Long Bay Regional Park is closed to cars as crowds flock there to escape today’s scorching heat.
Photo / Alex Burton
Long Bay Regional Park is closed to cars as crowds flock there to escape today’s scorching heat.
Photo / Alex Burton
A popular beach on Auckland’s North Shore was closed to vehicles as crowds flocked to find relief during today’s hot weather.
Long Bay Regional Park reached full capacity, with no further vehicle access available from around midday.
Auckland Council said the park itself was not closed, but parking reached“vehicle capacity” due to the hot weather.
Fifteen heat alerts are in place across Aotearoa today as temperatures are sizzling nationwide, with the national high currently nearing 34C in Hastings.
An Auckland Council spokesperson encouraged people to explore other locations from Long Bay when finding a place to cool off.
“Be patient where vehicle access to beach and parks will be busy,” said a council spokesperson.
“Long Bay Regional Park is not closed, but has reached vehicle capacity due to the hot weather we’re experiencing.”
“There is no issue with water quality at almost all Auckland beaches and swim spots, though people can check safeswim.org.nz/ to be make sure for themselves.
“We encourage people to explore other locations to find a place to cool off, and be patient where vehicle access to beach and parks will be busy.”
MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane told the Herald that temperatures remain on track to shatter current heat records, with northwesterly winds from Australia already pushing highs past 30C in several regions by midmorning.
“Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti Gisborne are still looking to be some of the hotter places in the country,” she said.
“Once those northwesterlies hit the coast, that’s when we’re expecting the temperatures to ramp up.”
Multiple heat alerts are in place today across the country, alongside an “extreme” fire risk.
Hawke’s Bay is looking to be one of the hottest places in the country this weekend. Photo / Ian Cooper
Most at risk of breaking high temperature records today are Whangārei, Whitianga and Napier; the latter’s January record of 36.9C in 1979 being only 0.9C above today’s forecast of 36C, the MetService said.
Auckland is among those to see its forecast high rise to 29C.
Forecast temperatures have been rising all week, with the MetService saying some areas – including Northland, Coromandel and Hawke’s Bay – could break January records today.
