Six dogs died three months ago after ingesting sea slugs but health officers said the health warning remained about the sea slugs which were still on the beaches and which still contained toxins.
Medical officer of health Simon Baker said the warning would remain until the sea slugs disappeared or were found to have no toxins.
"We can't downscale our advice until either they go away or they are without the toxin," he said in The New Zealand Herald today."
Auckland Regional Public Health Service said people should be aware of the risk. Children and pets should not handle or eat anything washed up on beaches.
In August and September last year, 15 dogs became unwell with symptoms of poisoning from the toxin known as TTX after eating sea slugs at beaches in the Hauraki Gulf. Six dogs died.
Recent checks on the beaches found sea slugs containing the toxin in waist deep water.
