Kerikeri-Whangaroa beach access eyed

So where's the beach?
That's one of the first questions newcomers to Kerikeri ask, unable to believe one of the Far North's biggest towns has no access to the sea.
Now Kerikeri-Whangaroa Community Board member Harko Brown is hoping to change that.
While the town has a few small bays within a 20km range - among them Opito Bay on the other side of Kerikeri Inlet, and Wharau Bay near the tip of Kerikeri Peninsula - there are no expansive beaches facing open sea.
To experience that, Kerikeri residents have to drive 40 minutes north to Matauri Bay.
Takou Bay is closer but access is by a 700m walk across private land. The Purerua Peninsula has some glorious beaches but most are locked away behind millionaires' estates.
Mr Brown, however, has his eye on the beaches on the ocean side of Wharau Rd. Opening up that stretch of coast would have economic spin-offs as well, because it could allow a road, cycle trail or walkway between Kerikeri and Waitangi, two cradles of the nation.
Onewhero Bay in particular is a long sweep of sand, facing Moturoa Island and the entrance to the Bay of Islands.
The catch is that it is surrounded by private farmland, inaccessible except by sea.
Kerikeri resident Mr Brown, who was elected to the community board last year, has made submissions to the Far North District and the Northland Regional council's annual plans calling on councillors to make access to a beach close to town a priority.
Mr Brown's submission calls on the council to acquire land on the ocean side of Wharau Rd to allow access to Onewhero Bay, and to provide parking, toilets and a playground.
Maori were pleased it was not their land for once that was being targeted for public access, he said.
An accessible beach would enhance quality of life, act as a catalyst for tourism ventures such as cycle ways and walking trails, save on fossil fuels by cutting travel distances, encourage tourists to stay longer, and in the long-term, increase the council's rates intake.
"It would also fulfil the expectations of just about every visitor to Kerikeri. People are astounded a proper beach doesn't exist," Mr Brown said.
He also wants the council to fund a feasibility study looking into a heritage trail from the Stone Store to Waitangi.
John and Jocelyn Bayly, who own farmland around Onewhero Bay, would not comment.
They were unhappy with Mr Brown's approach, and said he had failed to consult them properly before going public with his plans.
The district council is hearing submissions to its annual plan this week starting at the council chambers in Kaikohe on Monday, at Far North Reap in Kaitaia yesterday, and Kingston House in Kerikeri on Friday.