Wilson Compliance Manager, Auckland Council, said: “We are also reviewing signage in the area to ensure appropriate warnings are given to those campers entering the carpark.“
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