Safeswim red and black flags: 64 Auckland beaches unsafe to swim at due to faecal contamination

Multiple beaches across Auckland have been labelled unsafe to swim at. Photo / Safeswim

• Sixty-four beaches across the Auckland region have been black- and red-flagged as unsafe to swim at due to faecal contamination.
• These include every beach on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula and multiple beaches on the North Shore.
• All but five beaches in Auckland’s inner harbour have been flagged as unsafe to swim at.

More than 60 Auckland beaches have been labelled unsafe to swim due to faecal contamination, two days after heavy downpours battered Tāmaki Makaurau.

Water quality website Safeswim has black-flagged 34 beaches across the region, meaning residents should not swim there at all.

The website has also red-flagged a further 28 beaches, meaning swimming is not advised.

Safeswim has labelled every beach on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula, including Ōrewa, as unsafe to swim at.

From Mairangi Bay to Devonport, only Lake Pupuke, Takapuna Beach, Narrow Neck, Cheltenham and Bayswater are safe to swim at.

In the inner Waitematā Harbour, Te Atatū Beach, Pt Chevalier, Hamilton Road Beach, Karanga Plaza and Karaka Bay are safe to swim at.

Multiple beaches across Auckland have been labelled unsafe to swim. Photo / Safeswim

The situation in East Auckland is brighter, with only Howick Beach and Cockle Bay red-flagged.

On Waiheke Island, Little Ōneroa Lagoon and the Ōnetangi Stream have been labelled unsafe.

The other 15 swimming spots are safe to swim at.

On Auckland’s west coast, Piha North Lagoon, Piha Lagoon and Bethells Lagoon have been red-flagged.

Safeswim water quality models predict that levels of Faecal Indicator Bacteria breach national guidelines for swimming.

It advises people against swimming in contaminated water.

“Overflows are more common in wet weather, but they can happen in dry weather if pipes are blocked or damaged,” Safeswim said.

“Wastewater overflows occur when wastewater [sewage] spills out from gully traps, manholes, engineered overflow points or pump stations. It then flows into backyards or waterways and the sea.”

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