The Arc had a sizable meeting today , anyone know the outcome ? It looked like they were angling for a ban of POWERED vehicles on the beach from the July 30 report i read submitted to the ARC. Deputy Harbour master" what is the inside word , Has some one got some sence there to allow folks to park up north side of the "extreme Car" entrance on the north side of Muriwai for kite surfing, kite buggy, land yachts etc ?? do fisherman still have the right to run up the beach or is it too soon to say ?

this is about the time we need an organisation to front up to these meetings and represent, problem is we are all individuals and risk takers , not a team who counts beans. Yes that was meant to spark you into action

hey jimmy22
this is a subject that i will deffinately be keen to help support.
the reason for this is i used to ride dirt bikes at murawai was such a fun spot to go to, but after the incident at ruakaka where a girl was kiled by a drunk kid on a dirt bike at newyears,(not good) the arc went hardcore against dirtbikers. basically it was a $800 ticket if you got caught riding on the beach. i gave up dirtbiking shortly after that due to lack of spots to ride in auckland, it really sucked. but i started kiting instead so i shouldnt complain!!!!
the police said the beach is classed as a public road so we would get a ticket for no rego no wof and no bike liscence, fair huh!!!!
then there was no change in rules for people who rode horses on the beach, im sure there would be a problem if i rode a horse through the street!!!
then there is the problem of cars getting broken into at the carpark at murawai, what is being done about that??? nothing i suspect!!!!
there are many other points i can raise but the list would be endless!!!!
we all know how good this beach is for our sport, and we all should speak up!! i dont want my car being broken into!!!!
So yes jimmy22, im all in to go to these meetings, and all of you out there should be to!!!
oh yea, i might need to get a landboard since the ocean is a bit sick!!!

As always its the few who have fucked it up for everyone else. Last week i was up there with my kids and 4-5 dirt bikes came charging down the entrance and onto the beach doing 70-80 up on one wheel. It doesnt take too many instances like that to piss people off and get a ban. If they waited till they got a K up the beach no one would give a toss but they are showboating in the wrong place, pissing off the horsy locals and dogwalkers. Its not surprising they are thinking of a ban, just a shame it effects everyone. Maybe they will go with a key system like they were thinking of before and we can still get our motors on the beach....

your right neil
i have seen some stupid shit from other people at that beach, is funny because for dirt bikes the area by the beach access is shit, but about 5ks up the beach is awesome, and theres no one else up there.
if a ban does go ahead theres not really a whole lot we can do, but i dont see why we cant park on the hard sand by the stream......
I guess we have to wait and see what is decided, heres hoping it isnt ruined for us all that arnt wankas!!!

I don't believe it will happen. A few friends went to the Rodney Council last year and I was told there would have been a total riot if they had mentioned an absolute vehicle ban.

Anyway, so what is happening with arc? - you can't just change the law without the process to go through . . submissions etc. where did you hear about this?


www.forestandbird.org.nz/ are one of the organization responsible for trying to remove recreational activities from our coasts and are trying to push ARC into that kind of thinking but they don't stand a chance against the turnout that was seen in Rodney. They do good work but they have made it their mission to remove the awesome recreational freedoms that are offered in these areas in the name of conservation.

So its the tweeters vs the recreationalists - same old story

And of course they try and paint a picture in the media of the recreationalists being noisy , dangerous, destructive, not knowledgeable or respectful of the environment and they have been stirring up the media sensationalizing the fact that 2 years ago a boy riding a quad in the dark with no lights and was drunk ran over and killed someone on Dargaville beach. The papers also came up with the fact that someone was killed at Bethals in the dunes - but failed to mention that they were drunk driving/driving stoned down a 45 degree sand slope! No substance whatsoever.

They do this kind of thing to try and get public support from people that have probably never even been to the beach out there - it is dodgy because they did not give the full information to the public about the above - or at least the herald did not publish it.

I love driving on the beaches in NZ - I live for these kind of freedoms.

I never had a problem with the bikers they have always slowed down past me or been far enough away - I don't mind if they enjoy donuts or whatever on the beach further up. Just once my friend did see someone being stupid on a bike and he had the guts to flag him down and explain the situation to the rider who fully understood and was cool with it - knows for next time.

ARC cannot bring into effect a ban as far as I know. Rodney District Council would have to try and introduce a bylaw and last year at the big RDC meeting they said they had no intention of doing so (they introduced a new speed limit though).

Auckland Conservation Board actually wrote the Council saying this last year

"The use of four wheel drive vehicles to transport equipment for para penting, para gliding, kite surfing and similar activities, often right to launch sites on top of the dunes, also greatly disturbs roosting birds as these large winged apparatus appear to be like giant predators to them."

"these large winged apparatus appear to be like giant predators to them"

Another example of what they want in the public arena to get public support/ get ARC on side but with no substance/evidence whatsoever.

We could equally say that all the volunteers walking though the dunes that are members of these groups/help doc are doing more damage than other groups but they would be upset about that because they enjoy this recreation!

Sometimes I think these groups have such a hard stance that they turn many into anti conservationists exactly what the opposite of what they are trying to achieve.

There is a possibility that Ruakaka may ban driving 4x4s and Quads on the beach. Council submissions closed yesterday. Sucks as I have just moved here

Hi Madness. Do you mean the whole beach all the way to Waipu Cove?

Whangarei District Council - Making of bylaw to address the issue of vehicles on Beaches - June 2009.

"beaches in the district" so I assume Waipu is included.

I hope they dont stuff it up and close of driving on the beach.

I tried to get a key for the gate down on the beach but they said they have run out of keys

theres always the universal key, but you could join a club that has a key..

There wont be any keys if they ban driving on the beach.
They will block up access.

Hey Madness,

If you wanted to put your view forward on the vehicle on beaches bylaw you could still call Shelly Deeming:

www.wdc.govt.nz/xml/ps.aspx?fn=/resource...rShelleyDeeming.html

Su and I did put a submission in last month. The proposed law does not ban vehicles on the beaches of Bream Bay. What it changes is some access points to divert vehicles away from swimmers and sunbathers and provides the council the ability to remove people from the beach who are causing problems to other beach users (speeding, doing donuts etc).

Unlike Muriwai and Baileys beaches - all of the spots we kite in Bream Bay can be accessed from car parks or those that might be useful to access via vehicle already have DOC bans in place - i.e. the north side of Waipu river mouth.

Cheers

DK