The Waikawa Beach Ratepayers Association has reported back on the CCTV camera idea. See: Report from public meeting about CCTV at Waikawa Beach. Following the community meeting on 19 May, WBRA has been in contact with the Horowhenua Community Camera Trust (HCCT) and discussed its work and the possibility of collaborating with the Waikawa Beach community. The trust is very keen on such collaboration as it seeks to expand its network of community safety cameras in the region, particularly in the southern part of the region, including Otaki.
Protected by video surveillance notice. Photo taken May 2017. Recently some in the Waikawa Beach community have proposed CCTV cameras at the village entrance. See Carefully targeted CCTV has its uses, Burglaries and prowlers at Waikawa Beach between February 2017 and May 2024 and Public meeting about security cameras, 19 May 2024. The Waikawa Beach Ratepayers Association held a meeting on Sunday 19 May 2024 to discuss this idea. Below is a report from the WBRA on the meeting.
Emergency Mobile Alert » National Emergency Management Agency: Annual test of Emergency Mobile Alert system happening 26 May The nationwide test of the Emergency Mobile Alert system will take place between 6 and 7 pm on Sunday 26 May 2024. An alert will be broadcast to all capable phones. The test of Emergency Mobile Alert allows us to evaluate the system, cell towers, and the ability for mobile phones to receive the alert.
Screencap from a recent Facebook post. With a suggestion floating around of installing CCTV cameras at the entrance to the Waikawa Beach village, as a response to 3 recent burglaries, a bit of research turned up some useful independent information (See the end of this post). Reviews are a bit mixed but the general idea seems to be that carefully targeted and actively monitored cameras in identified high crime areas, in conjunction with other actions (eg patrols), can help deter criminal activity, especially in carparks and commercial and industrial areas.
In light of a Public meeting about security cameras to be held on 19 May 2024, a check of the archives has shown a short list of recorded incidents of thefts, burglaries, prowlers, suspicious activity at Waikawa Beach in the last 6 to 7 years. Of course, any theft or burglary is upsetting for the victims and the community at large. The fact that there have been on average only around 2.
From Facebook: Security Camera(s) (CCTV Technology) for Waikawa Beach village In furtherance of the discussion regarding the possible installation of CCTV technology at Waikawa Beach village we propose to hold a community meeting where we can discuss the need for, desire for and willingness to pay for the installation of security camera(s) in the village. We propose a meeting this coming Sunday (19th May 2024) at the Manakau Hall at 1pm.
There’s a post on the Waikawa Beach Community Facebook page from Thursday 25 April 2024 talking about break-ins at two Waikawa Beach properties. A place on Duncan Street had fishing gear stolen, while another owner on Manga Pirau Street reported a bike stolen. In one case the residents were out, but in the other they were at home at the time. These were both break-ins rather than casual opportunistic thefts but this is a reminder to secure your belongings and watch out for suspicious behaviour at your own property and also neighbouring properties.
The pedestrian-only track to the beach at 60 Reay Mackay Grove has been subjected to more vandalism recently. Along with clear tire tracks going along the path, a sign has been damaged and a substantial post at the road end of the track has been pulled out, leaving a hole large enough to injure anyone stepping in it (photo contributed by a reader). Watch your footing around there and keep an eye out for kids and animals who may not notice the hole.
A reader has sent me these photos of a fire near the old health camp at Ōtaki Beach today (23 March 2024). The photos were taken from Uxbridge Terrace. As the sparks fly, that's a distance of about 5 Km. Update, 24 March 2024, Multiple fire crews battling blaze near Ōtaki Beach: Fire and Emergency said in a statement it was alerted to the fire, behind the former Ōtaki Health Camp, just after 5pm.
Information on Facebook from WBRA at 7.20 pm on Friday 01 March 2024: the AED is currently out of action. It was recently used and requires new batteries and pads. These will be obtained and the AED replaced into its box at the reserve ASAP. In an emergency always call 111. The AED is stored in a stainless steel box on the street facing wall of the public toilets at Hank Edwards Reserve.
A local was telling me today about their experience in January 2024 of being caught in a rip current in the sea near the south track off Reay Mackay Grove. Fortunately they were swimming with others who were able to help. That part of the coast is very popular for having a dip, but perhaps it’s safest not to swim alone. Surf Lifesaving NZ say: IF YOU GET CAUGHT IN A RIP RELAX and float to conserve your energy.
The fire danger will be very high for the Manawatū-Whanganui region this weekend [26-29 January 2024], Fire and Emergency says. District Manager Nigel Dravitzki said this included central and lower Whanganui, lower Rangitikei, central and lower Manawatū, and all of Horowhenua. He was asking the public not to light any fires in those areas. "We are suspending all current fire permits issued for the coastal zone until Monday 29 January because of the increased fire danger, which is the highest we have seen so far this summer, "
Waikawa Beach has been largely free of vehicles so far this summer, with legal local access temporarily blocked off. The only vehicles that have turned up have been largely locals, using illegally created access points, and even going to the extent of forging their own track along the pedestrian-only south track off Reay Mackay Grove. The petulant destruction caused by that foolishness has certainly helped sway public opinion against allowing vehicles to access the beach at all.
Over the holiday period a group of people ignored the HDC's calls to allow the consultation process to continue unimpeded and to stop trying to create new vehicle tracks to the beach. A track was mowed through an empty property next to #60 Reay Mackay Grove and people on quads, in utes and on motorbikes were using that track to then enter the pedestrian-only walkway and then create a new track through the dunes onto the beach.
From time to time we see Bluebottles (Indo-Pacific Man o’ War) on our beach, and recently someone reported they'd seen quite a few stingrays in the shallows. Both can sting. The bluebottle, or Indo-Pacific Man o’ War, is not a jellyfish but a siphonophore, which is a colony of tiny, specialized polyps working together as colonies. The bluebottle is easily recognized by its blue, gas-filled sac (pneumatophore) that floats on the water’s surface.
It’s a common complaint that there are too many rabbits around Waikawa Beach. They damage gardens, dig holes in the grass and also chomp their way through spinifex and pīngao on the dunes. Some local farmers shoot the rabbits on their own properties. With the permission of the relevant landowner you too can shoot on private property. Recently a member of the local community mentioned a concern about a practice called spotlighting where people drive around in a vehicle equipped with a spotlight and then shoot rabbits from the vehicle.
This article about disruptive vehicles on Waimārama Beach will strike a chord with some. Note the HDC mentioned in the full article is the Hastings District Council, not Horowhenua. Driving on Waimārama beach ‘disruptive and frightening’, claim residents pushing for change, 23 November 2023: … locals are experiencing a greater number of “intimidating encounters” with motorists on the beach. [Councillor Siers] accepts some people use utes or quad bikes to transport fishing equipment, chairs, chilly bins and the like to spots on the beach.
HDC Councillors recently rejected creating a new Beach Bylaw in favour of strengthening and enforcing current provisions. See Beach Bylaw Workshop November 2023 — report. The problem is that most people who use vehicles at the beach (98% according to Cr. Brannigan) are careful and considerate but a few create havoc. Below are the provisions already in place, but that need enforcing. Current laws, Bylaws and Policies lay down expectations: no dumping waste (eg garden rubbish, other stuff) no disrupting the enjoyment of other beach visitors (eg with loud engine noise), endangering wildlife or other people or damaging plantings etc stick to the speed limit (30 Kph) drivers to be licensed, wear any required safety gear (eg motorbike helmets) vehicles to be licensed, registered, have relevant WoF, and display a number plate vehicles are to be only on the 'road' part of the beach (between the sea and the high tide line) no vehicles on dunes or tracks where vehicles are forbidden The Police are the ones who enforce the law.
Waikawa News aims to provide swim spot monitoring results over summer. The info will be included in the Notices section at the top of each page on the website. Summer swim spot monitoring begins in Horizons Region: Horizons Regional Council begins its summer swim spot monitoring programme on Monday 6 November [2023], giving everyone in the region the ability to check the quality of water at their favourite spots before taking a dip.
At the end of August 2023 there was a post on Facebook about a suspicious man [on a Strathnaver Drive] property. The Police were called. The 31 August 2023 Neighbourhood Support Newsletter listed a burglary at Waikawa Beach between 75 and 95 Strathnaver Drive on 27 August 2023. Remember to keep your garages and sheds locked and your valuables protected. It only takes a moment to steal something. Keep an eye out too for people around in places where they shouldn’t be.
In the letterbox today was a letter from Horowhenua District Council inviting opinions on their proposal to reduce speed limits around Waikawa Beach. See also 30 Kph speed limit on most Waikawa Beach roads? from 15 July 2023. The crucial part of the letter says (my emphasis): Please tell us what you think before 5pm Monday 21 August 2023. We are planning a Facebook Live event to answer your questions directly.
The next nationwide test of the Emergency Mobile Alert system is happening on Sunday 28 May 2023, between 6-7pm. The nationwide test of the Emergency Mobile Alert system is a necessary part of making sure the system works well. As Emergency Mobile Alert is about keeping you safe, you won’t be able to opt out of receiving Emergency Mobile Alerts. We do not target specific phones, instead we broadcast to a targeted area that is at risk.
Looking south along an empty beach. There was a distressing report in the last few days of a person walking their medium-sized dog on Waikawa Beach when a pack of 4 dogs attacked it leaving it badly injured. The owner says: The attack was unprovoked, sustained, lasting about 10 minutes. The owner had no control whatsoever of his dogs, he did nothing to prevent the attack, nothing to help manage the attack… I was out running and when I saw the dogs coming towards me while the owner was in his white vehicle driving next to them, I called my boy back.
Toxic pest plant, Sea Spurge. Do NOT touch. In 2021 a dangerous plant called Sea Spurge was found at Waikawa Beach in the dunes north of the river. It has established in an area 10 metres by 10 metres. Do not touch this plant as it is toxic. Sea Spurge closeup. Horizons Regional Council says: Sea spurge is a pest plant we have recently found in the dunes at Waikawa Beach.
In Could Waikawa Beach flood disastrously? I wrote about the possibility of Waikawa Beach suffering a flood and how and whether we should plan for such a possibility. This article from The Spinoff published 27 February 2023 talks about models for a magnitude 9 earthquake on the Hikurangi subduction zone just off the east coast of the North Island. It is a very interesting read, but one point in particular caught my attention — For safe places to live, look to the land: Wetlands or estuaries that have been drained will liquefy in earthquakes because they were made from wet mud.