Encroachment by heavy seas checked

Better weather, less ferocious seas, and sand-bolstering measures by the Dunedin City Council over the past few days have kept the dunes at Middle beach largely intact.

The face of the dunes near Moana Rua Rd took another battering late last week - the worst since the winter months of 2007 - but council community and recreation services manager Mick Reece said the situation had not deteriorated further by last night.

"The people who have been monitoring things for me have not rung me to report any further problems, so fingers crossed . . . Hopefully, this is the worst it will get this winter."

The heavy seas also depleted the dunes further to the east, creating a "sand cliff" about 3m high at St Kilda beach and undermining fences and wooden steps.

Mr Reece estimated $50,000-$60,000 had been spent at Middle beach in the past few days trying to protect rock mattresses laid at the base of the dunes, which had been exposed by last week's heavy seas, and trucking in sand dredged from Otago Harbour and tipping it down the face of the dunes.

He estimated the width of the dunes had decreased by 2m-3m in the past two years.

The end of Moana Rua Rd fell away last Thursday, and the face of the dunes was now close to a large fence erected in 2007 to stop people from using a dune-top track which has also since succumbed to the sea.

It was difficult to believe the Moana Rua surf club building had once sat between the end of the road and the beach, he said.

"When we demolished that [in 2001] there was a lot of criticism. People said it would have made a good restaurant. But the area it was sitting on does not exist any more."

The sea is inching closer to the Kettle Park playing fields, and one of the options the council has been investigating is sacrificing part of the park to strengthen the dunes and prevent further erosion.

Mr Reece said he believed the reshaping of the park would need to happen within five years.