Gamps at damp camps

Press, 30 December 1976, Page 1

Gamps at damp camps

Campers in grounds north of Christchurch had to don dressing-gowns and gumboots, and carry umbrellas to fetch their milk and newspapers yesterday.

Heavy? rain fell on North Canterbury for about 10 hours on Monday night, and some people were forced to move their tents and caravans as water crept up to doorways.

At Woodend motor camp, a Christchurch family had a pool six inches deep in the awning outside their caravan. Mr Doug Brown had just put up the awning when the rain started.

“I didn’t have the time or a spade to dig trenches,” he said. When his wife opened the caravan door, she saw th, ir meat safe, accordion, clothes and shoes floating in the water. Yesterday, the caretaker of the camp used a tractor to tow the caravan to a new site and the Browns laid out bedding, clothing, and other holiday equipment so that it could dry in the sun. Extensive surface water at Spencer Park motor camp was clear evidence of the heavy downpours of the previous night. One woman said she arid her husband could hardly hear themselves talk above the noise of the rain. She was keeping her two children inside, until the water had drained away.

Another man was loading the family car and preparing to return to Christchurch for a few days "to dry out.” Die weather had been beautifully tine for the two days before the storm and there was no mention of it in weather forecasts. When

the ram started, many people were soaked while they dug trenches around their tents and awnings.

At Kairaki Beach camp near Kaiapoi, the groundsheet, sleeping bags and blankets in one tent were wet, but the youths in the tent were not unduly wor-

ried and intended remaining for the rest of their fishing holiday. Camp caretakers reported few people leaving the camps to return home because of the weather. Most regarded the rain a* one of the hazards of camping.