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Pacific generated tsunamis do not require local evacuation
Two recent Pacific earthquakes have pointed to a general lack of awareness about the reality of the risk from tsunamis at Wainui and Makorori beaches, according to Gisborne Civil Defence officer Richard Steele.
At the time of the Samoa tsunami Gisborne emergency services and civil defence agreed early that while there was no safety risk, or need for evacuations, however it would be prudent to advise people to stay off the beach.
This was done by the police and broadcasting over the local radio stations.
“Unfortunately the national media was painting a different picture of potential mayhem and destruction which muddied the clear instructions that were being delivered locally,” says Mr Steele. “This led to some people taking actions that were inappropriate and unnecessarily disrupted their normal daily routines.”
Mr Steele says there will never be a situation where a tsunami from the Pacific Islands requires any evacuations from Wainui.
“The sand dunes give protection for events up to about 10 metres high and that’s not going to happen from an earthquake from that region of the Pacific. The only action people need to take is to stay off the beach.”
“One issue not widely understood by the public, which adds to the confusion, is that an alert from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Station in Hawaii is not information that should be acted upon by the public here in Gisborne, neither is the information released by the national media from Wellington.
“Information from both these organisations is general and not specific to local areas,” he says.
“Local people should only follow the directions issued by the local Civil Defence organisation and the police.
Studies, including one just completed for Gisborne District Council by GNS scientists, show that this region’s real risk comes from major earthquakes in the South American region, especially Peru. But even then they would affect only limited areas, with sand dunes and banks acting as buffers. They would take 12-14 hours to get here.
Richard Steele says in the event of a local tsunami, caused by a major earthquake generated very close to New Zealand, there will be no time for an official warning.
If such a Tsunami is generated it will probably arrive 20-30 minutes after the earthquake.
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Wainui surf club popular event venue
The Wainui Surf Live Saving Club clubhouse at Okitu is proving very popular for events and celebrations.
Club manager Mike King says the club receives constant enquiries from people wanting to hire the clubhouse and its facilities for functions such as weddings or birthdays.
“Because of its popularity with locals, out-of-towner’s and even international guests – we are almost completely booked out for the summer months of December, January and February for the next two years,” he says.
The rates for hiring the expansive clubrooms with its commercial catering kitchen and stunning views out over Wainui Beach to Tuahine Point are $1000 for a wedding or function that requires the day prior for setting up; $500 for an evening function and $300 for a day corporate function.
Locals and former members, who have an involvement with the club, can enquire about a variation on these rates.
However, if you are planning a summer wedding – with the surf club in mind as the venue – or any large scale celebration in the next few years – it would pay to enquire early to avoid disappointment as the beachside clubhouse may soon become completely booked out – at least through the summer months for some years ahead.
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Cycle and walk track abandoned
It was the worst news possible. Just as it was in the final consultation stages the pin was pulled on the Wainui to Gisborne cycleway. For those in the community who have been lobbying for this project for nearly 20 years there is a feeling of bitter disappointment.
Transit New Zealand had actually given its approval to spend $500,000 for the Wainui cycleway when in early September the National government announced its decision to reprioritise road funding for this district – a decision that put Wainui cycleway project on the backburner after years of planning.
The New Zealand Transport Association had already invested around $40,000 carrying out investigation and preliminary design into the project at the time it was shelved.
Gisborne MP Anne Tolley said while it would have been nice to have a cycleway from Wainui to Gisborne, it was more important for the economic strength of the region that priority be given to sorting out State Highway 35 and ensuring it was in good condition.
“It is disappointing to lose some of our favourite projects but when the cycleways were put in the forecasts, we were in much different times. It has had to be reprioritised.”
Labour MP Moana Mackey said it was “ridiculous” the cycleway project was being canned for economic development reasons.
“The Wainui cycleway is a great initiative for our region — it’s a kick in the guts to all those who have worked so hard for a number of years now to get it going, to have the funding pulled at the last minute,” she said.
The Gisborne District has been “done in the eye” by the change in criteria says regional transport committee chairman Bill Burdett.
Mr Burdett said he and the whole committee were extremely disappointed by the change that had seen the replacement of the one-way Motu Bridge, the Wainui cycleway and the extension of the riverbank walkway to Taruheru taken out of the region’s roading programme.
Gisborne district councillors and staff recently met with Minister of Transport Steven Joyce where he was made aware of local feelings about his Goverment’s about-turn on funding for the Wainui cycleway.
Manager Engineering and Works Peter Higgs told BeachLife that the National-led government has altered the funding criteria to reflect their priority – which is concerned about economic growth and improvements in productivity. “Consequently funds are being put into those areas. Funds for cycleways are targeted for areas where they will assist in relieving congestion.”
However Mr Higgs says the Minister did agreed to ask the agency to re-look at the project.”
Mr Higgs says the cycleway is still on the list of works to be done in this region but there is no funding for it within the next three years at least. The project has dropped to a very low priority and has a long way to go in moving up the list in competition with other projects around the country.
When asked if the Council could “pick up” the project he says the Council is struggling to fund basic infrastructure and to keep rates to a minimum. The Council was not in a position to fund this project. It had to be funded by regional roading funds rather than rates.
He says the cycleway design will be retained by NZTA so that if funding does become available in future the project will be ready to proceed.
The chairperson of the local Ratepayers and Residents Association Norman Weiss says the cycleway issue is high on the “things-to-do” list but no definite strategy has been decided yet.
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Local wave riders conquer new giant
Wainui surfer Damon Gunness has had his share of coverage in surf magazines over the years – but his picture on the latest cover of New Zealand Surfer is once-in-a-lifetime historically stupendous.
Damon is pictured – on the cover and inside the magazine – riding what they are claiming as the biggest waves ever ridden ever in New Zealand. And the waves he and a crew of tow-in adventurers and photographer Cory Scott pioneered are not that far from Wainui, somewhere out in the ocean off our coastline. More about this in Kelly’s Wave Rave.
Damon is not alone in the latest issue – it may as well be renamed Wainui Surfing magazine. Wainui waves feature throughout with appearances from Bobby Hansen, Dane Simpson, Maz Quinn, Buck Woods, Blair Stewart, James Tanner, Buck again – and photographer Roghey delivers a 9-shot sequence of Craig Jenkins.
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Local couple heading to town
AFTER 23 YEARS AT the beach Mike and Lyn Griffiths of 99 Moana Road are moving to town.
Their quaint two-storied “dolls-house” style beachfront property overlooking Whales sold in November – so they can now finally move to the convenience of a town house in Grey Street near Waikanae Beach.
The Griffiths bought their Okitu house in 1986 after they had lived all over New Zealand following Mike’s job as an insurance agent for Royal Insurance and later Farmers’ Mutual Insurance.
The couple were married in 1970, Lyn originally a Smyth from Ruatoria, and had two children. Mike was well-known as a coach of the HSOB senior rugby team and as a committee member of the Poverty Bay Golf Club.
In town the Griffiths hope to carry on their retirement interest of minding motels for motel owners on vacation.
The Griffiths house sale is indicative of the property roller-coaster of recent years. For the record they bought their beachfront home for $85,000 in 1986. It went on the market at $850,000 just at the end of the property boom – and finally sold in November for $550,000.
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Chalet back as seaside accommodation
The Chalet Rendezvous has reopened for business as a seaside accommodation lodge.
Owner Nicola Watkins has given the former famous local restaurant an interior and exterior makeover and once again the distinctive Swiss-style building is providing “affordable” accommodation to the travelling public.
Backpacker-style accommodation is available as well as more upmarket boutique rooms upstairs, all offering great views of Wainui Beach and the Pacific Ocean.
With deference to the history of the building – which opened as New Zealand’s first restaurant with a liquor license in 1957 – the business has been renamed Chalet Rendezvous (Seaside Accommodation) and a new logo reminiscent of the original Chalet Rendezvous signage has been commissioned.
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Association provides collective voice for Wainui and Okitu residents
The Wainui-Okitu Residents and Ratepayers Association Incorporated has finally been formed and registered. A committee was selected from the 30 people who attended the inaugural meeting on 13 September 2009.
The community is now invited to join the Association in working for the welfare of the community.
The main purposes of the Association is to promote and represent the views of the Association’s members concerning all issues affecting Wainui Beach and the community of Wainui-Okitu. These issues include the community’s unique characteristics, its wellbeing, the environment, its sustainability and its future development.
The Association aims to protect and enhance the unique nature of the ecological, geographical and social environments of Wainui Beach and Wainui-Okitu and to provide a forum within which the Wainui-Okitu community can identify, discuss and deal with local issues and concerns.
It also hopes to foster a community spirit within Wainui-Okitu by organising and providing community activities open to all residents, ratepayers and visitors.
The Wainui Okitu Residents and Ratepayers Association has its genesis in the community’s interactions with the Gisborne District Council during the Council’s 2008 efforts to reticulate Wainui and Okitu with city water and wastewater when Council received over 400 written submissions opposing reticulation.
When the Council voted “no” to reticulation it’s officers also recommended that Council and our community develop a way to work collaboratively on issues and initiatives involving Wainui and Okitu. A group of residents worked with Council officers on this idea with a final recommendation that Council assist the community in the formation of such a group.
Councillors then did an “about turn” and rejected the concept with the argument that it would be impossible for the community to select a group that would be totally representative.
Out of this rejection was born the idea for the community to form a community group on its own initiative.
In December 2009 Council called for consultation on the Draft Gisborne City Urban Development Strategy which contained a proposed change to the Gisborne Urban Boundary – moving it from the 100kmh sign at Sponge Bay to the north end of Moana Road.
Council had actively pre-consulted and involved scores of “key stakeholders” but had ignored Wainui-Okitu organisations, businesses, residents and ratepayers.
It was realised that Council did not consider the residents and property owners, nor even the school in our community, to be “key stakeholders” on an issue that – as it turned out – could have significant impact on development in the community.
This provided the final incentive to efforts to form a residents association with or without the Council’s assistance.
A group of about 25 residents met in April 2009. There was wide ranging discussion on the structure and purposes of such a group.
Out of this came a core of about 10 people who volunteered to research and investigate. The group got information from the Companies Office on incorporation and a sample constitution from the Piha Residents Association. A survey was drafted and distributed to residents and property owners. The response from the survey was that most people thought such an organisation was a good idea and supported it.
Over the next several months there were working party meetings to write a constitution and sort out other matters.
With the paper work in order and the constitution looking good a meeting was called for 13 September 2009. About 30 people attended.
The motion to incorporate was put to the group and the group voted “yes”. Officers were elected. The appropriate papers were signed and sent off to the Companies Office.
On 1 October 2009 the Companies Office registered the Wainui-Okitu Residents and Ratepayers Association Incorporated as an incorporated society.