Moturiki and Mauao base track closed again after dangerous sea swells

The Mauao base track and access to Moturiki (Leisure Island) have been closed again due to the high incoming tide.

Tauranga City Council's team leader of parks and environment, Warren Aitken, said the council had been watching the incoming tide closely this afternoon and had decided to close both tracks overnight as a precaution.

"Given the dangerous sea swells, which occurred yesterday, we have safety concerns today so have closed the tracks again.

"The closures will be reassessed tomorrow morning once the high tide has subsided."

The swell at Mount Maunganui on May 23. Photo / Nathan Pettigrew

Both tracks were only reopened this morning on the outgoing tide after being closed due to dangerous sea swells on Sunday afternoon.

During this time rough swells breached the Mauao base track and crossed over the sand bar at the back of Moturiki.

Tracks to the summit of Mauao remained open but with strong winds forecast, the council said people should use extra caution.

Warning signs are in place.

The next high tide for Mount Maunganui is due at 5.40am.

The closures were first put in place about 3pm yesterday due to dangerous sea swells which breached the Mauao base track and crossed over the sand bar at the back of Moturi.

All tracks open: The Mauao base track and Moturiki (Leisure Island) are open again. Please be mindful that there is...

Posted by Tauranga City Council on Sunday, May 23, 2021

Surfer Jimmy Van Der Pauw, 37, who was at Mount Maunganui Main Beach on Monday said he went down to the beach on Sunday to watch what was "quite a spectacle".

"Yesterday was probably the biggest swell here since cyclone Pam, maybe 10 years ago," he said.

"There was a lot of people here yesterday watching on the beach, like a 100 or 200 people. It was breaking maybe 500m offshore and then when the waves were coming through hitting Leisure Island, it was crashing maybe half the height of the island. So, it was a good spectacle for sure."

Council staff and contractors have today been assessing the damage to the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty coastlines after monster swells battered the coastlines last night.

MetService recorded waves overnight of up to 6.5 metres in Bowentown near Waihi and up to 8m in Pukehina, east of Tauranga.

People were asked to stay out of the water at Mt Maunganui Beach yesterday. Photo / Luke Kirkness

Swell warnings have lifted for most of the country except the Gisborne District which could see waves between 4.5m and 5.5m from now right through until Thursday.

Heavy seas at Mount Maunganui yesterday. Photo / File

MetService shift meteorologist Ashlee Parkes said the worst of the high swells had already happened and it was now easing for most places such as Bay of Plenty and Coromandel.

The wind is still blowing quite strongly along the eastern coast of Coromandel.

A deep low pressure to the northeast of the country continues to drive strong to gale force southeast winds onto the North Island. Overnight, observations in Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne have seen combined waves (both swell and wind waves) between 4 to 7 metres ^KL pic.twitter.com/FsK0eiB1Dl

— MetService (@MetService) May 23, 2021