Tairua-Pāuanui Coastguard calls on boaties to get ‘bar wise’

Coastguard New Zealand is offering a helping hand as boaties converge on Tairua and Pāuanui waterways in increasing numbers.

Tairua-Pāuanui Harbour and its river bar crossings are among the more dangerous for Kiwi boaties with Coastguard volunteers attending multiple incidents each year.

To reduce the number of bar-related incidents, Coastguard New Zealand, New Zealand Sport Fishing Council and Coromandel fishing and boating clubs have teamed up to deliver a nationwide bar awareness seminar at the Tairua-Pauanui Sports Fishing Club on October 27.

So far, more than 700 people have already attended seminars around the country.

Tairua-Pāuanui Coastguard president Andrew Gibson said the free seminar was designed to equip boaties with the skills, knowledge and confidence to make good decisions about whether to cross a bar.

The seminar would cover critical topics, including understanding bar-specific hazards, assessing the impact of weather and tides, and implementing emergency procedures if trouble occurs.

Gibson said things would ramp up from Labour weekend as increasing numbers of boaties headed to the Coromandel.

The Tairua bar had a long history of incidents, accidents and deaths and the Coastguard was looking to equip people with skills to make the right decisions around it.

“It is a seminar to help people make the right decision not to cross the bar; it’s more to educate people around the Tairua bar.”

Incident numbers fluctuated each year with an average 35 callouts, 70% of those being mechanical type issues while medical incidents, flipped boats, kayaks and jet skis, overdue boats and missing divers also kept them busy, he said.

Tairua-Pāuanui Coastguard had 20 volunteers who were on call 24/7, Gibson said.

“We cover anywhere between Whitianga to Whangamatā and 12 nautical miles out to sea.”

To further support boaties from diverse communities, Coastguard New Zealand had released bar awareness education videos with translated subtitles into seven languages: te reo Māori, Chinese, Samoan, Tongan, Cook Island Māori, Fijian and Thai.

Coastguard New Zealand community engagement manager Nātia Tucker said understanding the risks associated with crossing river and harbour bars was critical for anyone going out on the water.

“Things can happen even to the most experienced boatie, whether it’s their first or 100th time crossing.

“We know that bars change all the time, so our bar awareness webinars and accompanying videos offer practical up to date advice from local volunteers and experts who cross these bars regularly.”

Registrations for the seminar can be found at https://events.humanitix.com/copy-of-bar-crossing-seminar-tairua-tairua-bar?

Message from the Tairua-Pāuanui Coastguard

The busy season is nearing and time to get the boats in order. A few things to check after winter as we get a lot of callouts for the following.

Batteries - charge them up and if they have been low for a while they may not hold a charge.

Fuel - petrol goes stale after about three to six months. Pump it out and use fresh fuel. Old fuel can be used for the lawnmower.

Engines - get a service and sea trial in the harbour for a while to make sure all is in order before going out to sea. The most common phrase we hear is “it has just been serviced”.

Weather - check it before you go out and if there is an incoming weather system consider waiting rather than trying to squeeze into the window before it hits. It may come early.

Lifesaving equipment - PFDs, PLBs/EPIRBS ... yes; they will save your life if you have them.

Tell someone where you are going - when you’ll be back and log a trip report on Channel 04 (Whangamatā CG Radio). Going north of Boat Harbour? .... switch to Channel 63 (Whitianga) but you may not get Ch63 in the harbour or on the bar.