Drivers hooning down coastal beaches and over sand dunes in their four-wheel-drives are causing a real stir.
Photo: LDR / Susan Botting
Several local bodies have been cracking down on driving on the beach to ensure the safety of the public and the delicate ecosystems that live on the sand.
Now more beaches may be subject to similar action.
Every summer, New Zealanders take to the beach to bask in the sun and enjoy the warm weather.
For some a summer tradition is to take their car for a joy-ride on one of the country's long beaches.
However, this joy-riding comes at a cost.
According to the Ministry of Transport, between 2013 and 2017, there were 75 car crashes on beaches, with nine people killed and 47 seriously injured. In 2018, two beach goers were killed in separate incidents, including one case where a drunk Auckland teenager was doing donuts on a beach and rolled his ute, killing a 17-year-old.
Driving on beaches also has an ecological impact.
In December RNZ spoke to police in Foxton, who said they were cracking down] on hoons driving along beaches in the Horowhenua District this summer.
They were concerned about people getting hit by cars driving too fast down the beach.
As a fire-safety measure over the height of Christmas-New Year season the Auckland Council closed popular Muriwai beach to vehicles.
That had since lapsed, and Muriwai Community Association president Simon Leitch said overall there was a supportive response from the community.
He said the majority of people usually adhere to the rules of the permit system but there was a small minority who didn't.
"We hear a lot of frustrations about people being at the beach and feeling unsafe with cars racing past them or rattling around in the dunes.
"That small number of people are really threatening the enjoyment of the bulk of the people.
But now the problem has moved north.
Kaipara District Mayor Jason Smith said joy-riders were now tearing down 107km-long Ripiro beach.
The beach is a legal road but driving on the dunes is illegal.
Smith said he was furious at the casual nature of drivers who traversed the dunes, running over ancient burial sites, disrupting nesting birds, toheroa and tuatua beds.
He told Nine to Noon it would be impossible to ban vehicles from all of the beach and he is asking for respect to be shown.
"Take special care, this is a very important and fragile place. It may look rough but it's absolutely not with archaeological and buried treasures, cultural treasure, and you're trampling all over."
Amelia Geary, the regional conservation manager at Forest and Bird, said when people drove through sand dunes and on beaches it had severe ecological impacts.
"Sand dunes are incredibly sensitive and fragile habitats. These dunes are home to many different species that you can't even see from your car such as lizards and spiders.
"By destroying that you are also destroying the homes of all these critters that you didn't even know were there."
She urged drivers to follow restrictions to stop the erosion of delicate ecosystems.
"People take for granted that it's their right to drive on these beaches but if drivers don't respect the rules and don't look out for wildlife then this right can be taken away. They need to be respectful of the regulation that's in place to ensure that it's safe for everyone, humans and wildlife."
Police say anyone considering driving on a beach must check what local bylaws or restrictions are in place.
