Nature’s volley wrecks tennis court
When wind sent their trampoline sailing 20 metres into the neighbour’s backyard, the Lynch family hoped that was the worst of it.
But when they woke up after the storm that ravaged the Kapiti Coast on Sunday morning, they found part of their Paraparaumu beachfront home’s tennis court was gone too.
They had already been planning to get rid of the court, Paul Lynch said.
But they had not expected the weather would do it for them – with erosion eating almost 10m into their sea-facing backyard.
The Kapiti coastline was hammered over the weekend by strong winds and raging surf, with waves swamping beachfront properties and roads peaking at high tide.
The trampoline took flight on Sunday morning and the land began falling away that night, to his five children’s amazement.
‘‘They were more excited about it than anything. They don’t have to pay for anything.’’
The family hoped to get assistance from insurance, but he marvelled at the ferocity of the squall.
There is no seawall between Lynch’s property and the beach.
He said he had not yet built a retaining wall, as before the storm hit, he had begun talks with the Kapiti Coast District Council to help pay for one.
The council’s sewer main runs along his boundary line. The main, which was exposed by the weather battering, is being protected by concrete blocks until a permanent solution is found.
Council group manager infrastructure services Sean Mallon said the ‘‘incredibly severe’’ waves eroded up to 3m of the Paraparaumu Beach foreshore, leaving the main exposed.
He said contractors were working around the tides to place large concrete blocks around the sewer, which serviced about 20 properties.
‘‘We have further bad weather coming, and there’s a risk the sewer may get washed out, which would mean there’s raw sewage floating in the water.’’
Mallon said more repair work was also needed in the car park of the Waterfront Bar in Raumati.
‘We’ve also had the small bridge there checked by the engineers and reopened.’’
He asked that members of the public avoid the Paraparaumu beach area and keep their dogs away.