Mangroves

These photos show how the make up of the inter-tidal zone is changing texture due to (the marina) structures being placed into the Whangamata estuary.  These photos are taken on the banks of the low tide channel.  Previously this area was hard clean sand.

The area in these photos is dry for around two to three hours each side of low tide, otherwise they are covered in flowing tidal waters.  Yet they have turned to mud, enough for mangroves to sprout.  In an area where there were no mangroves previously.

The Waikato Regional Council consented the structures, which promote the mangrove growth.  They then placed a special mangrove tax on the landowners of Whangamata to pay for the removal of mangroves.

  

Will a collection of errors, like those causing the blowout of the temporary bund at the Whangamata marina, now be transferred to the permanent construction features? How can the Crown give confidence to the lasting stakeholders of the shared Whangamata environment, that this marina will work like the Crown believed it would in hearings, in the Courts and in Parliament?
Where the blowout took place was quite defined. It was adjacent to the entrance of the incomplete marina. This is an area of complex engineering and design. It includes a weir (or drop structure). It’s an area where water rises out of the seabed.
According to the Crown (via the Waikato Regional Council) this is saltwater. The video at the top (click to start) is of a water vent now covered by the partially constructed weir. The video at the bottom is of a water vent near the base of the permanent rock entrance. There is a long documented history of freshwater surfacing in this area. If these vents were to be freshwater it would create issues over accumulative time along with the pressure of tide and floods.