A scanned copy of the article I wrote for April's issue of Swell Lines, The only South Island Surfing Magazine..
The Great Sand Shift outlines the Resource Consent Applications for Sand Mining and recontouring at tomahawk and middle beaches. And a bit of the History of St Clair sand issues.
Below a clipping form the ODT last week with the progress on the Tomahawk Sand Issue
Yesterday morning after just over ten months, work began on the replacement of the south set of stairs. The two sections of steps arriving on the back of the truck with crane in place. ( the top section of stairs are the original stairs which were damaged, havig been 'fixed/refurbished')
Lifting the steps into place below::
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With all the focus on the Tomahawk and Middle beach sand mining and recontouring resource consents recently, the DCC managed to sneak through and approve the mining and removal of up to 1500 cubic metres of sand from Kuri Beach per year.
The resource consent application was made by Blackhead Quarries, which was to continue extracting sand from Kuri Beach for the next ten years. 13 submissions were attracted, all opposing the application, but of course it was approved anyway.
Most of the submissions were concerned with the ongoing sustainability of taking sand from the beach. Funny though, that 'evidence' was provided by council staff to push consent approval indicating that sand replenishment on coastal otago beaches was a natural process. If thats the case, then why are they pushing for the extraction and replenishment of sand from Tomahawk for St Clair beach (an unnatural act) if they are so sure that sand replenishment is a natural cycle? or is the unnatural loss of sand at St clair due to the re-design of the sea wall... just as there is a need for replenishment at Middles, including major dune restoration, which in turn is due to reclamation of major tracts of land for Playing fields which were previously large areas of natural dune formations.
According to saddle Hill Community Board chairman Dave McPhee the beach has already lost 50m of beach and that the offshores sandbanks would not be maintained forever. I can surely agree with that, especially as over the last few decades there is scientifically recorded a markedly reduced amount of sand and silt flowing from the Clutha mouth due to the trapping of these materials behind the hydro dams on the Clutha River.
This resource consent was granted on the 5th of december 2006, and the appeal period closed on January the 19th. no appeals were received.
OSH save us from the DCC
what a way to bring awareness to the situation the DCC has created with the New Sea Wall and the methods of construction and maintenance.
Tops to the instigators of these plaquards over the weekend.
There are innumerable hazards both around the sea wall, and the sea wall its self.
1. old farm gate sticking out over pathway.
2. Continually slimy and slippery steps.
3. Exposed steel rods and other objects littering the beach.
4. What appears to be a exact replacement of stairs which have already been proven to be destructable.
5. Rickety Handrails.
pic below added 13 feb .. re: comments below
So this is what happens with a north east swell over a period of weeks.. the sand is coming back.. here are two photos taken approx 6 weeks apart.
the rocky one on the 6th of December, and one just yesterday on the 18th of january.
Both at the absolute lowest tide of the day.
Top pic is St Clair at 8 am ish this morning.
The great thing happening is the build up of sand again !!
the ramp is repaired and can now function normally, as there is flat rockless sand at its base.
At 14 December, 2006 22:14, Jono said…
stood on a metal spike coming in today, looks like it went clean in and out, so hopefully no infections, so anyone surfing st clair, add that to your list of hazards, there are a whole lot of bits of metal sticking out of the sand, straight in front of the south stair set, attached to a massive bit of concrete so I couldn't pull it out
( shit mate.. hope your tetanus is up to date! .. funny eh, well not funny, but the other day.. the stroll along the 'beach' ... now the photos seem quite appropriate)
and also noted at the time.. the wear of the panels of the new sea wall.. wave action throwing the rocks around and acting as sandpaper .. so thats two months worth of wear..
I have been working towards a bit of an article about the loss of sand at St Clair since the construction of the new sea wall.. and the pending resource consent to alter further the sand dunes and what remains of the natural coastline of Dunedin.
.. but the content of each of my days lately has made it difficult to focus on getting this issue out.
I need to at least say the scenario briefly now, or it may become too late.
It involves recontouring of the sand dunes at Middles, and Tomahawk beaches .. including the storage of thousands of tonnes of sand at Tommahawk Beach for 'replenishment sand stocks' for other Dunedin sites. It is presented as a conservation project.
The actual application on the DCC website - click here
More information with detailed applications - click here
Front page ODT a few weeks back...
Submissions for and opposing close on the 29th of January 2007, having been extended from the original date of December 8th 2006.
MORE TO COME
found and old pic in the album I just scanned, (now I've worked out how to scan straight into photoshop).. of the height of the pier piles november 1996 compared to august 2006. Since then even more sand has gone. Anyone keen to guess how much sand has gone? . hint the guy is 6ft 1 .
and ha ha, thats me on the left in matching stonewash denim jacket and jeans
and the white arrow points to the same pole in each picture
If you have a short drive around the immediate area of St Clair Beach you will discover some newly erected signs advertising 2 proposed new commercial developments.
Firstly between The Esplanade Restaurant in the Hydro Building and the Startfish Cafe is a large sign erected in the middle of the vacant lot informing the public of the development of a three storey commercial food/cafe buliding with day/spa and offices above, expressions of interest in future tenancies of the new building is also invited. This development has been in the pipeline for over 3 years where it was initially going to be a Thai Restaurant.
The previous building on the vacant lot was demolished in 2001 where it had lived its life as a dairy since 1923. Then it was known as 'Thomas Holloway Walker's fruiterer and confectioner' .. in 1927 it changed hands and became T. and E. Saager then from 1935-45 it was the 'James Algie Dairy'. In 1948 it was run as the St Clair Milk Bar till 1976 when it changed hands and name to 'The Shoreline Milk Bar', then 'Leishmans Dairy' till its demolition in 2001.
Around the corner on Bedford Street a sign was sneakily erected on the back fence of 236 Forbury Road which declares an application for Resource Consent for the demolition of the existing dwelling and commercial building which currently houses a flat and Wendys Hair Fashion. It is proposed that a new commercial building be erected to house a Beauty Therapy Business.
This is rather a sad demise of such a long standing St Clair building, which is currently the longest running commercial buliding in the area. It began its life as a store in 1884, and during its reign it switched hands many times alternating between a grocers and a telegraphist/telephone office until in 1961 when it became a hair salon 'Salon Susan' and then in 1965 'Kaylyn' Hairdressing Salon, then switching to the current tenant 'Wendy's Hair Fashion'.
(Although I must say that the building is rotten, and I have personally in the last few months been in the back flat where I have put my foot through the bathroom floor right down to the ground below. ) Yes, he building is old and rotten and probably due for demilition.
But what do you think of the idea of a beauty salon? I thought perhaps a more community based dwelling would serve the St Clair area, but the submisson period for this resource consent closed on the 13th October unfortunately, and it looks like this project will be going ahead unless unknown to me there were some protests see DCC consent page here
So whats up? seems St Clair appears to be becoming a bit of a mecca for beauty therapy, hair art and wellbeing..
Well nothing new for St Clair, as of course the medicinal properties of the salt water bathing in the area was declared over 120 years ago. In 1884 the council at the time developed and enlarged a natural depression in the rocks at the site of the current hot salt water pool to provide 'the baths' where strict hours were kept for separate bathing of males and females. Over the decades it was heralded as a healing place where many ailments were claimed to be cured such as rheumatism, sciatica and nervous diseases. Massage and physiotherapy was practiced there too.
Various constructions of bathing buldings have sprung up and been demolished, burnt down, or revamped and now the area houses a top class Hot Salt Water Poll, a cafe 'Classic Cafe' with the most unique view/vantage point for sipping lattes I have seen in NZ, with some pretty cool artworks on the wall (unashamed plug).
The pool opens again this weekend for the 2006-7 season.
Three shots over 100 years of the changes to the St Clair-Kilda bay.
Below, various old postcard images of area..
and the old sea wall from the Surf Lifesaving ramp.
and the old sea wall from the Surf Lifesaving ramp.
it happens on and off, the sand gets stripped away and then washed back in, but it's just fascinating all the same. Here are two shots taken 11 days apart.... looking towards the same set of steps.
More sea wall foam-fireworks below. Chronic today.. and firing all the way along the wall past the disabled ramp .. on occasion there was a massive BANG like a steel pipe hitting a hollow pole hmm sounds like some structural issues.
Also below from this morning at 9am ish, the tide was real low and revealed the extent to which the sand has been washed out from the consistent high tides and wall bashing.
Full moon affecting the tides still, and very high at St Clair.
Sea wall 'foam fireworks' display again ...
I did take some sequences the other day of the seawall bashing, and tried to paste them together in animation shop on the old computer, but when uploaded to photobucket the last three frames came out with black spots through them.. just got some expert advice on my fopah with the animation, and thanks to my awesome sis, here it is...
Out at St Clair today, on the esplanade are two large shipping containers loaded with all the gear to do strengthening of the piles on the ramp, which has been out of use since way back last year. I spoke to the guys working on it, and they said they are being strengthened, and then the ramp will be re-extended so it can be used again and that there are no plans at present to fix the washed away stairs. Stuck in a cool pic of one of the stripped and twisted bolts from the bottom of the stairs that got washed away a few weeks ago.
Alot of sand has been washed away from around the south end of the St Clair sea wall. Last week the steps were taken out by a strong swell, and now with further erosion there are now exposed concrete and reinforcing rods dangerously close to the bottom of the remaining steps, so PLEASE BE CAREFUL if you are entering the surf via those steps as the high tide covers them.
