Popular Auckland surf beach Piha, closed to the general public for the two and a half months since Cyclone Gabrielle, is now back open, to the relief of many eager surfers.
However, the reopening comes with a warning that cordons couldbe re-established quickly if bad weather brings any further damage to the roads.
Aucklanders have been itching to get back out west after months away from the black sand.
With widespread damage to the roads in and out and houses within the coastal community, access has been strictly limited.
Piha was originally meant to open a week before Easter but after a false start, Auckland Council deputy group recovery manager Mace Ward said the time was right to reopen on Friday morning.
“We’ve got to get a good balance between ensuring that there’s no more distress in this community or adding to the emergency, and the public being able to access places that they love.”
He said the council would be ready to close the road again swiftly, if need be, and will react quickly if the incoming wild weather throws any curveballs.
Out-of-town surfers Matt Boswell and Scott McGregor at Piha. Photo / RNZ / Mrika Khabazi
“We’re heading into winter, we’ve got these continual storms coming down from the tropics, so the more we actively monitor that and take a precautionary approach [the better].
“And we’ve got the ability to manage the road and ensure that we don’t cause further harm in this community.”
Some roads into Piha were still in need of repair, with a section of Piha Rd near the main lookout down to one lane due to a slip.
Further east into the Waitakere Ranges, a section of Scenic Dr near the Elevation Cafe had also been reduced to a single lane.
Within Piha itself, Rayner Rd and Marine Parade South still had residents-only cordons in place, with an ongoing security presence due to the risk of slips.
As of April 24, there were 17 red- and 23 yellow-stickered homes within the community, meaning many locals and holiday homeowners were unable to access their properties.
Ward said Piha’s small businesses had also been doing it tough with the lack of visitors flowing through.
Although some guests were allowed into the community to rent out holiday homes and provide the owners with a valuable source of income, it amounted to just a fraction of the numbers Piha normally attracted.
Piha Store owner Pete Chapman said although locals had backed the store while the community was cut off, the closure had still been a big blow to business.
Local surfer Steve Fleming said a small silver lining of the cyclone was only having to share the water with 15 people rather than the normal 50 to 60.
“It’s been really nice in the water because it hasn’t been very crowded.
“It’s a little bit weird walking the beach on a Saturday when there are about only two or three people on there ... Probably like the beach was back in the ‘50s or ‘60s.”
When out-of-towners Matt Boswell and Scott McGregor planned their annual boys’ weekend, they thought they would have the beach to themselves too.
They had obtained an access pass and arranged to rent a house in Piha when they thought the beach would be closed to the public.
“We thought it would be a good thing to support Piha and the local places, we’ve just now timed it with everyone else who’s going to be coming out today and the weekend, but hey, that’s all part of it,” Boswell said.
“It’s looking good for the whole weekend - there are offshores and nice swells, so I’m sure plenty of people will be out here,” McGregor said.
Meanwhile, some of the first international visitors to Piha would never have known the beach was ever closed.
“We just saw a couple of the road signs saying that Piha was closed temporarily, but we didn’t know when it started or ended,” Sai Liu, visiting from Australia, said.
“We actually had a chat with a traffic guy along the road, and he said it was okay to drive through - so lucky!” Annie Liu said.
Although the cyclone was news to these holidaymakers, they were glad they had come.
“The scenery is very beautiful, and the people are very friendly, and also some people are surfing in the sea - it’s very impressive in the cold weather,” Xu Liu said.
