Changes under way on our waterways

October 15th, 2012
[Text and photos by Ian Miller]

Things are changing within Motueka Estuary and the Moutere Inlet, some natural and some man-made.

The boardwalk being constructed between Link Park and York Park by Keep Motueka Beautiful and its volunteers is now well advanced, as these photos show.

The photo on the left shows the section of the boardwalk running from Link Park at the far end almost to Trewavas Street which is just a few paces from this near end. The boardwalk and the track will continue around to York Park to the right. The other photo shows where the boardwalk comes back to land at the York Park end.

The gravel track leading to the board walk is also largely complete although it still has to have a top coat of crusher dust. In a short time the track will be ready for use.

Meanwhile, out at the sandspit near the Kumaras walking track, the sands of time are shifting as nature intended them to do. The distance between land and the sandspit in recent months has narrowed dramatically, as shown in the photo below left, taken looking north from the walkway behind the golf course.

This is a natural process that has been happening for the last 20 years or more. The old disused concrete covered sewer pipe that runs out across the beach is now able to be used as a walkway without any risk of getting wet feet at low tide. Not too long ago this exposed section of pipe was much longer as the distance between the shore and sand spit was considerably greater.

The sand spit has not only moved much closer to the shore but it is now narrower and curved inwards in a large bow, as seen in the second photos. It seems that much of the sand has gradually been moved south and it may be that after a few more storms the sand spit will be pushed even closer to the shore.

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