More than 20 tonnes of oil and waste had been cleaned up from the Bay's coast line already.
The Bay of Plenty Times asked Mr Bridges if his stance on deep sea oil drilling had changed after seeing the effects of two significant oil spills in Tauranga since October 2011.
"I don't think it has anything to do with deep-sea oil drilling, and people who say that are wrong."
His duties in Parliament meant he was not able to visit earlier, he said.
"I've been getting updates several times a day from Maritime New Zealand. I think it's a significant spill in the sense people wished it never happened and the clean-up happens as quickly as people want it."
Mr Bridges said he was concerned the spill happened but could not ensure similar spills would not take place in the future.
"None of us wanted it to happen and if we can ensure they don't - that's excellent. That said, I think there needs to be some realism.
"Ultimately, we are a trading country. We have ports and, whilst we have to minimise the likelihood of these things happening, getting it to 100 per cent chance of not happening is probably going never going to happen."
Mr Bridges said the recent oil spill was not a disaster for the Tauranga environment and said an investigation would take place as a matter of course.
"Every bit of that [1500L] is more than any of us would like but in the scheme of things it's vastly smaller than the Rena."
Mr Bridges told The Bay of Plenty Times he believed iwi were informed of the oil spill the day it happened.
However, Ngati Ranginui spokesperson Carlton Bidois said he was notified the day afterward, April 28.
Mr Bidois said iwi were disappointed in the breakdown in communication, but said iwi had been happy with the response and clean-up after the spill.
Who to call
• If you see oil in the water call the Pollution Hotline on 0800 884 883 so it can be checked.
• The public have been asked to avoid contact with oiled material and stay away from oil wash-up areas. Any oiled wildlife found should be reported to DOC 0800 362 468 (0800 DOC HOT).
• Boat owners are reminded not to clean their boats or gear with any aggressive chemicals as this may cause more contamination. Please contact your marina operator for advice. Mobil has set up two 0800 numbers:
• Boat owners wanting advice about cleaning, etc., are advised to call 0800 895 011.
• Boat owners wanting to make insurance claims to Mobil should call 0800 692 524.
Contamination tests ongoing
Samples of sea life have been collected from the parts of Maungatapu, Tauranga Bridge Marina and Motuopuhi (Rat) Island worst hit by last week's oil spill and will be tested for any polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination.
"We've been taking samples, concentrating on kaimoana as these filter-feed and if there's oil in the environment they are able to pick it up," Bay of Plenty Regional Council environmental scientist Robert Win said.
Baskets of mussels had been placed near the spill site and would be left there for two weeks before being tested against a basket of mussels that had not been exposed. They will then be left for four weeks before being re-tested.
"A good sign was seeing plenty of wading birds out there fishing this week, as Motuopuhi is an important bird roosting area," Mr Win said.
Regional Council chief executive Mary-Anne Macleod said staff and volunteers had cleaned up more than 20 tonnes of oil and waste. Crews continued their work to clean up oil at Tauranga Bridge Marina, the port wharf and Pilot Bay on Saturday.
Volunteers would continue to check tide lines over the next couple of weeks, she said.
- additional reporting Brooke Bath
