No operator has been found for the Curio Bay campground as the Southland District Council works to get the site open for summer.
a new operator for both the campground and nearby Curioscape cafe was found this month but later withdrew, a council report has revealed. The potential operator had been selected following an expressions of interest process that drew "significant interest" from across New Zealand. The potential operator was not named..
The council is now talking to other respondents from that process, in consultation with the South Catlins Charitable Trust.
The campground recorded about 17,300 stays in 2025. It sits in an area home to Hector's dolphins, yellow-eyed penguins, and a petrified forest. the campground had also been closed since April. The lease for the campground and Curioscape ended in late June.
Councillors voted on Wednesday on a two-stage approach: an interim arrangement for the 2026/27 season, then work beginning on a long-term operating model from early 2027. Any interim arrangement will wrap up no later than 30 June 2027.
The council's chief executive was given authority to appoint a campground operator. The South Catlins Charitable Trust — Curioscape – which is owned by the trust — was granted a lease for the Tumu Toka Curioscape building.
The council received four formal expressions of interest during the process. "Staff fielded more than a dozen calls, advertised through and sought advice from the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association, and spoke with campground operators throughout New Zealand," the report said.
The council had previously revealed the campground was at risk of staying closed for the upcoming season after the trust pulled away from an expiring lease.