Community work offenders have been helping build the country’s first artificial surf reef sited 250 metres off Mt Maunganui’s Omanu Beach.
A supervised team of community work offenders spent a day helping prepare giant sandbags in Otumoetai late last year. Once assembled and put in place, the 24 two-tonne bags will be filled with 6,000 cubic metres of sand. The largest bag is 50m long and 3.5m high and will hold 660 cubic metres of sand.
The resulting reef will create hollow barrelling waves ideal for Mount Maunganui surfers.
Reef designer Dr Kerry Black says the Mount reef will be a small version of (the famous wave) Pipeline in Hawaii - with a fast wave on one side and a slower wave on the other depending on swell direction. “It's the ultimate for surfers and after all this time the Mount will finally have a leading reef.”
The community workers helped prepare the sandbags, securing them to a giant webbing lattice, and tying them shut. All up, more than 1,000 tags and 500 webbing points had to be hand tied to keep the bags in position on the seabed.
Mount Reef Trust executive officer David Neilson says the community workers made a huge difference.
“They made short work of the lengthy job and did a great job. They came here to work, got stuck in and really seemed to enjoy it.”
Got a story for Corrections News or want to request the print edition?
Email commdesk@corrections.govt.nz or phone (04) 460 3365.
ISSN 1178-8453