The risk to people and the environment of cars on Muriwai Beach west of Auckland means they are to be temporarily banned.
Muriwai Beach, west of Auckland. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
The ban runs from 23 December to 10 January.
Auckland Council said it was the first time the beach would been fully closed to vehicles.
Access would be closed at Coast Road, Rimmer Road and Wilson Road. Tasman Road remains closed under normal seasonal restrictions.
The council's sports and recreation manager, Mace Ward, said there had been a significant increase in the number of cars using the beach in recent years.
Having a popular recreational area that was also a drivable road could have dire consequences, and four-wheel-drives also threatened fragile dunes and coastal ecosystems, Ward said.
The ban was also aimed at keeping people on the beach safe and reducing fire risk.
Permits to drive on the beach were introduced in 2015, but it was estimated that permit-holders made up fewer than half of those driving cars on the beach.
