About midday yesterday, the group had filled about 30 large plastic bags full of sandy-shelly oil.
Mr McGonagle, from Mount Maunganui, used Spill Sorb, a natural peat moss product that helped the removal of oil off the rocks, which he said made the job "a whole lot easier". "There are thousands of little rock pools and holes and crevices that this oil has gotten in to and being able to have the peat moss in my hand and able to work away at the oil and see it come off the rocks has been so great."
"When you're walking around the track you can't see how bad it is, the oil has got into the thousands of crevices.
"It is a big job. I think it will take at least four weeks to get it all tidied up."
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Mr McGonagle said being involved in the clean-up process was "emotional" and he was extremely grateful to be involved.
Mr Samuels, who works at Bakels, was thankful his employer gave him time off work to help.
"You get down on your hands and knees and pick up the stuff through the sand," Mr Samuels said.
"It's easier to remove if you get some of the sand and shells as well, it kinds of all holds together."
He said picking up oil could get "pretty tiring", especially when they had been cleaning the shoreline for the past few days.
"But it's been really good getting stuck in and helping."
"I'm from Matakana Island, I've grown up with the sea at my doorstep and I just think the job has to be done and who else is going to do it. Someone has to," he said.
He thanked Bay Engineers, which donated the Spill Sorb. Fulton Hogan staff also took part in the rocky shoreline clean-up.
Mr Samuels said the mood inside the volunteer group was extremely positive.
"Maori, Pakeha, people from Auckland and out of town have come to help and it's great. Everyone is really behind this because we all want to see this beautiful area get back to what it was."
