The campers, believed to be Asian tourists, some aged about 20, later spent the night sleeping in their vehicle.
Yesterday morning, sand was dug away from the van’s wheels and a utility vehicle was used in an effort — initially unsuccessful — to pull the three-tonne camper van free before 11am.
Another attempt later in the morning succeeded in freeing the van.
Warrington resident Rhys Owen said he had been surprised to see the van stranded about 10m from the Warrington Surf Life Saving Club, when he had gone to the club about 10am yesterday.
This was a "pretty bizarre" incident, and the van had also been blocking a walking access path to the beach and a track used to take surf rescue boats to the shore.
Mr Owen has made annual plan submissions to the Dunedin City Council over freedom camping issues involving the nearby Warrington Domain, and concerns have also been raised with the Waikouaiti Coast Community Board.
He has earlier said that at the peak of summer demand, up to 100 freedom campers had been spending the night at the domain, greatly reducing the ability of local people to use their recreational facility for which they paid rates.
Mr Owen’s partner, Jackie Hughes, said Warrington people would have been concerned to help free the stranded vehicle.
However, the stranding further highlighted problems with the inadequate signs which were intended to advise freedom campers where the camping area was located, Dr Hughes said.
Mr Owen said nobody objected to some freedom campers using the area, but the volume of use during summer had become unsustainably high.
The community board had recently acknowledged that the freedom camping issue was a matter of serious community concern in Warrington, he emphasised.
Constructive steps were being taken by the board, with backing from the city council, to improve the situation.
The board’s response was an important positive development and he was much more optimistic about the future, given this welcome collaborative approach, he said.
