Council seeks feedback on beach access at Waiotahe Drifts and Dunes
Late last year, Ōpōtiki District Council created an accessway from Waiotahe Drifts Blvd down to the beach. This accessway has provided pedestrian access along the beach to the western seawall of Ōpōtiki harbour. It has also provided access for vehicles moving westward along the beach in the direction of the Surf Club.
In the future, once harbour construction dredging is complete, council will allow (as a requirement of the consent conditions) vehicle access to the western wall along the current construction maintenance access track.
Ōpōtiki District Council Group Manager for Service Delivery, Nathan Hughes, explained that the accessway was installed as a potential solution that could resolve several issues at once.
“I think most residents out at the Drifts and Dunes subdivisions are well aware of some long-standing tension around vehicles, particularly side-by-sides and four-wheeled motorbikes.
“Historically, there has been no formal access for those vehicles down to the beach as the rules had specifically restricted their access over the dunes and onto the beach. However, we know many residents do take vehicles down to the beach and rely on them to get the likes of fishing gear and family beach kit down to the water.
“With the lack of formal access, people had resorted to going against the rules using existing pedestrian access routes or forming their own uncontrolled crossing points. This was bad for the dunes and their ecosystems.
“In the other direction looking east, we have the harbour construction area where dredging work continues so there are some areas that have to stay off-limits for members of the public to keep everyone safe. However, as the construction phase winds up, we need to make sure there is public access down to the western seawall,” Mr Hughes said.
Mr Hughes also noted that between the subdivision and the western seawall lies the Pākihikura Restoration Area - one of the largest dune restoration projects ever undertaken in New Zealand.
“The newly-formed dunes are still fragile and establishing and the last thing we want is vehicles damaging their structure and of course the plant and bird live that is trying to reestablish there. So, keeping vehicles out of there is a priority while also allowing pedestrian access along the beach to reach the western seawall.
“With the accessway created shortly before Christmas last year, we were hoping to find a solution to each of these to some extent. By having a controlled vehicles access point down to the beach and allowing access for vehicles to move westward along the beach in the direction of the Surf Club, our hypothesis was the wider dune system and birdlife would be better protected.
“Now we’re into the quieter winter months and preparing long term plans for access to the western seawall we are keen to check in with the community and gather feedback on how what we implemented worked both in peak times and now, and what the future could look like,” Mr Hughes said.
Mr Hughes said council was looking for some feedback on both the current vehicle accessway and the future longer-term solution.
“We are keen to get a sense of how well the new accessway is finding a balance between current desires of residents for vehicles access and protection of the dunes,” Mr Hughes said.
People can read more about this, ask questions, provide feedback, do a two-question poll on the council’s website www.connect.odc.govt.nz. Flyers will be dropped off to houses in the Waiotahe Drifts and Dunes subdivisions this week providing some background and a link to the online form.
