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Kaipara's outstanding dune systems
are under threat from human impacts - both from vehicle damage and from
pollution. The
dunes along the western side of South Head and at
Papakanui Spit represent one of the best remaining dune assemblages in
the A
recent visit to this area revealed the extent of
damage from recreational activities.
Many areas of native dune plants like pingaio and
spinifex are damaged
from the impact of off-road
vehicles,
especially motorbikes and quad bikes.
When these plants die-back, the dunes are more
vulnerable to wind erosion. The
dunes at Papakanui Spit are also strewn with
rubbish in places and the after-effects of people camping in the area. Vehicles are
also driven around the mudflats
of Waionui lagoon at low tide with people camping on the coast to fish
or
picnic, often leaving their rubbish behind.
This
is despite the area being gazetted as a
conservation area and wildlife refuge by the Department of Conservation. The spit and Waionui inlet
include the Ti
Tree Island Conservation Area, and the Papakanui Spit Wildlife Refuge
within
the Papakanui Spit and Ti Tree Island Stewardship Areas. The
Department of Conservation is failing to protect
these conservation areas and their wildlife from vehicle impacts on the
fragile
dune systems, by failing to prevent vehicle access. Under the Conservation Act, protection of indigenous vegetation and wildlife should be the Department's top priority. Unfortunately, the balance has shifted towards the Department's requirement to allow recreational activities in these areas. 
Despite
the commonly held belief that As
well as the pollution and degradation, there is
considerable disturbance to roosting and nesting birds when vehicles
are
allowed into the dunes. This
includes
endangered endemic birds such as the rare NZ Fairy Tern and the NZ
Dotterel, as
well as roosting and feeding populations of our rare Wrybill. When
you visit Papakanui Spit now, the noise of
off-road vehicles such as motorbikes, quad bikes
and 4WDs is often an integral part of the
experience of what should be a wilderness area. Fragile places like Papakanui Spit and Waionui Inlet should not be sacrificed to a minority of recreational users who despoil and degrade these environments. Suzi
Phillips Many coastal birds breed on the beaches of the Kaipara Harbour. These include the critically endangered Fairy Tern and the rare New Zealand Dotterell, as well as Variable Oystercatchers, White-fronted Terns and Caspian Terns. All these birds nest on the foreshore, usually in the areas of sand between the dunes and the high tide zone. Their nests are simple scrapes in the sand containing well-camouflaged eggs. Vehicles driven on beaches risk disturbing nesting birds and destroying nests. This is especially a risk in the Papakanui Spit area where vehicles are driven up from Muriwai Beach to the sand dunes. Many of these vehicles keep to the hard sand and are used by fishermen who are surf casting on the beach. The problem vehicles are those driven into the dunes by people interested in recreational 4-wheel drive adventure. These vehicles risk damage to the beach dune ecosystem and disturbance to breeding birds. Kaipara Forest and Bird wants to educate beach users to be aware of breeding birds and avoid disturbing birdlife on the coast, by not driving over dunes and confining their activity to the hard sand between the high and low-tide zones. |