Litter at Kohunui Bay

Took advantage of a misty, rainy day to drift around Piha looking at this and that. Piha, of course, is her lovely self whatever the weather, as long as you don’t look too closely.

The weed problems everywhere are chronic, with Alligator Weed now in the Marawhara and Wekatahi Streams and the Lily Pond. This weed is a shocking, considered one of the “world’s worst weeds”. It can spread from the tiniest stem broken off and move from Point A to B, and on that score I wonder if our ducks aren’t the culprits. The last thing we would want is Alligator Weed appearing in the Piha Stream or Lagoon, where there is a flourishing wetland, especially upstream of the bridge which could be even more wonderful with a bit of care and attention.

Also I wonder about that rabid purple flowering creeper in Glen Esk Road? Have asked the Biosecurity Team at Auckland Council to identify it for me.

Freedom camper, regional park, North Piha

Wandered up the end of North Piha where a wedding was taking place despite the weather. Came back with hands full of bottles, including two Kim Crawford I found lying side by side. Why would someone take themselves to that beautiful spot then leave their rubbish behind? Beats me.

Coming back from end of North Piha passed a freedom camper all happily set up bold as brass in the regional park. Made me wonder about the toilet planned for there for the benefit of picnickers. Maybe it should be placed more visibly next to the carpark so it doesn’t service someone’s illegal freebie camping site.

Noticed the terrible spread of gazanias everywhere. They are overtaking the dunes. Indeed, the North Piha dunes, once considered some of the best on the Coast, are looking distinctly tatty. Mostly the problem is weeds and those damned lupins coming back! But foot traffic all over them doesn’t help either.

Generations of fences

Ended the tour at Piha beach. Noticed the installation of solid wood fences along much of the beach front both sides of the Moana Stream. In my view these sit far too heavily on the beachscape, much more solid and structured that the old post-and-rail. But, hey! We still have the old post and rail. And we still have the ropes. And the odd waratah. Generations of fences litter the dunes. All very eclectic but hardly treating our world-reknowned beach with respect.

It is hard to know what plan this is being worked to. The Piha Coastal Management Plan is out of date. The Council seems to have abandoned the flawed Dune Consultation it embarked on, all with paid consultants etc.

So we are ending up with ad hoc-ery that does not pay any attention to the natural beauty of Piha. Very, very sad.

Bins, signs, fences – poor, poor Piha