After the Storm

At around 9:30 pm on the night of Tuesday 10th June, locals of Whitianga got a warning that a storm was coming through. A few hours later, it came smashing in. in the morning, we woke up to see a trail of destruction left in its wake. One resident on Simpsons beach lost their home, a great tree some say was over 100 years old was torn over and there was dirt, sand and twigs all along the waterfront.

Signs where tipped over and thrown about.

Lean is the new Straight.

And there was flooding everywhere.

The storm had some serious effects on the beaches of Whitianga. Simpsons beach had now become from white to black as the normal shell sand was removed to leave the iron sand underneath.

Brophy's beach at first glance doesn't seem to bad. It's the grassy park area above it that has is worse off with massive puddles that do good impressions of lakes.

Buffalo beach has suffered land loss. Roots of trees where exposed and the banks where washed away by tides. Grass was barely held sandbanks together and some the erosion comes dangerously close to pathways and seats.

Here the bank has receded to the point were it is 20cm from the path and 1m above the actual beach.

Here the bank has eroded to a mere 44cm. You can stretch your feet over the side!

When the storm hit, it wasn't even at high tide. And yet, there is evidence of just how high the tides came up the shore everywhere. 

Imagine in a decade or so when the tides have risen and another storm hits. I wonder how high the tides will be then. The flooding not only could be worse but the tides might mere meters from people's doorsteps.