Twenty-four years after the Ngunguru Sandspit Protection Society dug their toes into the sand to stop it being subdivided, its return to the people can be celebrated with "A Walk on the Ngunguru Sandspit Beach".
The event on Sunday will celebrate several things - Father's Day, Conservation Week and the first anniversary since then-Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson and Whangarei MP Phil Heatley announced the Department of Conservation had acquired the Ngunguru Sandspit from Todd Property Group, formerly known as Landco.
The event on Father's Day won't be the first community-inspired Walk on the Ngunguru Sandspit Beach; earlier walks took place in 2007, 2010 and 2011 to "Welcome the Godwits".
But it will be the first since the announcement in August last year that DoC had swapped a parcel of surplus government land and buildings in Napier to gain possession of the sandspit.
The deal put 121 hectares at the spit's northern end into public ownership but concern remains for the southern end and Whakairiora Mountain which are still in private ownership.
The protection society is also working towards joint management of the sandspit with tangata whenua, the community and DoC.
Sunday's walk doubles as a day of guardianship - with people asked to bring a bag along to collect rubbish.
There will be a free ferry service available, with a rolling start time of 10.30-11am and the last return time at 1pm.
Walkers should meet at Te Maika Rd, Ngunguru, to register. It would help if people brought their own lifejacket, if possible.
Tutukaka Coastguard will provide on-water safety watch and the rubbish collection has been arranged by Dive Tutukaka. "Save the Sandspit" greeting cards will be for sale and donationswill be gratefully received.
If the weather is bad, the walk will be postponed until Sunday, September 30.