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Tairua Beach
Tairua Ocean Beach is an embayed beach on the eastern Coromandel coast. Geomorphologically, it is a tombolo; one of two barrier spits encompassing the Tairua River estuary. The beach is steep, reflective, and composed of medium-coarse sands.
Most of the beach sands were derived from the adjacent continental shelf since the Holocene transgression, some 4000–6000 years ago. It now receives very little new sand. The beach is currently in a state of dynamic equilibrium, undergoing shoreline oscillations of up to 20 metres.
The central area of the dune is a public reserve and there is also a 20-metre public reserve at both ends of the beach. Coastal development has involved subdivision for housing and development at the south end presently lies in a hazard risk area.
Prior to settlement, the dunes were densely vegetated with native ground covers, shrubs, and trees, changing landward to larger coastal trees including pohutakawa, puriri, and kohekohe. Historically, the dunes have suffered from severe wind erosion associated with early pastoral farming activities and more recently from unmanaged public access. As for most beaches in the North Island, the distinctive dune succession from sand grasses to coastal trees was cleared during settlement.
Tairua is the site of a community-based dune management BeachCare programme. The present work is focussed on managing public access and re-establishment of native sand-binding grasses (spinifex and pingao) on the seaward face of the dunes. The BeachCare group have also commenced restoration of native shrubs and trees in high dune areas.
The site of early Maori settlement, the dunes at Tairua hold important remains of early settlers dating back 500–700 years. Bones of the giant flightless Moa and of dolphins are also found there.
For further information, contact Ms Bronwen Gibberd, Environment Waikato.
