Category: News

In the early evening of Saturday 15 January 2022 many people at Waikawa Beach, and around Aotearoa New Zealand, were wondering what the thumping explosion noises they could hear were. It turned out they were from the massive eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano in Tonga — a one in 1,000 year event!

Since then have come warnings about coastal surges or tsunamis in various parts of the world — for NZ’s north and east coast in particular.

But even here at Waikawa Beach we saw unusual surges in the river. Watch this YouTube video from Sue Culver (linked with permission):

Did you know Tonga is about 2,500 Km away. The power of that eruption, that we could hear it at Waikawa Beach!

Update 21 January 2022: note the Comment by John Brown that this tidal surge was probably not related to the tsunami, but was rather a small tidal bore.

07 February 2023: 389 (orange). See also Safe to swim? This post will be updated on the website each week.

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Alert: the owners of the private land across the footbridge have asked us to advise the community:

on Saturday 27 November 2021 there will be no public access across the bridge and onto the private land as there will be an Orienteering event there that day. Access across the bridge will be closed from before 10 am until around 4 pm.

You’re still welcome to use the bridge and the private land before then and after the event.

Many thanks to the landowners for generously allowing the general public to use their land the rest of the time.

A quick note: there’s a 2 metre drop straight into the river from the Manga Pirau Street beach access. We hope to have it blocked off soon. There is no access to the beach this way.

The thunderstorms rolled in on the evening of Tuesday 17 August 2021. Round about 1030 pm though there was fierce lightning and a really loud thunderclap right overhead. Then the lights went out. And stayed out till almost 6 am on the 18th, just after more fierce thunder and lightning.

There was torrential rain too, at several points, but with the power off the weather stations weren’t recording …

It may have just been the Strathnaver area as folks in the village apparently didn’t lose power.

It’s a good reminder though to keep devices charged and to have some emergency drinking water in the house.