Pack up your tent and dust off your air mattress, a new camping ground is coming to Southland.

Construction is underway in Otautau, about 40 minutes from Invercargill, on a project which still holds some uncertainty around what it will include.

So far, Southland District Council has confirmed the $425,000 project will have an amenities block with cooking and laundry facilities, plus showers.

“There will be both powered and non-powered camp sites and it is hoped to include two non-self contained cabins,” the council said.

Initial work began on site before Christmas with completion scheduled for the end of April, it said.

The cabins remain something of a mystery, however, as the council opted to discuss construction behind closed doors at a January meeting.

Completion of the campground is scheduled for the end of April. (File photo). Credit: Ruth Kuo/RNZ

.

Discussion about construction and an operating model was also handled in private at a Wallace Takitimu Community Board meeting in December.

“The building and resource consents allow for cabins to be included but this has yet to be decided,” the council said.

An overview of Otautau’s camping ground history was provided by the council, which said the original version was built by the Otautau Jaycees group and opened in the 1960s or 1970s.

A need for improved facilities was highlighted over the years and a project to upgrade the former campground was included in the council's long term plan for 2015 - 2025.

That did not go ahead after the building was found to be structurally unsound, and was demolished in 2019.

Funding for the new project was made up of $275,000 from Three Waters Better Off Funding received in 2023 by the community board, plus $150,000 from local reserves which was earmarked in the council's 2024 - 2034 long term plan.

Tender information from 2024 shows a communal facility building of approximately 40 square metres was desired for the first stage, with cabins being a possibility in the second stage.

The new camping ground will be located at the same place as its predecessor, Holt Park, and will be operated by the council.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.