Warning on Orewa Beach erosion

Homeowners are affected by the erosion on Orewa waterfront. Photo / Paul Estcourt

One of Auckland's most popular beaches could be hit by severe summer storm damage because of five years of neglect by authorities, says Destination Orewa Beach.

The local association yesterday called on the Auckland Council to urgently restore sand levels on the 3km stretch of sand.

Operations manager Leanne Smith said erosion would be relieved by "sand renourishment" - raising the level of the beach by restoring sand carried away by storms and currents.

"It needs to be done before the Christmas holidays to get the big motorscrapers on the beach before it gets busy and more damage is done to the beachfront.

"Erosion has reached the point where a homeowner's driveway will subside."

The new council had to address erosion created by its predecessor's five years of neglect of sand renourishment to the southern end of the the beach, between Kohu St and Kinloch reserve.

"This situation should never have been allowed to get to this point, given that Orewa does not have serious erosion issues."

Homes overlooking the southern part of the beach have council rating valuations of $1.7 million to $4 million.

But damage to the foredune and failure to keep the "natural beautiful beach" would hit the 90 tourism-related businesses in a town of 350 businesses.

A narrow beach, wet at high-tide and scarred by erosion, would turn visitors away, said Mrs Smith.

"It represents a loss of $500,000 into the local businesses for every 10,000 visitors turned away.

"The summer season's boost in tourist numbers is when the [Orewa] business community makes a third of its annual profit."

Southern section property owners had requested the Rodney District Council to restore sand levels for years.

They were ignored, despite the council moving sand with machinery at other parts of the beach for about $30,000 to $70,000 a year, depending upon the amount of sand shifted.

In 2006, the council removed huge boulders that had cushioned the force of storm waves hitting at the foot of the foredune.

This year, the council proposed building a $2 million seawall buried in the foredune and topped by a walkway. But it was refused resource consent by independent planning commissioners.

Former Rodney councillors Wayne Walker and Michael Goudie now represent Orewa on the Auckland Council.

Mr Walker said a seawall sympathetic with the ecology was a desirable alternative to continually replenishing sand.