Hundreds of tonnes of seaweed and shellfish washed up on to Mount Maunganui beaches during Anniversary weekend are starting to cause a stink.
Tauranga City Council team manager of regional parks and development, Mark Bruhn, said Environment Bay of Plenty had received complaints about the smell over the past few days.
As a result, the council tomorrow will groom the beach from Moturiki (Leisure Island) to Tay St to remove the seaweed which was washed up at the weekend after a large easterly swell and a high tide. Beaches further east were not affected to the same extent.
Mr Bruhn said the seaweed would not usually be removed but officials had decided to clean it up because Waitangi weekend was approaching.
Mount Maunganui beaches had not received a dump like this for many years but it was a "perfectly natural event".
Because the following tide was not as high as the first, it did not wash the seaweed back out to sea.
Trust Waikato Mount Maunganui Surf Life Saving Club president Kent Jarman said he had not seen as much material washed up since Cyclone Bola hit the Bay 18 years ago.
He said most of what washed ashore was kelp and he believed it had come from Town Point near Maketu.
The beach area between Mussel rock and Bank St was the worst affected.
Mr Jarman said usually any seaweed remained on the beach until it was either washed out in the tide or picked up to make fertiliser by enterprising people.
"It sort of messes up our pristine beach but that's nature for you. I think most people expect this sort of thing to happen during January."
He said the smell would not be such a problem if the kelp dried out in the sun.
But the tonnes of seaweed washed ashore also had lots of large mussels attached, which raised other concerns, Mr Jarman said.
"People were gathering them which is a bit risky. Shellfish get a bit dodgy after just a few hours. I don't know if I'd be too keen to eat them."
The heavy kelp also posed a swimming risk for small children who could get caught in it, he said.
Other North Island beaches have received a heavy dumping of seaweed over the past few days.
North Shore City Council had hired a drainage company to remove seaweed a metre-deep on some beaches and has a strong fishy smell that attracts flies.
Phew! Storm causes a real stink
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