Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

East coast beaches weather big surf

By Lindy Laird
Northern Advocate·
13 Jul, 2016 03:00 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

For a week, three-metre high waves have been breaking well offshore, such as this view of breakers between the headlands at Matapouri.

For a week, three-metre high waves have been breaking well offshore, such as this view of breakers between the headlands at Matapouri.

Nearly a week of constant crashing waves and a strong undertow has shifted sand but not caused erosion to the dunes and foreshore on Whangarei's east coast beaches.

The sand on beaches was already "steep" as a result of wind and surf conditions this winter.

Over the weekend, breaking surf was between three and five metres high, almost the size of that caused when Cyclone Pam's tail lashed Northland in March 2015.

Similar to during cyclonic events, the surf sets were breaking a long way out and becoming a fast-moving, churning wash of white closer to shore.

While the beaches were hammered, there were no reports of dunes being eroded, large quantities of sand scoured away or other damage.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Yesterday the tide was still driving high but the height of the waves was beginning to ease. Whangarei District Council staff were to inspect vulnerable beaches such as Sandy Bay and Matapouri, parks and recreation manager Paul McDonald said.

In recent years Matapouri, where extensive dune-building was done 10 years ago, has been spared the erosion that undercut the sand and threatened beachfront properties. At Sandy Bay, high sand deposits had built up at the north end.

Mr McDonald said that despite the easterly weather and sand movement at several beaches, infrastructure risk remained "pretty low".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
The sea was storming in through the entrance at Tutukaka mouth on Monday. Photo / John Stone
The sea was storming in through the entrance at Tutukaka mouth on Monday. Photo / John Stone

Northland Regional Council coast and rivers manager Bruce Howse said there had been some deep scouring at Waipu Cove a few weeks ago but no reports of further loss this week. The regional council is responsible for assessing coastal hazards and monitoring, while the district council does protection and remedial work.

The Tutukaka Marina was unscathed despite big waves through the narrow entrance and submerging the rocks.

Marina Management Trust chairman Terry Harris and staff said there was no damage to boats although "there was a lot movement".

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

'I didn’t have time to think': Well-known local rescues woman from rising flood

Northern Advocate

'Frankly dangerous': Gang member's alleged reckless driving near police lands him in court

Northern Advocate

Invasive sea spurge found at Spirits Bay, threatening native plants


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

'I didn’t have time to think': Well-known local rescues woman from rising flood
Northern Advocate

'I didn’t have time to think': Well-known local rescues woman from rising flood

Roddy Pihema saved a woman and her dog from rising floodwaters in Kawakawa.

16 Jul 06:00 AM
'Frankly dangerous': Gang member's alleged reckless driving near police lands him in court
Northern Advocate

'Frankly dangerous': Gang member's alleged reckless driving near police lands him in court

16 Jul 04:04 AM
Invasive sea spurge found at Spirits Bay, threatening native plants
Northern Advocate

Invasive sea spurge found at Spirits Bay, threatening native plants

16 Jul 04:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP