Orewa Beach Replenishment Set for Next Week

Auckland Council said in their latest announcement that work to replenish the sand on Orewa beach is set to begin this coming Monday, 22 January.

Fencing will start to go up at the end of this week, on Thursday, 18 and Friday, 19 January, in preparation for work starting on Monday morning for the remainder of next week, the council stated in the release.

“We are commonly asked, ‘Why do we have to keep replenishing the sand on Orewa beach? Won’t it all just be washed away again if we have another high tide?’” said Agnes McCormack, Head of Operational Management and Maintenance for Community Facilities at Auckland Council.

“Good question! The answer is yes, but it’s not that simple!

“When there are extreme weather events, Orewa loses sand in two key areas of the beach. By replenishing the sand in these areas it actually performs the dual function of providing a storm buffer which acts to protect the beach from further erosion, at the same time restoring access and amenity by creating a pleasant sandy beach for beach users.

“Therefore, it is important to restore the sand on Orewa beach, because if there should happen to be another extreme weather event in the interim, the beach is very exposed to yet more erosion, and this is an unacceptable risk,” added McCormack.

Extreme weather

Extreme weather events on Thursday, 4th and Friday, 5th January coincided with the timing of the king tide to cause significant damage along Auckland region’s east coast.

Whipped up by northerly winds, the force of the waves has caused damage to some beaches, sea walls and beachfront reserves.

Orewa beach was badly affected by the storm, with substantial sand erosion to the Orewa beachfront.

The erosion between Marine View and Kohu Street resulted in a complete loss of sand which had been put there as a storm buffer just over a year ago.

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