Deliberate ‘spill’ fuels debate

requires a bit of patience.

Which makes the news from Nelson this week that a van-load of French tourists siphoned the diesel they put in their petrol van into the stormwater drain all the more palling. Especially after they were told that the fuel could be decanted at the petrol station if they were just prepared to wait.

Reportedly their response to shocked witnesses was ‘‘we haven’t got much money because we are backpackers and we are only here for three weeks’’. And so it begins.

The comments flooded in over this story and overwhelmingly they weren’t reflecting on the poor choice of fuel. They were reacting to the perceived arrogance of freedom campers and the liberties they’re taking when they come here. This latest act is something new but replace fuel dumping with littering or toileting and you have the general theme. Spring is starting to make itself felt with warmer weather and the trickle or freedom campers is about to become a steady flow.

Last summer the freedom camper debate reached such a volume that councils around the country began to act had to act and now in New Plymouth there is a bylaw out for consultation to deal with the problem. No bylaw is going to stem this sort of stupidity but the real hope is that it does allow us to have this type of traveller visit and enjoy regions in a respectful and sustainable way. It’s a worrying sign that so early in the piece people’s patience is being tested and it’s these sort of fringe idiots who genuinely stain the reputation of all budget travellers no matter how polite and selfcontained they are.

Time will tell how it all pans out once the influx descends but we look forward to a summer of love for all travellers and with a bit of luck tensions don’t rise as quickly as the temperature.

In the meantime, maybe we need to translate diesel and petrol into a few different languages just in case. - Stuff