Julie and Allan from Christchurch have been camping at Kaiteriteri for almost 40 years. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
Kaiteriteri Beach, at the top of the South Island, is preparing for thousands of visitors and campers near its sandy shores, which are the gateway to the Abel Tasman National Park.
Julie and Allan from Christchurch cannot exactly remember how long they have been camping at Kaiteriteri, but they reckon it's at least 40 years.
"It was early '80s, and we were coming to Motueka before that for seven years and we decided to come over here because we were getting in the car every day to go to Kaiteri, so we thought why not camp there?"
Kaiteriteri Beach draws thousands of holidaymakers every summer. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
Since then, they've made the six-hour trip up from Christchurch with a caravan in tow every summer.
This year, they'll spend two months parked up in the camp at Kaiteriteri Beach, which has only got more popular.
"It's still as busy as ever, I think people are coming a bit earlier than normal, Boxing Day used to be a real big day ... 150 caravans would arrive, I don't know how they ever coped to be quite honest, I don't know how they are going to cope this year."
Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve chief executive Mason Fitzgerald. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve chief executive Mason Fitzgerald said about 800 people would check into the camp over the next few days, with more than 60,000 staying in campsites, cabins or apartments at the beach over the summer.
"For about two weeks of January it turns into Christchurch, it is probably 80 percent Cantabrians that turn up in those first couple of weeks."
The camp is fully booked from now until mid-February - and it's not that easy to nab a spot in the peak season.
Those like Allan and Julie who have been staying at the camp for decades have "rebook privileges" and get to stay in the same spot, each year.
"The apartments, cabins and other campsites are released early in the winter and sell out within 24 hours, people take days off work to try and book, so we are working on how we get more people here, but it is just so incredibly popular, it is hard to get in," Fitzgerald said.
The Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve is a popular camping destination in the top of the South Island. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
The camp has changed over the years and a redevelopment in 2016 saw nine apartments built.
"It's certainly grown and there are many different opinions as to what it could or should look like from Surfers Paradise to having no one on the beach, so we just have to try and balance those things," Fitzgerald said.
The Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve differs from other holiday parks in that it's a Crown-owned entity that spans 250 hectares, including the well-known beach and estuary, nearby Kākā Point and Kākā Island, the Kaiteriteri Mountain Bike Park and the native bush-clad hills surrounding it all.
The Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve is a crown-owned entity. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
The reserve is governed by a board appointed by the Minister of Conservation and does not receive any government funding so is reliant on visitor spend.
"So any time you go to the store or anytime you book an apartment, any time you invest in the reserve, we get to give back to the community, improve the area and keep it as special as it is for years to come."
The number of staff working at the reserve triples over the busy summer period to around 150 people.
Jess has been a barista in Kaiteriteri for two summers while studying at university. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
One of those is barista Jess, who grew up in Motueka and is working at Kaiteriteri for the second summer, making hundreds of coffees a day.
"Every single summer I'd come out here so it is nice to get to work out here now and it is honestly just crazy in the middle of summer. We are just so overwhelmed every morning but it is heaps of fun and we have a really good team."
She said flat whites were by far and away the most popular coffee order among beachgoers.
"We usually start around 8am and all of the boats go out to the national park and that is the busiest part of the day, everyone trying to get their coffee before they get on the boat, so that is hundreds of people before 9am."
Aaron says real fruit ice creams are among the most popular items at the Kaiteriteri Store. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
For 17-year-old Aaron, it's the fourth year he has spent scooping ice creams at the Kaiteriteri Store.
"I live in Motueka which is not that far away and my parents also worked here so I have spent a lot of time at Kaiteriteri. I love how sunny it is all the time and I can't imagine working anywhere else, especially on my breaks getting to enjoy the beach and the water."
The store sold 36,000 ice creams last January - with deliveries and staff ramping up considerably over Christmas and into January to ensure residents and visitors have milk, ice or sausages for the barbeque.
Waterworld managing director Kel Travers. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
This summer, a floating waterpark has been set up at the beach for the first time and will operate from now until Waitangi weekend.
Waterworld managing director Kel Travers said it was the first time Waterworld Wipeout had operated in the South Island, with Kaiteriteri Beach a "world-class" offering for the park, which he described as a "massive floating pile of fun" for kids and adults alike.
