Camping - 1st time

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#257282 24-Sep-2019 10:35

Looking to go camping with a few mates earlyish next year on the Coromandel and found a neat looking DOC run campsite, right next to a river, plenty of walks in the area etc.

Now, me being a complete n00b at this camping thing (most I ever did was pitch a tent in the backyard) do have a few questions some more experienced geeks might be able to answer ;)

1) No fires - I get that, so no open fire, but gas/butane burners all good I take it ?

2) Cars - Although its a "proper" campground as such, I take it they do allow you to park your vehicle next to your tent as long as your'e not taking up another site ?

3) Food - cold foods (such as meat to cook etc) , do you just take a chilly bin full of ice and treat it as a fridge ?

4) Security - Obviously would like to be able to go for a walk and come back to find my gear still place. Had any issues ? I'll take a padlock to put on the tent zipper but obviously easily beaten and anything of value will be hidden in the car.

Think thats all for now........ :)

TIA

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#2323749 24-Sep-2019 10:35

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#2323757 24-Sep-2019 10:47

1) No fires - I get that, so no open fire, but gas/butane burners all good I take it ?

2) Cars - Although its a "proper" campground as such, I take it they do allow you to park your vehicle next to your tent as long as your'e not taking up another site ?

3) Food - cold foods (such as meat to cook etc) , do you just take a chilly bin full of ice and treat it as a fridge ?

4) Security - Obviously would like to be able to go for a walk and come back to find my gear still place. Had any issues ? I'll take a padlock to put on the tent zipper but obviously easily beaten and anything of value will be hidden in the car.

1. Generally when a closed fire season, you are permitted to use a gas operated burner in a designated camp site.

2. I'm sure you can park right next to your camp site. Also gives you wind shelter and something to fix your tent to during a wind storm. Pro tip. Remove rope from car following wind storm!

3. Depending on your type of chilly bin, ice, slicker pads etc, and given summer heat, 1-2 days at the most. If shops are near by, then you maybe able to buy more ice / food. Take frozen foods to give you more time.

4. As a rule, don't leave anything you don't want stolen in your camp site. As police say, don't leave valuables in your car!

Look on the doc website, there should be a page / pdf for your camp site. Go to camping supply stores and ask questions, they will be quite helpful. And most of all, have fun :-)

Fred99

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#2323788 24-Sep-2019 11:07

3) A good chilly bin with ice might be okay for up to about a week if you keep in in the shade. Rather than bagged ice cubes , 2l milk bottles filled with drinking water and frozen solid last longer, don't fill your bin with water when they defrost, and as they defrost, you've got cold fresh drinking water. Get meat vacuum packed, lasts much longer, and avoids getting meat juices etc leaking all over bin contents. Many supermarkets and butcher shops will vacuum pack meat for you. Or just avoid taking fresh meat. Beer cans also freeze well and help keep the contents cool - a bit annoying if you feel like having a beer and it's all still frozen.

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#2323794 24-Sep-2019 11:20

Older thread but still relevant. Having done it a few times, I really appreciate having spent extra getting a good quality tent. Whilst moisture still builds up inside the tent due to the humidity we expell, it's considerably better than my childhood memories of most things being really quite wet.

Our kids love camping, and actually one of the cool things we do once a year is do camping in the back of a school. It's an organized annual event, food is provided and games for the kids etc. It's not particularly hard core, but the kids look forward to it.

I'd be keen to hear about your location in the Coromandel?

I have a 3 person tent you are welcome to borrow if you like.

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#2323795 24-Sep-2019 11:21

Which campground are you looking at? There's a few DoC sites up the Coromandel.

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#2323803 24-Sep-2019 11:31

You can use dry ice to keep things colder for longer than ice. We used this on a canoe trip, and it kept meat frozen for 3-4 days. Wrap the dry ice in some insulation (e.g. sacking) to make it last longer. Bonus is that, as it melts, it fills the chilly bin with CO2, so there's no/less oxygen for bacteria.

I wouldn't padlock the zip on the tent... that just implies that there's something valuable inside, and invites a thief to cut a hole in the tent to see what it is. The damage to the tent is more expensive than anything that might get stolen. Lock valuables in the car, out of sight, and leave the tent unlocked.

Take insect repellant and sunscreen. You may need to take drinking water.

At the risk of being seen as prejudicial and judgemental of you and your mates... Campsites are generally family-oriented, so don't expect drunkenness or loud music or "driving skill demonstrations" to be tolerated. Also no WiFi.

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#2323818 24-Sep-2019 11:41

Solar powered lamp/torch is a good idea as well. Surprising how quickly batteries run down when you are in the middle of nowhere.

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#2323821 24-Sep-2019 11:42

Thanks all for the hints etc :)

Looking to go for probably 4 days, Shag Stream is looking like a decent spot at this stage.

Good point regarding padlock, will throw anything of value in the car.

And no issues with our behavior, we may get loud with laughter but no music or stupidity as such :) And the no wifi, its one of the reasons camping is appealing ;)

I've got a 3 man tent that I can put up myself, so covered on that side of things :) Got it from FCO before they shutdown few years back.

TIA

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#2323826 24-Sep-2019 11:48

xpd:

Looking to go for probably 4 days, Shag Stream is looking like a decent spot at this stage.

Make sure you take toilet paper just in case theres none in the toilets there :)

xpd

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#2323911 24-Sep-2019 13:02

halper86:

xpd:

Looking to go for probably 4 days, Shag Stream is looking like a decent spot at this stage.

Make sure you take toilet paper just in case theres none in the toilets there :)

Hahaha yeah never thought of that, will add that to the checklist :D

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#2323912 24-Sep-2019 13:06

xpd:

halper86:

xpd:

Looking to go for probably 4 days, Shag Stream is looking like a decent spot at this stage.

Make sure you take toilet paper just in case theres none in the toilets there :)

Hahaha yeah never thought of that, will add that to the checklist :D

Take the fast decomposing toilet paper like the type one uses in portable toilets or campervans. It is likely the toilets on the campsite are composting ones. On that subject take Purel or like, don't trust the water, also take in your own drinking water

djtOtago

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#2324004 24-Sep-2019 14:16

Led light you can hang in the tent. Much easier to do things like getting dressed, reading etc if you don't have to hold a torch.
A headlamp is always handy. A good torch as well.

A blanket to put on the stretcher or air bed. I find stretchers cold to sleep on with out a blanket between it and me. My under side just feels colder. Sleeping bags like to slide off Air beds. A blanket on top then your sleeping bag I find is a more secure nights sleep.
A camp chair. Better than sitting on the ground.
A small table. Like this small one or better this not so small one. Easier to put things down on a table and pick them up again, than on the ground. ie your morning cup of tea, sun screen etc.
Also easier to cook on, if there's no convenient picnic table around.

What are you cooking on?
As there are a few of you, a 2 burner stove and or small BBQ

A container to wash dishes in. like this Some camps sites have kitchen sinks for this some do not. If they do, it is still handy way to carry dirty dishes to the sink area.
At least one Camp kettle between you. Usually easier and fast (than a pot) to heat enough water for hot drinks, plunger coffee, doing dishes etc.

Looks like camp site doesn't have showers, cold or hot. So you may want a solar shower, just so you can at least have some warm water to rinse off with. I'm sure you can find somewhere to hang it up. If you have the room you can always take your own shower tent

Of cause, This all depends on how much room you have to transport all this. And how rough you want you camping. :)

note: I'm not endorsing any products I have linked to. Just using them as examples.

xpd

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#2324011 24-Sep-2019 14:21

Hehe yeah Im not planning on glamping it up too much ;) Couple of the guys go camping every year, so will hopefully have some stuff, or else I know someone who has a trailer full of camp gear I can prob borrow ;)

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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