Foundations are now going up for the new beauty therapy business. On the section previously was the longest running commercial building 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 final tenant 'Wendy's Hair' this year.
Above right:: windows are coming out from the yellow house.
Above:: A photograph taken around the late 1880's, the two circled areas A/ where the new hotel development (see here) is going up now. B/ the building that was recently demolished (see here) to make way for the current construction above.
Below:: a comparison over time highlighting the encroachment of Seconds Beach Road towards the sea when the new sea wall was built.
Below: The sand scarps looking from St Kilda towards St Clair, you can see the two large sand stockpiles hugging the cliffs.
many children even under the supervision of their parents were scaling the cliffs and knocking more sand down, I even spoke [nicely] to a few and they just ignored my plea for respect and the danger their children were in and let them carry on ripping up and down the very unstable dune faces, especially some of the capping hard fill at the top which was very precariously angled ready to fall at any time.
I wonder why there is no monitoring of these actions, or notices to stay off the dune/cliff faces its clearly a danger to the public.. and how can the public be so disrespectful to their environment?
Below: closeup of Moana Rua sand stockpile, with the offshore wind blowing the sand out to sea.
Today I attended the Public segment of the 6 weekly Community Development Committee's meeting, where today they were to present the "Coastal Emergency Works" Summary Report. Present were the current city councillors, mayor, other council employees & various members of the public.
I have been working this week with Tracey Crampton-Smith, [both a mayoral candidate, and candidate for a South Dunedin seat on the DCC]. The five minute presentation, which Tracey presented was intense but effective. I put together a very short video version of the erosion that has occured at Ocean Beach the last few months which was played in the first minute of the submission.
Video Below::
Below:: is the written summary page 'conclusions' that we presented based on the content of the verbal submission presented today.
CONCLUSIONS
Ocean Beach [St Clair, Middle & St Kilda] is an artificially positioned, highly exposed, high energy site at high risk of coastal erosion and therefore requires urgent and effective management.
1. Increased storm frequency, unpredictability and severity along with predicted sea level rise and global warming will increase enormously erosion risk at Ocean Beach in the future without practicable and effective long term management.
2. Erosion management methods based on “Hard engineering” methods such as sea walls, sand sausages and rock baskets have consistently proven to exacerbate erosion and require ongoing ratepayer funding and maintenance. Sand replenishment is both financially unsustainable and unproven as a long term solution, and therefore these methods are high risk.
3. The Dunedin City Council consultants, Dtec, have suggested it would be negligent to commit ratepayer funds to the previous design plans and that finding a new remedy should be addressed with some urgency. Council and consultants have agreed they do not have a long-term solution. In 2001 the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the IPCC, recommended the application of 'soft shore' protection schemes and advised avoiding the use of 'Hard' shore protection methods such as vertical concrete walls and rock piles.
4. Alternative “soft-shore” methods of coastal erosion management based on “Natural process” (such as Holmbergs' Undercurrent Stabilisation method), have been developed and proven to provide effective management of similar sites overseas.
5. Public consultation must be actioned expediently so that a sustainable long term plan can be implemented without being preempted by the currently proposed 'holding pattern' consisting of sand stockpiling and rock baskets. However, the public should be given the opportunity to be consulted and agree on solution performance criteria.
6. Since the coastal zones affected by a solution will be fall under the jurisdiction of the Otago Regional Council and the Dunedin City Council both Councils should work jointly on this issue throughout.
7. Coastal erosion methods such as 'soft shore protection' that have a proven track record of success in managing similar sites which can stand to open transparent assessment must be given urgent and appropriate consideration.
Channel 9 Website Article - September 3, 2007 - 10:35am
source link
The Dunedin City Council is asking for public comment and submissions on long term planning for St Clair and Middle Beaches.
Councillor Paul Hudson says the DCC is seeking local opinions and expertise rather than paying for advice from experts who don't live here.
It was just under two months ago, the DCC took emergency measures to stop further winter storms and strong seas undermining the sand dunes fronting Kettle park sports fields.
Tomorrow, Councillor Paul Hudson is expected to advise a committee meeting that the measures cost three quarters of a million dollars but another $400,000 is needed for follow up measures.
He says, the DCC has been inundated with information from the public about the history and suggested management of the area.
He says, he'd prefer to hear from locals rather than paid experts not from Dunedin and from the end of October they'll be formally seeking public comment.
The bricks are coming off .. the hotel is going up, the character of the esplanade is guaranteed to change drastically .. the implications of such a massive [in scale of the area] development will reveal over the coming years. So with the building permit obviously secured, despite there being an ongoing 'beach emergency' 100 metres away all we can do is watch. see previous blog post on this issue
Change again around the corner in the public playground adjacent to the Southcoast Boardriders clubrooms. I used to play there when I was a child, and I took my children to play there too, always the same old classic playground equipment and probably the last remaining of its genre in Dunedin. Below a series of photos of the reconstruction over the last 6 weeks. (inset, some kind of surfing mechanical bull thing)
I guess if the children can't play on the beach due to an absence of sand, they now have a high tech playground.
Above three pics at low tide today, right bottom is blackhead.. getting chewed out even more.. Below, article in yesterdays ODT:
Below article from the ODT July 28th.
some more shots of the constantly moving sandcastles below.
super low tide with new moon.. back to the rock bottom for St Clair (excuse the pun).
Erosion all down the coastline, this one about Kuri Bush way, I am sure this will effect the sand mining consent given earlier this year for Kuri Bush, as I believe under the consent the beaches need to be monitored for any adverse effects, so with most of the sand being stripped it would limit their operations? Check my report on it here: 'Sand Mining Given Go Ahead'
Also the Erosion at Tomahawk beach in the corner where a current Sand Mining consent is running would be extremely effected as most of that was washed out a week back.
Above, a view from the end of the Hot Saltwater Pool, this time with key areas labeled to give a more detailed overview of what is where, also providing some scale and perspective.
Above: Comparisons 27th march 2007 & 4th August 2007.
Below: Today, countless more truckloads of sand have been deposited over the dune at the end of the access way from The Marae at 2/3rds.
After reporting on 4th August's massive hunk out of Middle beach over the last week, I made it down to the sports fields to take some images from the top. The erosion is now well into the downward side of the dune and would be only metres away from the edge of the sports ground.
Above right: the dumped sand from the harbour over the edge of Moana Rua Road continues to slump and fall to the beach below to be washed away.
Above: Looking towards St Clair with Moana Rua Road a few Metres at my back.
Below:The mixture of sand and rock reinstated at the base of the sausage buffer see here has been reduced to a pile of rocks.
Above left: again the rocks remains, right: forgot to put up from the 4th, a view from the Hot Saltwater Pool.
St Clair / Kilda now a new left Point break?
A natural process of beach recovery after storm erosion events have gouged out the dunes and flattened the beach profile is for large sand banks to form 200metres out to sea. This is to dissipate the wave action coming in towards the dunes, so that less energy impacts upon the beach and dunes. This allows the barrage of wave action to be minimised so the beach can themn begin to recover.
During this easterly swell, the banks created some long peeling surfable waves, much like a point break.
This morning revealed another 3-4 metres of dunes washed away into the sea with a rather bizarre water course ditch forming parallel to the dunes at the base.
Another forceful South East swell due to hit tomorrow, I just can't even find words to describe the anguish I am feeling .. just watching it all happen. In all my research of the history of this area, there has never been such severe erosion as what is occuring now. Its all too little too late. Yes it's the uncontrollable force of nature. Well intended decisions have been made in the past with regards to planning, engineering and beach protection initiatives. We can see now that none of these measures have proven to be sustainable. But now there is absolutely no excuse not to implement a long term viable solution to this most urgent issue. Bugger the cost! Stuff the Otago Regional Council (front page todays ODT) earmarking 12 million for new offices on the waterfront because they're a little cramped.. and 10 million dollars for a feasability study for a rugby stadium?? Priorities??
Below: comparison left is today, right is 4th May 2006
half a million or so spent earlier in July trucking in sand to cover the slashed sausages for emergency protection work, now a month later nearly 2 thirds of the sand has been washed away, again exposing parts of the sausages..
2 Above: today digger creating yet another rock and sand buffer at the base of the washed away sand placed over the sausages last month.
2 Below: looking towards Middles today showing the loss of the sand buffer over the sausies, pink circle showing one exposed.
Below left: 31st July taken from the top of Moana Rua Rd looking down showing the rubble 'buffer line' created at the toe of the eroded dune.. right: 5 days later with increased erosion and exposure of rubble at the base
Above right: More exposed rubble, which I thought they were removing?
Above left: the new trench which has formed at the base of the dunes at middles/kettle park side (low tide).
Below left: Today at low tide, waves peel off a second bank parallel to Middle beach creating a long peeling left, and that wasn't even a set coming through. Right: a closer look today.
