Anger at rail operator’s beach blockage
For keen fisherman Steven Shrigley, being a stone’s throw from the beach made his new North Canterbury bach all the sweeter.
Little did he know that a year later his local beach would be inaccessible, blocked off by a wall of rock and debris.
State-owned KiwiRail has a resource consent for restoration work in the coastal marine area along its seaside route south of Kaiko¯ura, which was badly damaged in the 2016 North Canterbury earthquake.
Work includes building seawalls in places like the Haumuri Bluffs, a towering limestone headland famous for its fossils, to protect tracks from coastal erosion.
But residents say the rail operator has dumped so many rocks during the construction process they can no longer safely get to a favourite beach just north of Claverley.
Regional council Environment Canterbury (ECan) has also issued KiwiRail a non-compliance notice.
Shrigley and his family bought a nearby bach about 18 months ago. Since then, he said, discarded rocks and debris had blocked off their local beach in two places.
Locals from as far as Conway Flat visited the site, he said, coming to swim, collect seafood, dive for pa¯ ua and to check out the many exposed fossils.
‘‘People just want to swim at the only safe beach in 20 kilometres. It’s been used for decades. We’d love to be able to take our grandkids swimming in the sea on a hot day, but trying to get past these objects, you’re putting your life at risk.’’
Shrigley said he was concerned about the lack of safe access, and the lack of communication with locals.
He believed it had been allowed to happen only because the beach was out of sight for most of the public. ‘‘If they tried to do this along State Highway 1, there would be demonstrations and outrage.’’
The best outcome, he said, would be for KiwiRail to remove its debris from the coastal zone.
He also worried about what impact the rocks could be having on the marine environment, with ‘‘hundreds of them now that have disappeared into the sea’’.
KiwiRail’s South Island operations manager, Mark Heissenbuttel, said it was using the boulders to counter coastal erosion at the Haumuri Bluffs.
‘‘The work is necessary to protect a crucial piece of rail infrastructure that is vulnerable to coastal erosion.
‘‘Additional design and construction work is still needed to ensure the work complies with the consent granted for it, and that it is effective in protecting the line.’’
Heissenbuttel said other options to allow public access to the beach, including across KiwiRail land, would need to meet health and safety requirements.
ECan northern resource management officer Robin Hubbard said the site had been under active investigation since earlier this year, when the council issued KiwiRail a non-compliance notice over the constructed seawall depositing rock debris onto the beach.
‘‘KiwiRail are looking into how to mitigate this, and we remain in contact with them throughout the process.
‘‘Once plans for a new option are submitted we will assess if it meets the conditions of the Resource Management Act and their consent. If conditions are met, construction will be able to begin.’’
Hubbard said the site was challenging, given the changes to the coast from the 2016 earthquake, and natural erosion.
‘‘We understand it can be frustrating for locals due to the ongoing nature of this incident, but ask that they’re patient while a long-term option is worked through.’’
‘‘Trying to get past these objects, you’re putting your life at risk.’’
Steven Shrigley