Coromandel in New Zealand (mostly) reopens for camping

Popular seaside camping spots on New Zealand’s North Island are reopening after months of repair work following a devastating cyclone.

Billions of dollars worth of damage were caused when Cyclone Gabrielle passed over parts of the North Island back in February. The Coromandel Peninsula took a severe hit, with damage reported at the coast and Coromandel Forest Park, a popular attraction about a two-hour drive from Auckland.

Now, New Zealand’s Department of Conservation says the region is mostly back in business.

DOC announced that work to repair facilities at several coastal campsites is mostly complete, and the agency is once again inviting campers to make reservations. Camping sites at Waikawau Bay, Fletcher Bay, Stony Bay, Fantail Bay, and Port Jackson are now taking bookings, DOC says.

However, the department says some lingering effects of Cyclone Gabriel have forced them to reduce capacity at some campsites.

For example, DOC says that only 185 people will now be permitted to camp at once at Port Jackson. Previously, that campsite could handle 250 campers at once. Capacity at Fletcher Bay is lowered from 300 people to 200, and campsite capacity at Fantail Bay has been lowered from 80 people to 60.

The reason for the reduced capacity limits, DOC says, is the damage the cyclone caused to roads in the area. The capacity reductions are an effort to reduce traffic congestion and avoid further wear and tear on gravel roads.

DOC also says that visitors should expect only “backcountry standard” services available at some of the sites. Interested campers are told that they must bring all the supplies they’ll need for their stay.

“Coromandel’s road network, including some of those routes in the most northern part of the peninsula leading to the DOC campsites, remains compromised in places,” DOC Coromandel Operations Manager Nick Kelly said in a statement.

“The beauty of these places is their isolation but that means if you get into trouble, emergency services will take some time to get to you,” Kelly added.

Several areas of Coromandel Forest Park remain closed months after Gabriel’s passing, a testament to the damage that storm left in its wake.

For example, the Maratoto-Golden Cross Track, a popular Coromandel Forest Park hiking trail, remains closed since Cyclone Gabriel’s landfall in February “due to the risk from slips, flooding, and fallen trees,” DOC says.

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