Print view

Our coast

Vehicles on beaches

Rules and tips for vehicles on beaches

  • All road rules apply on the beach, so you need a current WOF, registration and the correct driver's licence.  Drivers need to wear a seatbelt, and bikers a helmet.
  • Only enter the beach at the public road access points.
  • Stick to the beach’s speed limits.
  • Stay off the dunes.
  • Only drive on hard sand – soft sand is a major cause of accidents and injuries, as well as abandoned vehicles!
  • Drive slowly and watch for people on foot and on horseback. Your speed should be slow enough to be able to stop quickly without causing injury to yourself.
  • Drive to the conditions e.g. avoid making sharp turns at speed - front wheels can and do regularly dig into the sand causing vehicles to flip.  Also, objects can appear out of nowhere or appear submerged.
  • Park your vehicle away from traffic areas and at an angle to the water so you can be seen by other drivers.
  • Be aware of the tides. Some areas are inaccessible at high tide and this causes stranding.

The Auckland Regional Council's position

The use of 4WDs, bikes and other vehicles is growing.  This has resulted in public safety risks, damage to dunes and wildlife and concern among non-vehicle beach users.  The ARC is concerned at the increasing number of serious incidents at Muriwai Beach and Te Oneone Rangatira and in neighbouring regions. For the last 2 years the council has endorsed and funded a comprehensive approach to address the issues that includes local, regional, and national solutions for managing vehicles on beaches and options for addressing the recreational demand that leading to this use.

The ARC intends to work toward greater control of vehicles on beaches to ensure legitimate and necessary access is identified and protected, but unnecessary, damaging and dangerous use is stopped. It has identified a staged approach that includes changes to the policy and rule frameworks, education enforcement .and monitoring to achieve this position.

To find out more about the issues and the responses read:

Off road motorised recreation in the Auckland region

In February 2008 the ARC Parks and Heritage Committee considered the subject of vehicles on beaches. The committee recognised that due to the wide range of issues associated with the management of vehicles on the region's beaches there was a need for research to inform future decision making.

The committee recognised that the ARC and other organisations such as councils, the Department of Conservation, tribal iwi land corporations and forestry managers needed information about:

  • the demand for sites and facilities for off road motorised recreation (ORMR);
  • the issues associated with ORMR; and
  • the potential responses that could help avoid, reduce and/or mitigate the negative impacts of ORMR.

The ARC then undertook the following work:

  • an ORMR demand study in partnership with the Auckland Regional Physical Activity and Sport Strategy (ARPASS)
  • an evaluation of the impacts of ORMR
  • a public perception survey of ORMR

The ARC also sought feedback on:

  • an ARC and ARPASS issues and potential responses paper looking at where people go riding/driving, the level of demand, the issues with current provision and what the off road motorised recreation community thought could be done to address these issues; and
  • the ORMR impacts paper.

You can read these papers below:

Off road motorised vehicle recreation in the Auckland region issues and potential responses paper (1.1 MB PDF)
Off Road Motorised Recreation in the Auckland Region Impacts Report - January 2009 (677.7 KB PDF)

We also completed a public perception phone survey of 500 residents.

The responses were collated and analysed and the findings were presented to the August 2009 Parks and Heritage Committee

Vehicles on Beaches, Item B4, August 2009, Parks and Heritage Committee
August 2009 Attachment 1, Issues and potential responses
August 2009 Attachment 2, Demand Paper Submissions
August 2009 Attachment 3, Impacts Paper
August 2009 Attachment 4, Impact Report Submissions
August 2009 Attachment 5, Public Perception Survey

Agencies involved in managing vehicles on beaches

Management of vehicles on beaches involves a complex framework of overlapping statutory controls, administered by several agencies whose actions are fragmented across jurisdictional boundaries.  Agencies involved include New Zealand Police, the Department of Conservation, and regional and district/city councils.

 

 

In the Auckland region, territorial authority bylaws regulate the traffic safety and speed limits below mean high water springs i.e. on the wet sand. For many of Auckland’s urbanised beaches the use of motor vehicles has been restricted to necessary uses such as launching vessels, emergency response, conservation management, along with a range of other activities for which a permit can be gained.  Under the Local Government Act 1974 and 2002, territorial authorities can prosecute any reckless motor vehicle activity (including off-road biking) on beaches.  For information on relevant bylaws go to your territorial authority.

The police have a regulatory role under the Land Transport Act 1988 which treats beaches as 'roads'. This means that the rules of the road apply, including speed limits and rules relating to licensing of vehicles and drivers, alcohol use, seatbelts/helmets and driving behaviour. Police can also prosecute for criminal behaviour and bylaw breaches.

Auckland Regional Council manages activities that have an environmental impact and gives effect to the Resource Management Act 1991, the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement and the Auckland Regional Policy Statement in the coastal marine area through the Auckland Regional Plan: Coastal. The Coastal Plan encourages people to avoid using vehicles on beaches.  It does however permit vehicles to be driven on the flat part of most beaches (excluding Coastal Protection 1 zones and the dunes) as long as certain conditions are met e.g. vehicles do not make tracks so deeply rutted that the action of waves and tide are unable to smooth them over within the seven day period. In Coastal Protection Area 1 zones, people must apply for consent to drive a vehicle on a beach for any use other than emergency response, conservation management or launching vessels from a lawful structure where there the impacts are able to be remedied by natural actions within 24 hours. These zones are areas of regional, national or international significance due to their ecological, landform or geological values which, due to their physical form, scale or inherent values, are considered to be the most vulnerable.  In addition to the Auckland Regional Plan: Coastal, the ARC Parks Bylaw 2007 prohibits the use of any motor vehicle on a regional park (down to mean high water springs) other than on any track or road provided for motor vehicles.   While the ARC currently has the ability to prosecute through the court system for bylaw breaches, the nature of and the resource needed for this form of prosecution means that the ARC is likely to only use it for higher-level breaches.   At present, there is no provision for infringement notices to be issued for breaches of its bylaw rules.

The Department of Conservation sets national policies on coastal management, manages its local coastal reserves, and protects native birds and animals that are threatened or endangered.  It is an offence under the Conservation Act 1987 to cause damage to DoC land such as the marginal strips that run along many of the region’s sand dunes.

Making a complaint

If you wish to make a complaint about a vehicle on the beach, without putting your own safety at risk, try to get as many details as possible, such as:

  • date, time and length of time the incident has taken place
  • the make, model and registration of the vehicle involved (OR the registration of a trailer if it is being used to transport motocross bikes)
  • a house address if the vehicles are coming from a property
  • a description of the driver (or their name if possible)
  • the effects (actual or potential) that you saw or experienced personally
  • photographs.

The agency that you should make your complaint to depends on the nature of the complaint and where the incident occurred.

  • Police:
    • any emergency;
    • safety concerns e.g. dangerous driving, unregistered or unwarranted vehicle, underage driver, driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol;
    • damage to personal property; and 
    • threatening behaviour.
  • Local council:
    • nuisance e.g. noise complaint, rubbish dumping;
    • public health and safety complaints;
    • vehicles destroying vegetation/damaging sand dunes (other than within regional parks); and 
    • bylaw information.
  • Auckland Regional Council:
    • vehicle destroying vegetation / damaging sand dunes within regional parks;
    • driving in Coastal Protection 1 areas as shown in the Auckland Regional Plan:Coastal; and
    • any incident on regional parks or adjacent to coastal areas.
  • Department of Conservation:
    • destruction of archaeological sites e.g. middens;
    • vehicle endangering marine life;
    • disturbance of birds; and
    • driving in DOC conservation reserve.

Muriwai Beach/ Te Oneone Rangatira  access and rules

 

 

  • Speed limits: 30km from Coast Road to just after Okarito Stream and 60km thereafter
  • There is no access to NZDF Bombing Range or DOC’s Papakanui Spit at the northern end of the beach.
  • Access (entry and exit) is via Coast Road and Rimmer Road.
  • Stay off the dunes and stay on the hard sand.
  • All Road rules apply – you need a WOF, Rego and license to drive on this beach and drivers need to wear seatbelts and bikers helmets at all times.
  • Put your headlights on and keep left.
  • Drive to the conditions and be aware of the tides. Objects can be submerged.  Horse riders and pedestrians can be hard to spot.
  • Watch the tides.  You can be cut off at high tide on this beach.

There have been many accidents on this beach and it is patrolled by the police.  Please take care.

Continue to Off road motorised recreation