Beaches as Roads
I took this picture (above right) at Lang Cove, Northland during this summer. As I observed a constant stream of tractors driving back and forth along the entire length of the bay (where birds breed) I wondered what the rules were
for vehicles on the beach. When I phoned the Whangarei District Council I was advised beaches are considered roadways in the north. I was referred to the traffic department if I wished to complain about excessive speed or dangerous driving. A small area of the foreshore is fenced off to protect the rare New Zealand dotterels and variable oystercatchers. It is amusing to note the birds are unaware of the purpose of the fences and wander all over the beach. I was very upset to see a tiny dotterel narrowly escape the wheels of a boat trailer which she could not hear above the sound of the waves. I can’t imagine what tourists make of the New Zealand attitude towards our beaches, treating them as roadways. It doesn’t do much for our clean, green image. Helen Gillespie, Campbells Bay
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/FORBI20010501.2.8.2
Bibliographic details
Forest and Bird, Issue 300, 1 May 2001, Page 3
Word Count
183Beaches as Roads Forest and Bird, Issue 300, 1 May 2001, Page 3
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