News Archive

• Great view of Piha from the Tasman - Jan 05
• Waitakere Ranges Protection Project - Jan 05
• The colour of Christmas - Jan 05
• New selection of photos (mainly White's Beach and Mercer Bay) in the photo gallery - March 2004
• 88FM RADIO PIHA
• Great photos up in Gallery
• Signs at Piha
• Piha Coast Care group formed
• Good plants for bad plants - June 05
• Surf life saving treasure given to club - June 05
• Piha Classic Big Wave Surf Boat Series entertains crowds at Piha - June 05
• Piha community staunch on post office - June 05
• Piha Bowling Club thrives - Feb 05
• Accessway causes aggravation - October 2004
• Centennial Memorial Park commemoration -September 2004
• Plans to tackle dune blow-out - July 2004
• Big plant at Tasman Lookout - July 2004
• Seas at Piha damage boardwalk - July 04
• High seas at Piha - June 04
• A furry visitor - June 04
• New addition to the Waitakere parkland at North Piha
• Pond or swamp? - the future of the Garden Rd Lily Pond
• Quick summer catch-up
• Marawhara and Wekatahi Streams separated - October 2003
• 36 Piha Road development abandoned - for now!
• Huge tides at Piha - September 2003
• Fences at Piha - September 2003
• Piha Aquatic Risk report - June 2003
• Controversy over beach fence - June 2003
• More controversy - June 2003
• Anzac Day 2003
• Surf lifesaving celebration coming up
• From the archives - May 2003
• Carving installed at Karekare - May 2003
• Auckland Regional Council Annual Plan out for consultation - May 2003
• Consultation on proposal for greater marine protection for the West Coast - May 2003
• Public notification of Canyoning applications
• Bin Those Aggies ! - Runs until mid - May
• Ark in the Park gets the go-ahead - December 2002
• Community grants for coastlines - December 2002
• Upgraded ARC track - October 2002
• New approach needed to eradicate Painted Apple Moth
• Piha church closes
• Future of old Piha school
• The not-so-robust Lion Rock
• Development at 36 Piha Road stymied
• Fay Weldon at Piha's Dunny Do
• Fire station opened
• Anzac Day Parade
• Sand sculptures attract crowds
• Rescue at Monkey Rock
• Trio trapped on Lion Rock overnight
• Consultation on location for effluent fields for North Piha toilets
• Toilet troubles at North Piha
• Plan for caring for the coast
• Lion Rock crumbling

back to top Great view of Piha from the Tasman  Kubi Witten-Hannah of Karekare sent this great view of the Coast taken on 4 January 2005 by a friend flying out of NZ. Many of you will have tried to get that view of the Coast coming back or leaving - doesn't it always bring tears to your eyes, it is so damned beautiful - but this shot is the ultimate. No pesky clouds to hide the view. Thanks Kubi.   back to top The colour of Christmas The pohutukawa have been especially spectacular this year much to the delight of Piha folk and visitors. Maybe it was the cold snap before Christmas that delayed the blossoming for some weeks and produced such rich displays. Just to give you a taste, we’re adding a pohutukawa section to our photo gallery. Watch out for it! Here’s an example of pohutukawa in full bloom at Te Waha Point, North Piha. back to top 88FM RADIO PIHA Available from the top of Piha Hill, to North Piha Surf Club,,, Great photos up in Gallery Local boy Robert Hanson, back from London in April to visit his mother Betty Hanson and family, took some great photos of Piha which have just gone up in Photo Gallery. Take a look. Robert enjoys regularly visiting the Piha web site for an update on the doings of Piha, as do heaps of other ex pats, not to mention dreamers from as far afield as Japan, Germany and South America. back to top From the archives - May 2003 Many of Piha's problems go back to human intervention that seemed progressive at the time, but proved to be ill-founded. This item from the Piha News in 1985 waxes enthusiastic about the channelising of the Moana Stream on Piha Beach and the depositing of soil fill on the beach to develop a picnic area. In 2003, the Waitakere City Council would like to remove the channelising but says it would cost too much. Note the misguided use of Rangitoto pohutukawa, perhaps an explanation for why these trees have never flourished! 'The Beach Front The first stage of the Council's work on South Piha beach front is almost completed, and very attractive it looks, with the stream rippling along its winding stone-lined course and a sturdy bridge. The well-grown pohutukawas came from Rangitoto nursery and are acclimatised to salt winds. The netting fences will retain the sand so that it does not drift. When the grass grows over the filled area we shall have the makings of a pleasant picnic area. Mr Jackson, the City Council engineer involved is to be congratulated….time and tides will give us their verdict on the Council's work - we hope a favourable one.' back to top Signs at Piha       Innovative signs have been erected at three places in Piha - outside the Library, in front of Piha beachfront toilets, and by the Barnett Hall carpark. Unveiled at an event on 28 August, the signs were commissioned by Waitakere City Council and designed by Auckland company Paradigm. Each consists of three surfboard shaped structures with colourful maps locating amenities and features as well as information about beach safety, environmental protection and history. Signs by Piha beach toilets. Photo Sandra Coney     A model of the designs received applause at a community meeting earlier in the year and have been greeted enthusiastically by members of the Piha community. The signs were developed following the development of the Piha Coastal Management Plan and Piha Reserves Management Plan where locals asked for removal of the many signs around Piha and their amalgamation in one place. Signs outside Piha Library Photos Sandra Coney   back to top Piha Coast Care group formed A Coast Care group has been formed at Piha to work on particular environmental problems, such as dune blow-outs, weed infestations, healthy wai and animal pest control. The group has been formed under the auspices of Piha Residents and Ratepayers Association, in cooperation with Auckland Regional Council and Waitakere City Council. For the first newsletter and contact details for the group go here. back to top Good plants for bad plants Free eco-sourced native plants in exchange for weeds proved popular with Piha locals on Saturday 16 April. The Auckland Regional Council set up the scheme with biosecurity manager Jack Craw on hand to identify weeds and give advice about control. One enthusiastic gardener brought along a whole pampas bush in the boot of her car. Others brought a wide variety of nasties. The kowhai, pigeonwood, and other species were snapped up, while the left-over plants were donated to Piha Coastcare. The ARC plans a weed blitz at Piha and Karekare over the next year, to prevent weeds getting into the parkland.    Photo: Sandra Coney Surf life saving treasure given to club Members of Don Wright's family presented his treasured New Zealand surf life saving representative blazer to the Piha surf club at the club's prize giving on 27 March. Don, who died in 2003, was in the 1950 New Zealand team that won a series against an Australian team. His chosen race was the surf ski, which he had developed as a rescue craft. Don won the national  surf ski championship four times and many provinical championships. His blazer will be displayed in the clubhouse.Surf life saving treasure given to club  Members of Don Wright's family presented his treasured New Zealand surf life saving representative blazer to the Piha surf club at the club's prize giving on 27 March. Don, who died in 2003, was in the 1950 New Zealand team that won a series against an Australian team. His chosen race was the surf ski, which he had developed as a rescue craft. Don won the national  surf ski championship four times and many provinical championships. His blazer will be displayed in the clubhouse.   Photo: Peter Hosking. back to top Piha Classic Big Wave Surf Boat Series entertains crowds at Piha For the first time for many years a surf boat race series was held at Piha on 2 April. Although Piha crews did not manage to take off the honours, it was a spectacular show held in good weather and was greatly appreciated by the large crowd. Piha Surf Lifesaving Club introduced surf boats to New Zealand in 1930s, for more on the history. More photos Piha A crew at Classic Big Wave contest, from left: 2nd bow Mark (aka Horse) Bourneville, sweep Greg Wilson (club captain), stroke Julian Barton, 2nd stroke Craig Knox, bow Bruce (aka Uncle P) O'Brien. Photo Sandra Coney Crew in action Piha – first with big boats The Piha Classic Big Wave Surf Boat Series at Piha on 2 April brought back memories of Piha’s pioneering role in the introduction of surf boats into New Zealand. Soon after the opening of the first Piha clubhouse on 10 February 1935 the club passed a resolution to acquire a surf boat before the next surf season. Surf boats were an evolution of old whaling craft and were in great use by clubs in Australia for both life saving and competition purposes. There were rigid specifications as to how they were to be built set out in the Australian surf life saving handbook. No clubs in New Zealand had a boat. A second-hand boat was available from the Bronte club in Sydney for 60 pounds. After getting it inspected to ensure it was in good condition, the boat was shipped to New Zealand in September. Customs duty of 19 pounds blew the budget and without funds to erect a boatshed, the club kept it at the Auckland Rowing Club and practised on the Waitemata Harbour to learn how to handle the craft. The charging of the duty caused a great public furore and the letters’ columns in the daily papers ran hot with indignation. Eventually the Government settled the question with a donation to the club By year’s end, the ‘banana boat’ as it was dubbed, was housed at Piha in a new boathouse. The boat was taken to Piha over the rough and windy metal road on club captain Laurie Wilson’s truck - he tooted his horn all the way down the Piha hill to announce its arrival. A retired sea captain, Captain Pierrotti, undertook instruction of the crew wearing a suit and bowler hat which in no time were sopping wet. A 10-member boat crew was insured against injury: Cliff Holt, Laurie Wilson, Has Sidford, J Matheson, Murray Adams, Charlie Curtice, Wobbles Malam, Tom Pearce, Chuck Sidford, and S Gorman. Laurie Wilson was boat captain for the first year, followed by Tom Pearce from 1936 to 1952. It was trial and error with the banana boat, but the dedicated crew soon became proficient and were able to take the boat to Gisborne to instruct the Wainui club in the use of their own newly imported craft. Over 3000 came to Wainui to watch Piha demonstrate on waves so huge, water could be seen above and below the 22 foot length of the boat. There were faults in the banana boat – it was heavy to pull, threw water into the boat in a head sea and tended to broach left on waves. The Piha men hankered after their own purpose-built boat and in 1938 a new cedar boat was ordered from the premier boat-building firm of WM Ford at Berry’s Bay, Sydney, at a cost of 130 pounds. The boat was specially strengthened in the floor boards to stand up to the tough Piha surf and the fact that all the Piha crewmen were ‘heavy men’. It was the first new boat to be ordered by a New Zealand club. A large photo of the boat in action can be seen in the Piha clubhouse, one of three photos donated by Carlton Pollard. (Officials in the Big Wave series had this iconic image on the back of their tee-shirts.) The importation of the second boat ran into the same difficulty with customs duty of 48 pounds, but this time the Government was adamant, as it believed the boat should have been built in New Zealand. Boat captain, Tom Pearce, an all-round sportsman, described surf boating as the sport without peer ‘for those who crave excitement and thrills’, a judgement that was apparently echoed by the rugby, league and other sportsman who joined the boat crews for a celebrity race in Piha’s Big Wave series. When catching waves, Tom bawled so loudly at his crew he could be heard by Dulcie Ussher at the top of Piha hill. On 9 April 1939, the first ever surf boat race held in New Zealand took place at Piha against the Wainui club. Piha won the series by one race. The Piha crew took their boat to Lyall Bay in 1940 when the first national surf boat championship was held. Piha came home victorious, a photo of the winning crew with their boat is displayed in the Piha clubhouse. Sadly, the Piha crews did not fair so well in the recent Big Wave Series, but the large crowd was well-entertained, and history was made when an all-woman crew took part in one race. Sandra Coney Piha community staunch to save the post office The Piha community delivered an uncompromising message to Telecom at a packed meeting in the Barnett Hall on Sunday 22 May. A remit to endorse keeping the Piha Post Office on its existing site was passed unanimously by the 100 strong audience, and the Piha Ratepayers and Residents committee was asked to enter into negotiations with Telecom, NZ Post and Waitakere City Council to acquire the land on which the Post Office building stands. The committee will be approaching the Waitakere Community Board, mayor Bob Harvey having offered his support at the R&R AGM in January. Telecom was represented at the meeting by John Goulter, Public Affairs and Government Relations Manager, and Craig Bonnington. Mr Goulter reiterated that Telecom intended to sell the property ‘as it no longer serves any function for Telecom’. But he reassured the community: ‘We want to be reasonable. We are in no desperate hurry. We will give you and NZ Post time. We don’t want to pull it out in a hurry. We will take as long as it takes to get a solution.’ Mr Goulter did not discount suggestions from the audience that the land be either gifted to the Piha community, leased at a peppercorn rental or sold at a price lower than the current market price. He was unable to tell the meeting what the current government valuation for the property was (it is around $250,000), but he said he thought market value was about $325,000. Members of the audience asserted that Telecom should value the property according to what it was when taken under the Public Works Act, or when Telecom acquired the property in the carve-up of the New Zealand Post Office in 1987, or even when Telecom was privatised in 1990. There was a distinct mood at the mood that as Telecom had benefited at each of these points from bargain basement prices, Telecom should not expect to profit now at the expense of the local community. Mr Goutler’s low-key demeanour was in marked contrast to Telecom’s earlier threat to NZ Post that it would serve a trespass notice if the boxes were not removed from the site by the end of May. Telecom believed NZ Post owned the boxes, which are actually owned by the R&R. The audience was optimistic at Mr Goulter’s apparent willingness to listen to the community, although this was tempered by some caution to wait and see. Piha’s post office is unique in New Zealand. It is thought to be the only post office that is owned and run by a ratepayers’ association. The Piha R&R owns 120 boxes and a number of speakers at the meeting explained that they ran their home-based businesses through the boxes. The over-the-counter service offered three days a week, also serves bach owners, campers and other holiday makers who can get their mail delivered there during holidays. The post office building was the old telephone exchange and Jack Kingston told the meeting how he had to plug up a myriad of holes in the floor where the telephone cables had been. Recently it has been spruced up by the R&R with a cheerful new sign, planting and a convenient seat. Speakers at the meeting described the nexus of post office, store, camping ground and library as the hub of the community, a place to meet people and catch up with the local news and gossip. The 33.3 perch post office site was acquired under the Public Works Act in 1966 and gazetted early the following year. The land was taken from Harold Aitchison Rowe of Golden Downs, Nelson, who at that time owned the Piha Hotel. Mr Rowe was founder of the ‘Piha First Progressive Association’ and was first chairman of the Piha RSA and a member of the first Piha Fire Squad. The government took the land for an automatic telephone exchange, and the site is near where Bill Browne, son of a previous proprietor of the hotel, had in earlier days run a store and post office. The Piha R&R established the present post office when Telecom built a new exchange at the back of the site in 1987, making the old building redundant. The R&R came to an agreement with Telecom that it could own and use the old building for a post office. The R&R had established its service in 1982, at first providing the service from a shed near the entrance to the Domain. Before that the service was provided by the Piha Store although it did not have boxes. Telecom inherited the site in the carve up of the old New Zealand Post Office. When the power failed spectacularly at Piha in February 2004, the result of a lack of maintenance by Vector, another privatised former government entity, Telecom’s telephone exchange blew up and was burned out. With new technology, Telecom was able to replace all the equipment in the old exchange with three cabinets on the side of the road, which it is by right entitled to place there. Hence the land on which was the post office stood was surplus and Telecom signalled early last year that selling was one of the options open to it. However, it was reluctant to do so before replacement post office boxes were housed somewhere else. So far NZ Post has not been able to find a home for new boxes, which it would own. In March this year, Telecom informed the R&R that it was definitely going to sell. The legal framework requires Telecom to offer the property back to Mr Rowe in the first instance at today’s market price. Mr Goulter seemed to believe that if Mr Rowe is dead, his descendants could exercise the right to buy, but recent case law has determined that only the owner from whom a property was taken needs to be given this right. The Public Works Act also allows a property to be identified by a local body such as Waitakere City Council as needed for a public purpose and transferred to it, as an alternative to offering back to the original owner. The underlying designation of the land is residential, but it would be open to a new owner to apply for a change to another designation. It was suggested at the meeting that the post office building could be relocated on the Domain, however this is prevented by the Piha Reserves Management Plan, which states that no further buildings will be located there. This prohibition was a response to strong submissions from the community that the Domain was becoming cluttered with buildings and that public open space was diminishing. Sandra Coney back to top Piha Bowling Club thrives The inestimable Bob McNeil yarns with locals at the bar of the Piha Bowling Club, enjoying a renaissance under his management. Wife Maree is a key part of the team, providing a cheery welcome for all those who value a hearty home-cooked meal. Get well soon, Maree! We miss you. back to top Accessway causes aggravation A sturdy wooden and rope accessway erected on dunes just south of the Wekatahi Stream has not proved popular with many at Piha. Surfers complain that the obtrusive structure which descends onto the beach can be seen from the sea while others lament the proliferation of built structures on the dunes. The Waitakere City Council had consulted with the Piha Residents and Ratepayers over whether to erect fences to protect dune planting to repair a blowout and got the thumbs down. There was bewilderment when the accessway appeared anyway. Local opinion was divided as to whether, once up, the fences should stay or go. The WCC has decided to leave them in place for 3-4 months while plants establish themselves, but promises they will then be removed. In this area and further north the Council has planted extensive areas of damaged dunes with Spinifex. It has also planted a new dune formed by the separation of the Marawhara and Wekatahi Streams. With the right weather, these should repair a large area of the beach. back to top Centennial Memorial Park commemoration Past and present supporters of the Waitakere parkland gathered on a hilltop by the Arataki Visitor Centre for an auspicious occasion on Sunday 19 September. The occasion was the unveiling of a significant sculpture by local artist Pardo, commissioned by the Auckland Regional Council to commemorate the Auckland Centennial Memorial Park Act. The creation of the park was chosen by the people of Auckland as the project to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Auckland. This was the realisation of a dream long-held by the Auckland City Council and many citizens who had gifted land or advocated for such a great park. In 1939 the Scenic Drive was opened – this linked the Titirangi Highway with Swanson-West Coast Road. The Centennial Memorial Park Act came into effect in 1941 and established a Board which continued to work on acquisitions. By 1944 the Board reported it had 8,900 acres (about 15,000 acres was held separately for water catchment purposes). The park was progressively added to by purchases, gifts and transfers of Crown land. The secretary of the Board was Arthur Mead and he established routes for tracks and supervised the cutting of new tracks and repair of existing ones. The park was transferred to the Auckland Regional Authority in 1964, at which time it contained 12,971 acres. In 1982 the Auckland City Council transferred reserves it held at Cornwallis, Titirangi, Cascade/Kauri Park and Goldie’s bush into the park, and in 1989 land held by the Auckland Harbour Board at Whatipu was added to the parkland. Three years later the ARC gained ownership of the water catchment area. Today over the park comprises over 17,000 heactares. The Auckland Centennial Memorial Park Act was repealed in 2002 by the Local Government Act. The ARC is still pursuing a method to restore in perpetuity protection for the Waitakere parkland. The erection of the sculpture was an occasion to mark the Centennial Memorial Park Act and the many people who have supported the park over the years. Speakers at the event included Bill Burrill, chair of ARC Parks, Sandra Coney, Deputy-Chair, and Arnold Turner, a member of the Auckland Centennial Park Board from 1960 to 1964 and chair of ARC Parks Committee from 1963 to 1968.       back to top Artist Pardo with his sculpture made of West Coast iron sand and concrete and featuring a patu, waterfall, birds and ferms found in the Waitakeres, and a group of trampers. Plans to tackle dune blow-out Waitakere City plans to tackle the dune blow-out at the southern end of Piha beach, following the success of the Piha Coastcare project in front of Piha surf club. The city is drawing up a plan for the area to consult with locals, and after that the Coastcare group will take on the replanting. This has been a long-standing problem and as a result there is a good deal of road metal in the beach area at this point.     Photo: Waitakere City contractors clear sand from the road beside a long-standing dune blow-out at the southern end of Piha beach. back to top Big plant at Tasman Lookout It was just as well a Karekare planting was cancelled on 20 June as big seas meant that volunteers couldn’t reach the site at the Pararaha. Instead they came over to Piha to join the few locals that had responded to a call to bring spades and strong legs for a planting bee along the Tasman Lookout Track. Volunteers came from all over Auckland to do their bit, hauling loads of flax and pohutukawa up the steep track to the planting site. The area has been covered in gorse since the big fires in 1994 and 1998, creating a fire risk and spoiling the natural environment. This is one of Piha’s great beauty spots, enjoyed by multitudes every year, so restoring the coastal vegetation will add to their enjoyment. ARC ranger Andy Pedersen had cleared the gorse for the event and directed the planting. The hard workers, which included many ARC staff in their own time, made short work of the task and were rewarded with a sausage sizzle and hot teas. It is planned to continue the planting next year to restore greater areas.   Willing helpers dig holes in very good soil in areas cleared from the gorse. A busy team made short work of the planting task in this windy coastal location. All photos Sandra Coney back to top Seas at Piha damage boardwalk Following June's big seas, huge surf has further undermined the boardwalk at Piha. Watch the continuing saga and scroll down to the June 2003 news item to see what the boardwalk looked like a year ago. A heap of sand has been moved by Mother Nature in the past few months, especially since the Piha Stream reverted to its route on the south side of Lion Rock.       back to top High seas at Piha           Big seas at Piha created this sand bank for would-be users of the controversial boardwalk on Piha Beach. As if wide, rough boards designed to crick ankles and stubb toes weren't enough, nature has whipped away the access. Photo Peter Hosking   back to top A furry visitor   This large seal sheltered at Piha from heavy seas and wild winds over Queens Birthday weekend. Local people and visitors kept their distance but were intrigued to take a look at the large seal. He made his temporary home in the dunes at the far south of the beach, near the entrance to the Tasman Lookout Track. Seals are quite frequently seen out on the coast but rarely come into Piha. A previous visitor was filmed cavorting in the Wekatahi Stream. Photos: Peter Hosking back to top New addition to the Waitakere parkland at North Piha The land gifted by Ella Hilford at North Piha contains magnificent pohutukawa and abuts ARC parkland. Photo Sandra Coney At the handing over ceremony (from left): MP Lynne Pillay, ARC Parks chair, Bill Burrill, Forest and Bird's Peter Maddison, ARC Deputy Parks chair Sandra Coney, and F&B's Kenn Catt. A magnificent stand of pohutukawas at North Piha was handed over to the Auckland Regional Council at a ceremony on 19 March. Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society gifted the land to the Auckland Regional Council having been willed it by the late Marcella ‘Ella’ Hilford. The land is situated on the north side of the new house being built by Les Mills opposite the carpark at the end of North Piha Rd. The site consists of immense pohutukawas, nikau and other coastal forest, with large boulders scattered around the forest floor, rising steeply to the ridge behind it. One pohutukawa has grown over and around a large rock, so that it is irrevocably wedged into the root system of the tree. Less than a century ago, the tide would have reached up to the old dunes that form the front of the section. Ella Hilford bought the property from Les Waygood in 1947. According to next-door-neighbour Rob Astley, Ella’s husband Wilfred was a philosopher, a teacher by trade, who once taught at the sole charge school on Rangitoto. Later the couple lived at Oratia but visited Piha regularly. It was Wilfred who designed the bach on the property, built with a great deal of community support which was how things got done at the Waygood end of the beach. Concrete blocks were made out of Piha sand, stones off the property went into the building and the modernist fireplace was made of smooth round stones from the caves at the end of North Piha. Wilfred’s design included a radical cantilevered overhang of the top floor deck over the patio. Unfortunately the salty iron sand has corroded the steel struts supporting the building so it is now awaiting the demolition hammer. Deserted for some years, Ella having died in 1998, the house is slowly being overcome by the forest from which it was partly made. In her later years, Ella worried about the fate of the massive pohutukawas after her death. The Hilfords had no children, so leaving the property to Forest and Bird was intended to ‘preserve the property and the ancient trees on it’, according to her will. She also left the society a share in the residue of her estate. It is a pity that the national office is selling the front part of the property, as any structure on it will obscure the view of the trees. The back part, given to the ARC, can be accessed by a right-of-way down the southern boundary. The ARC is yet to consider how it will provide public access, but a track to the hilltop, named after Ella Hilford, would be a way of acknowledging this important gift. Sandra Coney back to top Pond or swamp? - the future of the Garden Rd Lily Pond Enterprising Garden Road property owners John and Wendy Innes are fighting to keep the Garden Road Lily Pond as a pond. They presented the results of a local petition to a recent meeting of the Piha Residents' and Ratepayers' Association. Of 329 respondents, 326 had voted for keeping the pond, while only 3 wanted to allow it to infill with sediment and turn into a raupo swamp as designated in the Piha Reserves Management Plan. The ratepayers agreed to support the project and will take it to the Waitakere Community Board, asking for a plan change. Early photos of the area, show a pool tucked in behind the large sand dunes. By mid-century raupo and other wetland plants had diminished the open water and that's when an energetic group of local residents decided to take action. In 1946 Frank and Fanny Barnett who lived near the pond proposed to the North Piha Ratepayers' Association (the association later amalgamated with the Piha Ratepayers' Association) that the pond be enlarged by clearing the raupo. Donning their swimsuits, and using a raft supported by empty drums, locals ventured into the pond to remove the wetland plants. These were dragged onto shore with a winch fitted to a truck. The work was wet, dirty and smelly as the activity released trapped gasses from rotting vegetation. A series of photos in the Henderson Library documents the project. Waterlilies in six colours were planted in the pond, and fushcias were planted in ponga posts edging it. Gold fish were introduced, and although it was originally planned to have swans, ducks made it their home. In the early 1960s Mr Barnett purchased a section owned by Norman Winter on the northern side of the pond that was covered in rank grass, willows and macrocarpas. A major working bee cleared the land and later a mechanical dragline dredged the lake at its northern end. The mud from the lake was deposited along the shore to form a flat area which was then planted with native specimen trees. When this was written up in the AA magazine in 1961, it reported that there was a shed and boat for regular clearing of plants and a zigzag path bordered with a railing to reach a lookout point at the back of the lake, all done by local property owners. Mr Barnett gave the land to the council and it was later named Claude Abel Reserve in memory of one of the most avid supporters of this project. The Reserves Management Plan specified that only hand removal of waterlilies could take place, but even this has not been carried out. Environmental engineer Nigel Mark-Brown who owns a bach opposite the pond says that sediment would have to be dewatered before the sediment was disposed of elsewhere. Resource consents would be necessary. Waitakere City Council would need to notify any proposed plan change and there would be the opportunity for submissions. Sandra Coney back to top Quick summer catch-up Allie Eagle tries her gigantic stone seat at the North Piha mid-beach toilets. Waitakere City Council has plans to install more fences around dunes at the Lion Rock corner and some form of wood or tyre barrier or bund to define parking. It will be consulting on the plans during March. Watch for it. Te Henga artist Allie Eagle has sculpted a Lord of the Rings style seat for Piha's new mid-beach changing sheds and public toilets. Marawhara and Wekatahi streams are still running independently down to the sea following a massive sand shift by WCC to separate them. The August planting of the dune blow-out in front of the Piha surf club carpark is defying all predictions. The Spinifex plants are responding to manuring and regular summer rain by flourishing. About 80% of plants have survived, against the prediction of 40%. By and large visitors are keeping off the area. Gaps in the planting will be filled by Piha CoastCare. A second fire ripped through the entrance to the Marawhara and White's Beach Tracks, incinerating some mature pohutukawa before it was brought under control. The local R&R is finding out whether arcing electricity lines caused the fire, as it did the first. United Surf Club is applying to WCC for a resource consent to move its tower back from the foredune at mid-beach to a position beside the new toilet block. Significant erosion has occurred around the tower in its current position. back to top Marawhara and Wekatahi Streams separated - October 2003 For the first time in decades the Marawhara and Wekataki Streams are taking separate routes to the sea. The build up of sand dunes had pushed the Marawhara southwards to join the Wekatahi leading to serious undercutting of Marine Parade North roadway. Following extensive consultation with locals, a Waitakere City Council project recut the route of the Marawhara, separating the two streams. back to top Huge tides at Piha - September 2003 Fierce winds and big surf resulted in this knee-deep foam-storm at Piha on 29 September. The photo was taken at the point where Moana Stream hits the beach at Piha. The high tides eroded dunes at the south end of the Piha beach and Lion Rock corner. Huge waves ate into sand dunes at North Piha creating this sand cliff just south of the United North Piha Surf Club. back to top Fences at Piha - September 2003 Despite protests from local people, Waitakere City Council has installed what they call 'people fences' around dunes all along the beachfront at Piha beach. The Council says these were mandated by the Piha Coastal Management Plan, but locals remember that the Waitakere Community Board removed all mention of fences from the plan after the submissions process. Instead the plan talks about defining access ways to the beach, which could be accomplished by means other than fences. Locals argued that the fences were unsightly and introduced an unwelcome manmade element into the environment. People living opposite the dunes were also anxious that the dunes would build in height as a result of fencing them off, blocking their views and causing other problems. During installation, some of the fence posts were removed by angry members of the public, and as a compromise, the fence posts are lower than originally intended. This has had the effect of making the rope-wires between the posts sagging to a height that can easily be stepped across. back to top Dune blow-out project completed - September 2003 An unsightly dune blowout in front of the Piha Surf Club was reshaped and replanted in late August. The blowout was created some years ago when dirt was dumped on the beach, and wind-blown sand created a nuisance for property owners across the road and on the car park. The area was tackled as one of the first projects of the Piha Coast Care group. However, others had concerns about the potential for the new dune to affect surf, and the loss of a flat space at the top from which surfers could watch other board riders perform. It was pointed out that because of the build up of dunes in other places on the beach, this was now the only place where people could see the beach and water from their cars. There was particular alarm at the appearance of a sand fence so far onto the beach that it caught seaweed during high tides, and another sand fence outside the blowout area. Because of the controversy, the Waitakere City Council halted the work and a working party was formed representing the Piha Ratepayers and Residents Association, Coast Care, Keyhole Boardriders and local residents. Chaired by R&R committee member Kerry Stotter it worked through the issues and came to a an agreed compromise which retained the flat space at the top. Despite this, there was consternation when the work started and WCC dumped large amounts of sand on the blowout area and intended to reshape differently from the agreed position. Once again, work was halted, sand was removed, and the dune shaped as had been agreed. Over 30 turned out for a weekend working bee to plant the dunes with Spinifex. Now locals are watching with interest to see how the project turns out. Can the dune capture sand that would otherwise blow onto the car park? Will it build up and overwhelm the flat area at the top? Everybody is wishing for success. back to top 36 Piha Road development abandoned - for now! At a Judicial Hearing held at the Environment Court in Auckland on Friday 27 June, Coastal Environments withdrew its appeal against the decision by Waitakere City Council to refuse land use consent for the proposed development of up to 20 chalets at 36 Piha Road. The ARC had previously granted sewerage and stormwater consents to Coastal Environments for this proposed development, and the Piha R & R had lodged an appeal against this decision with the Environment Court. At the same time, the Waitakere Ranges Protection Society registered with the Court an association with the Piha R & R over this matter. After a series of 'call overs' (meetings to ascertain progress on any appeal), Coastal Environments was finally instructed by the Environment Court to lodge the modified scheme it was subsequently proposing, and to consult with all parties involved prior to 31 May. As Mr John Hughes of Coastal Environments had not fulfilled these directions, the other parties at the Judicial Hearing had planned to seek a ruling from the Judge that the case be struck out. However, at the commencement of proceedings, the barrister for Coastal Environments sought leave to make a statement that Mr Hughes still wished to pursue a modified proposal for the development of the site in the future, but recognised that in fairness to all parties, he should withdraw his appeal against the WCC land use decision and eventually start afresh with a new application. There was a complication to this in that, if the WCC appeal were abandoned, the ARC stormwater and sewerage consent still stood. The judge therefore had to make a decision that the R & R appeal was 'alowed', thus eliminating the consent. Mr Hughes has asked John Edgar, of WRPS, if the Society would support an application for a much smaller number of units. On receiving a 'No' response from John Edgar, it understood that Mr Hughes has retreated meanwhile to consider his options. Meanwhile a very large boulder has smashed down from the highest point of 36 Piha Road and disintegrated on the private road on the property. The thud was heard all over Piha. back to top Piha Aquatic Risk report - June 2003 Surf Life Saving Northern Region has the contract to carry out an aquatic risk assessment at Piha. Reasons behind the project are the number of drownings at Piha (34 since 1980), the development by Standards New Zealand of new criteria for water safety signage, and the plethora of existing signage at Piha. The report will recommend what signs should go where, including individual hazard warning in areas of high risk, road signage for motorists, and carpark signage, and which existing signs should be removed. Matt Yallop is consulting with local groups, the ARC and surf clubs as part of the project. back to top Controversy over beach fence - June 2003 Consternation has greeted the appearance of a large sand fence low on the beach in front of the dune blow-out on Piha beach. Local property owners sought relief from the perpetual problem of windblown sand blocking property entrances and the WCC has ongoing problems with sand obstructing the sealed carpark in front of Piha Surf Club. Restoration of the dune became the first project of the newly formed Piha Coast Care Group, and they have been growing Spinifex and pingao in preparation for planting in late June. But the sand fence installed by WCC was judged by many to be too low on the beach and the fact that high tides have washed around it make it unlikely it will do the task it was supposed to do. The fence was supposed to catch dry windblown sand and form a dune. But surfers worry that because it is so low on the beach, any dune would alter the way the beach works to the detriment of the surf. Boardriders are also seeking grass on the flat area at the top of the area from which they can watch the surf and local competitions. A number of locals have approached the Piha R&R to take the issue up with the WCC. Watch this space. back to top More controversy - June 2003 After a public meeting at Piha in mid-2002 the first sand ladder was placed on the dune in front of the walkway to the Domain for a trial period. But the walkway seems ill-designed and many locals are wondering when and how the trial will be evaluated. The sand ladder is made of wide rough-sawn timber with large gaps between them, ostensibly to allow sand to fall through and the ladder to be periodically lifted so it does not get buried. However, feet can easily slip between them and as grass is gorwing in places, it seems that lifting is not a regular occurrence. Visitors, children especially, can be seen cautiously picking their way along the sand ladder, clinging to the post and wire fence alongside it. It is difficult to get onto and to get off. back to top Anzac Day 2003 A large crowd enjoyed a bright sunny day for the annual Anzac Day parade. Led by the Onehunga Pipe Band the parade left the RSA at 2 pm for the service by Lion Rock. This year the service was enhanced by a live rendition of the Last Post by one of the younger generation from the Webber family.         Anzac Parade marches down to Piha beach in bright sunshine. Photo: Sandra Coney back to top Surf lifesaving celebration coming up In January 1934 a group of men from the Waitemata Rugby Club held their first meeting to form a surf lifesaving club at Piha. Piha was being subdivided, the road down to the Piha Valley had been completed during the Depression, and these pioneers saw a need to make the beach safe for swimmers. The Piha club set up a chain reaction with first Karekare then other clubs being set up all along the coast. To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the inauguration of surf lifesaving on the West Coast ARC Councillor Sandra Coney and Mayor Bob Harvey have initiated a project for 2004. All five West Coast Clubs &endash; Piha, United North Piha, Karekare, Bethells, and Muriwai &endash; have come on board. They are planning a number of events including a major exhibition, a film evening and some 'telling of tall tales' evenings to hear stirring yarns from veteran members. In the short term, the steering committee is looking for photos, film and memorabilia, such as early lifesaving gear. If you have anything under the bach or out in the shed, contact: Sandra Coney 356 7074 or email s_coney@xtra.co.nz or Bob Harvey email bob.harvey@waitakere.govt.nz. back to top Carving installed at Karekare - May 2003 An impressive carving has been installed next to the carpark at Karekare beach and blessed at a dawn ceremony on 29 March 2003. The kauri carving was made by Sunna Thompson of the Te Kawerau a Maki iwi and depicts the ancestor Kowhatukiteuru who built the pa, Te Kaka Whakaara (The Watchman) at Karekare Beach. Sculpter Sunna Thompson with Karekare kids. Karekare kids impressed with the new carving. Te Kawerau a Maki greet Kowhatukiteuru, the pa-builder. Photos: Sandra Coney The ceremony was attended by many members of the Te Kawerau a Maki iwi, the Mayor of Waitakere, Auckland Regional Council councillors and parks' staff, as well as many local Karekare folk, including a large number of children who unveiled the carving and performed a song. Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed a cooked breakfast at the Karekare Surf Club, including paua chowder made from West Coast paua that had been collected with a special MAF permit.           back to top

Whatipu Sands is a vast remote wilderness of sand, wetlands, and rich bird and plant life. The rocky hulk is Paratutae Island on the Manukau Harbour, once the site of a wharf where timber was collected for shipping to Onehunga. Photo: Sandra Coney

Auckland Regional Council Annual Plan out for consultation The ARC's Annual Plan is out for submission until 1 May 2003. Key highlights for the West Coast area are: Over $350,000 spending on capital works on the ARC Waitakere parkland, including walk track bridges, a new public toilet at Whatipu, exterior repairs to Huia Lodge, solar power at Keddle House, and a vehicle bridge at Little Huia. $28,000 for the first stage in the development of a Waitakere Visitors Strategy that will provide a framework for managing the use of the Waitakere Ranges A proposal (page 60) to establish a targeted rate in future years for parks acquisition. Copies of the plan can be obtained by ringing (09) 366 2000. back to top Consultation on proposal for greater marine protection for the West Coast - May 2003 Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand is conducting this consultation to get feedback on various options for protecting the coastal environment of the West Coast. The plan covers the area from South Kaipara to Port Waikato and will extend into the Manukau Harbour as far as Big Muddy Creek. Once RFBS has feedback on its proposals it will move to achieve statutory protection, that is, legislation of some sort. Three types of protection are being considered: Marine Park - would have a management board, and different zones in it, some would be marine reserves, others would allow recreational line and drag net fishing. Commercial fishing and set netting not allowed. Marine Mammal Sanctuary - administered by Dept of Conservation, would give greater status to Maui's (formerly Hector's) Dolphins of which less than 100 remain on West Coast. Recreational line and drag net fishing allowed, no commercial fishing. Marine Reserve - administered by Dept of Conservation, no commercial fishing, usually recreational fishing and seafood gathering not allowed. A working group that has developed the proposals favours a Marine Park. Submission due by 31 May 2003 to Auckland West Coast Project, Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society, PO Box 8138, Symonds St, Auckland A questionnaire and discussion document can be seen on www.forestandbird.org.nz. back to top Public notification of Canyoning applications Two applications for consent to continue commercial canyoning operations in Waitakere Ranges Regional Park have been publicly notified. These are the first applications to be publicly notified in accordance with the Draft Regional Parks Management Plan. A public notice was placed in the New Zealand Herald on Wednesday 22nd January 2003 and a press release has been distributed to local papers. In addition to this, on site signage will be placed at the Piha and Karekare carparks; notices posted at the Piha Store, local library and Arataki Visitor Centre; details of the public notice and a printable copy of a standard submission form will be available on the website; and stakeholders will be contacted individually including those present at the public meetings held last year regarding the canyoning applicants. Copies of the applications will be made available for viewing at the Arataki Visitor Centre, Vodafone House, Piha Library and Piha Store during opening hours. The submission period will run for six weeks with a closing date of 5th March 2003. After this time, a pre hearing and / or formal hearing may be held for submitters who wish to be heard (if any). The hearings panel will consist of the Consents Application Sub-Committee of the Auckland Regional Council. back to top Bin Those Aggies ! - Runs until mid - May 3-step agapanthus control time 1.Snip off agapanthus flower or seed heads 2. Bag them in rubbish or other large bags 3.Tip into the bin on Piha Domain - by the Lagoon entrance. Bin will be there from 8-23 February. Why bother? Agapanthus (a native of Africa) forms dense clumps, which totally exclude NZ native plants. It is becoming a serious weed on the cliffs of Piha, and is even creeping towards the Waitakeres through roadside stormwater channels. Wind, gravity and stormwater spreads seeds over long distances, infesting large rock faces and the length of the stormwater channels and the streams into which they flow. Agapanthus is not susceptible to many of the herbicides available because of the waxy leaves. This makes it hard to control in places where digging is difficult. DO YOUR BIT FOR THE PIHA ENVIRONMENT! BIN THOSE AGGIES! Organised by Piha Coast Care, February 2003 Bin courtesy of Waitakere City Council back to top Ark in the Park gets the go-ahead In October the Auckland Regional Council gave the go-ahead to an initiative by the Waitakere branch of Royal Forest and Bird Society to carry out intensive pest control in a 250 hectare area of the Waitakere Ranges. The project aims to rid the area of animal pests such as stoats, possums and rats, that destroy native birds and vegetation. The project will build on the ARC's own Operation Forest Save which has seen birds return to the Ranges in unprecedented numbers. The project is on trial for one year. Community grants for coastlines On 26 November the Auckland Regional Council resolved to apply newly acquired funds generated from seabed licenses back into care of the coastal marine area. The funds will be used for such purposes as sewage pump-out facilities at marinas and water safety education, but $50,000 will go to contestable community grants. The fund will be linked to the ARC's existing Environmental Initiatives Fund. The first round of applications will be called for by 1 March 2003. Upgraded ARC track An upgraded Laird Thompson Track between North Piha and White's Beach provides spectacular views of Piha, North Piha and White's Beach, and even further along the coast in both directions in the right weather conditions. The 600 metre track, which leaves from the far northern end of North Piha, was upgraded by a team of periodic detention workers led by ARC ranger Karl Bethel. The steep track now has steps formed from timber casing and crushed sandstone, and seats positioned to catch the views. Since the track up Lion Rock was stopped short of the top because of safety concerns, the new track is considered by ARC park ranger Andy Pedersen as the best vantage point at the beaches. The track can also be used to access Anawhata. back to top New approach needed to eradicate Painted Apple Moth Press release from Auckland regional Council April 3, 2002 The Auckland Regional Council will recommend that the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry changes its approach to eradicating the Painted Apple Moth. The recommendation comes in response to a MAF request for feedback on four possible options for the treatment of the Australian moth which first made its incursion into New Zealand in 1999. ARC Parks and Heritage Committee chairman Bill Burrill says the council's concerns relate to the treatment of the moth in the Auckland region in general and in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Parkland in particular. The moth is known to feed on at least three native species which are prominent in the ranges and there are no limiting factors to its spread. "Two of MAF's suggested options did not pursue eradication, while a third was a continuation of the programme they are currently undertaking in parts of West Auckland," Cr Burrill says. "That leaves the option of further ground spraying and use of aerial spraying across the entire area where male moths have been trapped. "We believe this option, which is effectively blanket spraying of areas where the moth is known to be, will have the highest probability of eradicating the insect, but should be pursued with appropriate public safeguards in place. The resolutions passed by the ARC Parks and Heritage Committee today included: That Council recommends to MAF that Option 3 is the preferred option to protect New Zealand from the Painted Apple Moth, provided that the distribution of the moth has been conclusively identified. That human health issues related to the spraying be fully investigated and liability for costs of medical treatment be met by MAF. That the water catchment issue be resolved properly. That the ARC advise MAF that all available precautions to protect human health and to minimise adverse effects on endangered native species must be implemented in any control operations. Cr Burrill says if MAF is serious about eradicating the moth it needs to pursue a more intense spraying programme than it is currently. "It is extremely important that in order to protect the Waitakere Ranges this pest is eradicated. "What is equally important is that any eradication programme takes into account other issues such as effects on human health and on the water catchment in the Waitakeres," he says. For more information please call: Bill Burrill, Chairman ARC Parks and Heritage Committee, 366 2111 or 021 978 139 or Simon Roche, ARC Communications, 366-2000 ext 8100 or 021 656 380 back to top Piha church closes After nearly 40 years of service, the Church of the Sacred Heart in Garden Road has been closed and the land has been purchased back by the neighbouring Wales family who donated the land in the first place. The church was a memorial to Stan Wales, who died in 1962, and although dedicated as a Catholic church, in recent years was used by other denominations. The 140-seat church, on a beautiful site surrounded by massive pohutukawa, was designed by Walter Nicholls, its dominating feature being a steeply sloping canopy entrance reminiscent of a Hawaiian fale. back to top Future of old Piha school The Piha School closed in 1961, and although being designated as an outdoor education centre, in recent years it's become dilapidated. Now five West Auckland intermediate schools, and the Waitakere City Council are looking at ways to revitalise the old building. The old school site is owned by the Ministry of Education but administered by the schools. In May the schools, WCC and some local people came together to discuss the future. The land beside the Piha Stream is prone to flooding and recent community consultations have shown that there is not much support for more building or sewerage disposal in the Piha village area. Ideas that were mooted included a display of local history inside the school building which is listed with the Historic Places Trust, study of water safety (with local surf clubs), study of the night sky with pupils camped in the Domain, a base from which to study conservation and coastal eco-systems, and planting and landscaping the grounds with native plants. The not-so-robust Lion Rock For the past eighteen months the path to the top of Lion Rock has been closed although that has not stopped the more intrepid of beachgoers from scrambling to the top. A few months ago the Auckland Regional Council started work to reopen the track, to some misgiving from locals who didn't want their icons scarred by an obvious path. But despite the advice of engineers the work has not gone to plan. Recently work came to a halt when the ARC realised that the rock was more unstable than thought, and that more major work would be needed to reduce the risk of rock falls from above the path. Currently, the work is on hold while the ARC ponders whether it wants to meet the increased costs of taking the track to the top, plus the possible visual effects of more rock removal. The other option is to end the track at the grass platform two-thirds of the way to the top. back to top Fay Weldon at Piha's Dunny Do   The audience was treated to Weldon's sparkling wit and repartee. Famous author Fay Weldon wowed a packed Barnett Hall at the 'Dunny Do', a unique literary soiree, on Friday 6 October. The even raised funds for a toilet at the Piha Library and for the Karekare Surf Club. Weldon grew up in New Zealand as Fay Berkinshaw - she and her sister feature in a famous painting by Rita Angus. Weldon has been based in the UK for her adult life, but still has a soft spot for New Zealand and is currently collecting fair dinkum kiwi recipes for a cookbook - so she says! Weldon was interviewed at Piha by entertainer Max Cryer and read passages from her new novel Rhode Island Blues. She then answered questions from the audience with wit and good humour.

	Max Cryer interviewed Fay Weldon at the Dunny Do	Weldon with master of ceremonies, Kubi Witten-Hannah, and The Dunny.
	Photos: Sandra Coney	Piha Library

back to top Fire station opened Peter Joyce speaking at the opening of the new Piha Fire Station. Peter is fire chief but also designed the building. Also in the photo Jonathon Hunt, Bob Harvey, Margaret Bazley. Photo: Sandra Coney The new Piha Fire Station was packed for the official opening on Saturday 6 May. Locals, including current and former brigade members, were joined by fire service big wigs from Auckland and even Wellington, as well as MP Jonathon Hunt, Waitakere City mayor Bob Harvey and local community board members. Dame Margaret Bazley, chair of the Fire Service Commission, did the honours in launching the building, informing the audience that 80% of New Zealand fire fighters were volunteers who fought 30% of all fires. Several speakers mentioned the heroic work of the Piha crew in fighting fires in difficult terrain with antiquated equipment, at least in the early days. As well as its new station, Piha also boasts an up-to-date engine. There were many jokes about Piha's 'Dad's army' beginnings and how the Piha crew begged, borrowed and appropriated bits of equipment - 'Don't gather up your own hoses after a fire, go for the best ones' was the operating rule. The Piha Brigade's chief, Peter Joyce, designed the building, meeting the requirement of Waitakere City that the building be in harmony with its environment. Accordingly, the station's door is green not red. Also at the ceremony, Doug Bain was presented with his 25-year Gold Star, the first Piha crew member to be honoured this way.

Doug Bain's wife Jill receives her husband old service medals after these had been replaced by the 25-year Gold Star, presented by Auckland volunteer chief Graham Booth. Photo: Sandra Coney

Jack De Bazin (right) a former chief of Piha's crew, yarns with ARC ranger, Andy Pedersen. Photo: Sandra Coney

Waitakere Community Board members Betty Hanson and Kubi Witten-Hannah place a wreath on the Remembrance Board at the Piha RSA. Photo: Sandra Coney

The Otahuhu and District Pipe Band provided a stirring accompaniment to the Anzac Day ceremony. Photos: Sandra Coney

Awful weather forced the abandonment of the traditional Anzac Day parade to Lion Rock on Tuesday 25 April. Instead a large group gathered at the Piha RSA, where the ceremony was conducted in some comfort. The Rev Jim Hunt took the service and led hymn singing. Wreaths were laid by the remembrance board and the Otahuhu and District Pipe Band played the pipes. back to top

Richard Shortland Cooper's When the Eels Were Fat attracted curious admirers, including young children who turned them into adventure islands as the tide came in. Photos: Sandra Coney Sand sculptures attract crowds Hundreds of families and artists created spectacular sand sculptures at the annual Art on the Beach event on Saturday 29 January. There were volcanoes, sofas, monstrous castles, buzzy bees and submerged human figures among the efforts and plenty of specators to watch or even give a hand. Guest artists Richard Shortland Cooper and a team created When the Eels Were Fat along the bank of the Marawhara Stream. The mounds and moats proved popular with small children as the tide came in and started its demolition task. Art on the Beach wasorganised by Lopdell House and this is the fifth year the event has been held. Anyone is welcome to turn up with spades and buckets to make art from the sand. Invited artists also create works which are then revised and finally demolished by the incoming tide. Guest sculptor for 2000 is Richard Shortland Cooper who created When the Eels Were Fat in the sand, a pattern based on the scale formations of the body of an eel. Eels are well known Pacific travellers, migrating as far north as Tonga to spawn. With a team of helpers and using precast moulds, Cooper mapped out the body of an eel on North Piha Beach, starting at the base of Lion Rock. The work wias described as 'a totemic reminder of the forces that shape us and the migratory nature of our origins'.

Rescue at Monkey Rock Two people had a lucky escape on Friday 10 December after they were plucked from a savage rip at North Piha. The two men had apparently overlooked the new warnings signs, erected after a double drowning at Labour Day weekend, and walked into the surf at a dangerous, unpatrolled area of the beach. Locals commented that they must have walked right by the crosses and wreathes left by the South African families whose family members drowned.       back to top

Nick Kinghorn (left), manager of the Piha Surf Club, swam out to the two men in difficulties. They were being supported on the board of a surfer (second from left) who had gone out to support them. With the assistance of a helicopter the two men were winched out and taken to hospital by ambulance. The rescuers are being interviewed by a TV3 news team. Photo: Sandra Coney

Lion Rock crumbling  The Lion Rock was barred to the public in early December 1999 after a large quantity of rocks fell onto the path leading to the top of the 101 metre rock. Auckland Regional Council park rangers said it was lucky the fall occurred on a weekday morning as around 1000 people make the climb to the top during weekends. Trio trapped on Lion Rock overnight Three people had an uncomfortable chilly night on 7 December 1999 when the incoming tide stopped them getting back from Lion Rock. By 7 pm the group decided they couldn't get back because of the incoming tide and called for help. Rescue services declined to assist as they said it was too dangerous to send a helicopter at night. The group was told to wait for low tide at about 3 am when they could walk back to the shore. Consultation on location for effluent fields for North Piha toilets If you care about the beachfront at North Piha put Sunday 24 March in your diary. Between 10 am and 12 pm the Waitakere City Council will be consulting at the Barnett Hall on the location of the effluent fields to be built for new public toilets at North Piha Strand and on the south side of the carpark at Barnett Hall. There were protests at the Residents & Ratepayers AGM when the subject came up. Locals were alarmed to learn that the first of the proposed fields stretched right across the beachfront at North Piha Strand, running south from the helicopter landing pad, and that the second was in the Karo forest behind the North Piha Campers' Club. These locations had been passed by the Waitakere Community Board 4 December meeting, despite a presentation from ARC councillors Sandra Coney and Paul Walbran asking the board to use a location off the beachfront. The AGM voted 51 to 3 to take a deputation to the WCC asking that it consider other alternatives. After that a small group met with WCC officers and identified possible alternative sites in WCC land off Garden Road and Auckland Regional Council to the south of the Marawhara Track entrance. These are the alternative sites that will come before the meeting on 24 March. 28 submissions were sent to the Auckland Regional Council regarding an application for consent to discharge treated effluent on the two beachfront locations. 23 opposed the application, and 5 supported it, though 1 of these preferred the alternate sites. back to top Toilet troubles at North Piha The graffiti on the side of Piha Road proclaiming 'No poos at Piha' has taken on a prophetic twist as the promised new toilet facilities at North Piha have failed to appear. A meeting on 9 September will explain what the hold-up is. Two blocks were planned by Waitakere City Council for the middle of North Piha (by the helicopter landing pad) and by Barnett Hall. A consultation with local Piha people, run by architectural design consultant Peter Joyce, and project manager and engineer Boubacar Coulibaly, determined that composting toilets were the preferred solution. The sewerage would go into deep bores so that the amenity did not need to take up too much area. Next step was to apply to the Auckland Regional Council for resource consent. This was not forthcoming. The council's engineers maintained that nitrate from the disposal fluid would leach through the sand onto the beach. It prefers the same system as the Domain toilets and Piha beach toilets, that is, a sand filter plant and disposal field in the sand dunes. The ARC says that there would be no risk of leaching onto the beach as the system works by evapo-transportation. Final stage effluent is discharged into the surface level of the sand dunes and would evaporate or be used by plants before it could travel any further. This is similar to the system used for the two previous toilet blocks, where final stage effluent is discharged into the sand hills by the lagoon, above the Trees for Babies area. While local people had agreed to that development, they were shocked by the erection of signs warning people of the health risk of going into the area, and the unkempt state of the site where weeds have flourished on the nutrients in the final stage discharge. At this stage it is not clear where the disposal field for the North Piha toilets would be located if the ARC plan is followed. Possible sites are near the existing helicopter pad or piped to a large field in the sand hills between the North Piha Camping Club and the beach. The site required to service the helicopter pad toilets alone is very large. An area of 800 square metres is needed, about the size of two Tepid baths. The proposal seems at distinct odds with the Piha Coastal Management Plan (June 2000) which stated that 'the sand dunes and coastal wetlands of North Piha are arguably the most ecologically significant on the Piha coastline, being relatively less impacted by the effects of land use, human activity and weeds.' If you want to hear more about the subject, come to the meeting on Sunday 9 September, 10 am-1 pm at Barnett Hall. Sandra Coney back to top Plan for caring for the coast With the finalisation of the Piha Coastal Management Plan at the Community Board meeting on 27 April, Waitakere Council officers now have to produce plans of work they intend to do on the Piha and North Piha foreshore reserves. Only a handful of locals presented verbal submissions at the board meeting, and only 16 had presented written submissions, despite the fact that the subjects of sand dunes, dune blow-outs and drifting sand are hotly discussed at Piha. The board was sympathetic to local concerns and aware that 'human intervention in the past has had an adverse effect on Piha beach' and that no reclamation be undertaken in future. But it was not prepared to authorise the major and costly remedial works sought by some petitioners, such as removal of the channel in the Moana Stream or artificial sand dunes. Instead work is to be carried out to mitigate the adverse visual and ecological effects of the channelisation. There will be a full public consultation about how this is to be done. Past work was to be monitored and non-compliant activities below the mean high water mark drawn to the attention of the Auckland Regional Council. How to protect sand dunes in high use areas, especially at Piha and the Lion Rock corner of Marine Parade North, are vexed questions. Recognising the unsightliness of previous dune fencing, the community board resolved that fencing should not be installed on the foreshore, except to protect dune blowouts that are being repaired. In future dunes should be planted with spinifex. The report also states that in areas where pingao has become dominent, spinifex should be inter-planted. Pedestrian access routes are to formalised right along the beach. Sand-ladders are to be used if this doesn't work. Regular inspection and maintenance of walkways are to be carried out and surf clubs will be consulted about their location. Urgent attention is to be paid to the area where the Wekatahi Stream is in danger of undercutting the road. Other resolutions of the board included: Investigation of the use of surf life saving clubs as park rangers If there is to be a Beachcare Group it should be under the auspices of the Piha Residents and Ratepayers Association Signs at Piha are to be amalgamated to reduce the number of signs and the consultation with the Piha community will take place about the design and wording of these. Lagoon edge is to be planted with native wetland and riparian plants. Sand from carparks is to be used to repair blow outs and placed on the Domain in areas where it won't compromise the wetland. Note: A word of explanation about the Moana Stream. This is the stream that crosses under Rayner Road and Sylvan Glade before emerging on the beach by the new changing shed. The Maori name for this stream is not known. The name Moana Stream or Sea Stream was formally approved after being chosen by historian John Diamond. Lovatts Stream at the Blowhole is another name chosen by Mr Diamond to commemorate an early landowner who was the husband of Sarah Ussher. The correct spelling should be Lovett. written by Sandra Coney for the Piha Community News, May/June 2000 back to top Lion Rock crumbling  The Lion Rock was barred to the public in early December 1999 after a large quantity of rocks fell onto the path leading to the top of the 101 metre rock. Auckland Regional Council park rangers said it was lucky the fall occurred on a weekday morning as around 1000 people make the climb to the top during weekends.

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