Camp Waipu Cove is an eco-friendly campground. Our goal is to lessen the impact on climate change and promote environmental sustainability. In 2023 we were awarded The Qualmark GOLD Sustainable Tourism Business Award for our environmental practices. Here are a few things we have done to help make our planet a better place. In February 2024 we became a certified Net Zero Carbon business, an achievement we are immensely proud of.
Camp Waipu Cove is proud to be a certified Net Zero Carbon business. We are committed to implementing sustainable practices in our business and are working hard to reduce our impacts on the environment, we will continue to reduce emissions as much as we can and will offset what cannot be reduced. Our team do take our responsibilities seriously and we are proud of what we have achieved
Waipu Cove Reserve Board Net Zero Carbon Business Operations Certificate
Waipu Cove Reserve Board Carbon Emissions Inventory Report
We have installed 166 solar panels on our facility buildings. Since their installation in 2017 we have saved around 26.5% of our total power bill per year. We have also installed sensors in our ablution blocks which will automatically turn lights off when not in use. LED lights have been installed in all of our ablution blocks to reduce energy consumption.
In 2021 we decommissioned our diesel boiler which was used to heat the hot water for our Northern end amenities block. We have instead installed hot water heat pumps to produce hot water for our North Block, these heat pumps run on solar power during daylight hours. All of our showers run on a 6 minute timer with a 2 minute delay before the next hot water activates. Our sink taps are push button taps which only stay on for 5 seconds at a time. This is to help minimise the water and energy wastage in our ablution blocks.
We have swapped all of our cabin toiletries from mini individual supplies to refillable bottles. We have decided to use products from Forest and Bird NZ. A percentage of every sale of Forest & Bird goes directly to Forest & Bird to help them protect our native flora and fauna. The products are refilled until bottle reaches end of its usable life, then bottles are recycled as they are made from PET. These products are cruelty free and not tested on animals, they are NZ made. Forest and Bird products contain no parabens or genetically modified ingredients. We have also moved to biodegradable rubbish bags and have swapped our 15ml single use plastic milk pottles to a larger recyclable 250ml tetra pack.
Our organic veggie garden produces a variety of seasonal herbs and vegetables. Guests are welcome to come and pick what they need during their stay.
We have 3 rubbish and recycle stations inside the camp. These are located close to our 3 ablution blocks and give our guests the ability to dispose of their waste in the appropriate bins such as glass, plastic, cardboard and general waste.
Our dunes are important for our community. They help as a natural defense against coastal hazards and erosion, while maintaining and enhancing the recreational opportunities of animal habitats. We are responsible for the ongoing care and maintenance of the dunes and public reserve. In 2017, Camp Waipu Cove was named the winner of 'New Zealand's Best Coastal Dune Restoration Project' by the Coastal Restoration Trust of New Zealand. We continue to maintain our dunes with bimonthly spraying of weeds, a herbicide is applied to any weeds that do not support the structure and ecological habitat that the dunes provide. We also continue with planting as needed. Guests who book their stay via our website have the option to add a $2 donation to their booking. These donations go directly to the ongoing care and maintenance of our dunes.
Camp Waipu Cove continues to support the Waipu Cycleway, including a $10,000 donation to complete the last phase of the track. The goal is to have a full 9km trail from Waipu Township to Waipu Cove with an exciting trail ride for cyclists and walkers. For more information, please visit www.waipucycleway.com. We also continue to support the work completed on the Waipu Coastal trail which included a $20,000 donation towards the recent maintenance and repairs of the track.
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