Thames Coromandel District Council Files – Mercury Bay/Whitianga

Thames Coromandel District Council was formed from the amalgamation of Thames and Coromandel County Councils. Early file records are sparse for both areas and the best coverage of development is to be found in the Ministry of Works and Marine Department file records. Many of the county council’s efforts in the coastal zone centered around providing shipping services around the Peninsula due to the lack of adequate roading. The later file records indicate in influx of people to the district with the development of recreational centres such as Pauanui and Hotwater Beach as distinct from the historical farming or timber milling areas of Whitianga and Tairua. By the mid 1970s, a lot of files were opened that refer to coastal erosion problems at many of the coastal settlements. Erosion included wave damage during storms and more subtle erosion caused by rivers and streams changing course and eroding dunes threatening new established housing areas. The mid to late 1970s also saw the development of the concept of coastal hazards and the development of the concept of set back distances between the front of the housing and the high water mark. Sand mining was another coastal activity. Sand was taken for industrial purposes the golf course bunkers, while shell was used for poultry farms and also for laying power cables. The beaches of the Coromandel had a limited supply of sand available and after the mid 1980s the practice of removing sand from beaches was severely curtailed. Purpose: See data abstract below

• V11/9/1 Cooks Beach Coastal Erosion This file contains a copy of the Gibb 1973 summary of beach conditions on the Coromandel Peninsula, as referred to in other files. Sand mining occurred occasionally throughout the 1980’s at Hot Water Beach Domain. The extraction of sand was predominantly for golf course bunkers. • V11/9/2 Cooks Beach Coastal Erosion November 1976 to December 1977. There is a comment that there had been erosion of the beach in August 1976. A note from November 1977 notes that the stream at the western end of the beach had changed its course eastwards, and was eroding the play area behind the beach. This erosion was also endangering a Pohutukawa tree by undermining its roots. The report identified the problem as being caused by a possible build up of sand in the stream mouth by wave action. Iti Place stormwater drain erosion. There is a file note suggesting that erosion commenced at 1971 in the vicinity of Iti Place. It was estimated that there was about 30 feet (9 m) of coastal esplanade in front of the sections. By 1977 only the rock protection in front of the sections remained. The Council engineer thought that the erosion had been present for sometime, but the locals wanted to blame the stormwater outlet to shift responsibility to the Council. The council engineer thought that there had been an increasing number of easterly storms during the 1970s. This conclusion is the same reached by the engineers investigating the erosion at Omaha Beach in Northland during the same period. • V11/92 Cooks Beach Coastal Erosion Report created from 1978. However letters out of order within file. File contains a copy of the Moxham survey which was done to clarify the section boundaries relative to the HWM. Plan includes the HWM from 1962. August 1979. Raudkivi noted that the beach plan was not in equilibrium. There was a slight bulge in the beach at the eastern-central section of the foreshore. He noted that the housing, instead of being aligned with the beach dunes, was aligned parallel to the foreshore bulge and therefore was more likely to suffer erosion as the beach regained its equilibrium form. He does not elaborate on the creation of the non-equilibrium shape. (Note: In 1978 the Lands and Survey Department were part of the administration of Cooks Beach File L&S 8/5/235/37.) Tonkin and Taylor suggested that there had been a reduction in sediment from the Purangi estuary and that was the reason for the beach retreat. This time the Lands and Survey Department, who controlled coastal reserves, were amenable to the use of rock walls in front of the sections. The Ministry of Transport - Marine Division, thought that the rock walls were above high water and therefore out of their jurisdiction. The owner of the pole house beside beach profile site CCS 31; applied to the Council for rocks to place in front of his section as he had suffered 10 feet (3 m) of erosion in 1978. A report by Riley apparently disagreed with Raudkivi’s findings. 17-7-1968: A letter from the Coromandel County (File 10.1.9) notes the storm of July and consequent erosion of Cooks Beach reserve. It was suggested that the locals attempt to provide their own protection from erosion as the County had no available funds for the work. Works file 96/115000 should have a collection of colour prints of Buffalo, Cooks and Hahei beaches for October 1979. These were taken by the County engineer at the request of Works Hamilton. The Coromandel Coastal Survey Report No. 114, was carried out by the Hauraki Catchment Board and the University of Waikato and released to the public in 1979. This report together with Report No. 104 made up the basis of early setback limits for the various beaches of the Coromandel Peninsula. The concept was for a 60 m setback line for new building. WRC (File W590466) sent a copy of the Raudkivi report and prints of photographs taken after the 1978 storms as evidence for a court case concerning the erosion by a storm water drain discharging onto Cooks Beach at Iti Place. A meeting was held at Cooks Beach Hall and photographs of the drain effects and also the storm of 1978 were on display. There was also a section of damage that had occurred at Hahei and the boulder protection that was installed. • 4/92 Foreshores Cooks Beach – Ferry Landing. Report starts from January 1986. In August 1986 complaints were received with respect to the reinstatement of sea walls at adjacent lots 1–12 Captain Cook Road. This sea wall work was done without approval. The beach access, from Iti Place, is in between number 125 and 127 Captain Cook Road. The seaward end of the road was eroded and slumped seawards. No survey pegs were found and as a consequence some locals thought that the rock walls were on public land, and not on the bach owner’s property as was claimed. The county had the boundaries resurveyed and found that the rock work was seawards of the boundary and that the timber wall was largely on the boundary. There is a collection of photographs taken by Mr Sutton of the erosion caused by a storm water drain that discharged through Iti Place, adjacent to Mr Sutton’s section. There is a brief description of events relating to this discharge. In July 1965, a severe storm occurred which was later followed by the July 1978 storm, causing further damage. Legal survey DPS 8285 (January 1962) shows the HWM at 41 m seawards of the section boundaries. By 1978 the HWM had retreated by 21 m to be 20 m from the section boundaries. DPS 15943 (November 1970) shows the properties to the east of the drain to be approximately half this distance. The 1988 survey showed the coastline level with the section boundaries through the construction of sea walls. There is a reference to the “Carlotta Storm” but no further details. (Note: The Fiji Meteorological Service records “Carlotta” as a hurricane that occurred between 8 – 26 January 1971, causing destruction in the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia and Vanuatu. Such a storm could be assumed to have brought large north to north-easterly waves to the east coast of the North Island.) There is a reference to a report written by Raudkivi on Cooks Beach but no further details. The Raudkivi report appears to be part of a court action to get the stormwater removed from the beach. There is reference to a report by Riley but no further details other than his disagreement with the Raudkivi Report. File W 466 may have some information. The central car park at Cooks Beach was formerly dunes that were bulldozed and the adjacent boat ramp built. No date for construction of the boat ramp. May be reference in Marine Dept files. Whitianga • V11/8 Coastal Erosion Whitianga. Report dated 1960–1973. In April 1960 there is a report of a severe storm eroding the beach to the edge of SH25. Up to 1969 the Council and Works departments were discussing the protection of the road. In September 1968 an existing rock wall was strengthened and the Council undertook an investigate about the use of groynes to retain sediment in front of the wall. An August 1970 report on the erosion of the beach in front of Eyre Street, blamed the erosion on currents associated with large swells on 25 May 1970. Storm damage was photographed by Works Overseer (22 photographs). A storm in February 1970 was also photographed (3 photographs). There are no copies of the overseer’s report on these events in the file. August 11 notes that there were surges of 2–3 feet (0.7–1.0 m) high flowing up the Ohuka Stream. These surges eroded approximately 15 feet (4.6 m) of the stream bank. During this storm, over 4 chain of groynes (80 m) were eroded and sunk. The highway was virtually impassable because of the amount of water and the debris thrown onto the road. There was a large build up of sand at the wharf. One observer suggested that the bay appeared to be shallower and that sediment was building up. Waves were breaking between Cemetery Point and the Harbour Lights subdivision. (Related to file MWD 7/21). In November 1972, MWD Marine Engineer - Mr Simpson, suggested a long groyne from about 7 chains (140 m) North of the wharf out to the main channel. The Gibb 1973 report concluded that: 1. Easterly storms cause damage, 2. The erosion at the south end of the bay was caused by a storm post 1968, 3. Sand moves between the south beach, Whitianga Harbour and the middle of the bay, 4. Tidal currents as well as wave action results in moving the sediment, and 5. The sea wall probably contributed to lowered beach levels. • V11/8 Coastal Erosion Whitianga February 1976 – May 1977. Report concerns the Mother Brown’s Creek (Taputaputea Stream) realignment. The stream was eroding towards the road. Few details about the construction method are contained in the report. There is a packet of photographs showing the stream, control works and the palms on the seaward side of the stream mouth. • V3/8 Whitianga Harbour Volume 3 Starts 1978. The majority of this file is taken up with a discussion about the construction of an experimental groyne at Whitianga to stop the longshore drift of material into the harbour. The Marine Department approved the plans and a copy of the approved plans are in the file. There is no evidence that things progressed beyond this point. • V3/8 Whitianga Harbour Volume 2 Starts 1979. No coastal information was given. • V4/8/11 Reclamations Whitianga Harbour. Starts 1979. The bulk of the file centres on the White Street reclamation. • V4/8 Foreshores Whitianga Starts 1979. After flooding in April 1986, a letter notes an increase in the mud content of Brophy’s (Ohuka) and North Buffalo Beaches. The cause was thought to be runoff from new section developments along Pacific Heights Road. There is reference to coastal damage and damage to the Esplanade in 1987. A letter to the Council says that there was flooding in July 1987 and August 1989. No further details are given. • V3/89–4/8 Whitianga Harbour and Foreshores. The report starts with a reference to the erosion of Greys Beach, Kuaotunu. The erosion was threatening to result in Pohutukawa trees falling into the sea. No further information was given. February 1981 involved the installation of groynes on Buffalo Beach. There is an undated chart of the estuary based on the Dairy Company BM. The date of the survey is probably 1981. There is a letter on file checking the level of the BM. The zero of the tide gauge was 4.11 m below datum. A December 1981 report refers to further erosion at Greys Beach, Kuaotunu. • V9/8 Whitianga Marina Developments (Related to file no. V3/8) Starts 1986. No coastal information was given. • V11/1 Coastal Erosion General This file discusses the introduction of hazard responsibility for Territorial Authorities under the Town and Country Planning Act. • V11 Coastal General Report starts in 1979. This file contains copies of letters of exoneration to the council by people wanting to build on their sections, within the 60m hazard zone. No further coastal information was given.

Mercury Bay, including Wharekaho, Ohuka, Buffalo, Maramaratotara and Cooks Beaches, and Whitianga and Purangi Estuaries.

1960 – 1989

Frequency of collection: Infrequent

Quality variable Gaps in collection: Some gaps in data collection Data quality: Quality variable

Hard copy written files

This data is publicly available in TCDC archives. Sensitivity/Confidentiality: No confidentiality – public information.

Files closed

Additional comments: Contains reference to several reports commissioned by: Raudkivi Tonkin and Taylor Riley Related information: These files are related to Ministry of Works, Ministry of Transport and Hauraki Catchment Board files.