A considerable rainbow sheen of oil is rolling in to Tauranga Harbour on the back of an incoming tide and northerly winds.

Speaking from the SunLive boat at Ongare Point, Sun Media director Brian Rogers says the sheen is large and rainbow coloured with thick, brown globules of oil littered through it.

Container salvors inspect a floating container off the Bowentown entrance.

He says it is 'a really big oil slick,” spread across a wide area, and owing to the sea conditions is heading into places previously untouched by oil spills from the Rena.

'The oil is heading south to southeast out towards central Tauranga Harbour,” says Brian.

The oil is heading from Bowentown through to Tanners Point and further south.

Brian says there is also a considerable amount of debris from containers, including timber and milk powder bags, floating in the water around the northern harbour entrance.

A bag of milk powder and polystyrene debris floats near Bowentown.

Hundreds of bags of milk powder, some timber and 12 containers washed ashore north of the central Tauranga Harbour on Monday.

The worst affected place was Waihi Beach and it appears more pollution is washing ashore there today.

An early morning caller to the 0800 SUNLIVE news tip hotline reported he had seen seaweed mixed with heavy black oil wash ashore at Waihi Beach.

Seen containers, oil or debris wash ashore? Phone 0800 SUNLIVE with your news tip.

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A 40 foot container floats near Bowentown.

Debris floating.

Damage to the floating containers is severe.

Containers corralled by salvors at Shelly Bay near Bowentown.