Lifeguards training for this week's national championships at Mount Maunganui's Main Beach are facing a new challenge as they attempt to train in tonnes of sea lettuce.
Tauranga City Council contractors have collected more than 160 tonnes of the smelly green sludge in the last two days ahead of tomorrow's NZ Surf Life Saving Championships.
Lifeguards ride waves of green sea lettuce into shore at Main Beach. Jamie Troughton – Dscribe Journalism.
Contractors began the clean up on Monday night after waves dumped tonnes of sea lettuce on the Main Beach on Sunday.
On Monday night a total of 120 tonnes was removed from the shore. Last night contractors returned to collect an additional 40 tonnes.
Tauranga City Council communications advisor Marcel Currin says the removed sea lettuce is transported to the compost site at Te Maunga, with some given to Bay of Plenty orchardists.
He says due to the large quantities this summer some has also been transported to a landfill.
'Whatever they picked up last night was going to sit on the beach and they were going to truck it away today,” says Marcel.
He says council organises clean ups whenever there are large dumps of sea lettuce and this clean-up was not due to the special event on Main Beach.
'The pick-up was actually sparked by the fact that the sea lettuce was there – not actually because there was a special event on. The clean-up is in response to the conditions. If there's another really bad dump, there will another clean up.”
A woman out kayaking removes sea lettuce from her back. Jamie Troughton – Dscribe Journalism.
Mount Maunganui lifeguards encountered the sea lettuce during training at the weekend.
Tomorrow almost 1700 surf life savers representing 48 clubs from across New Zealand will compete in the four-day carnival.
This will be the 91st running of the championships since the first in Napier in 1915 and the eighth time they've been held on Mount Maunganui's Main Beach.
See SunLive's preview provided by Jamie Troughton of Dscribe Journalism for more information on the championships.
Lifeguards ride waves of green sea lettuce into shore at Main Beach. Jamie Troughton – Dscribe Journalism.
7 comments
Green waves
Posted on 06-03-2013 13:18 | By YOGI
Now there is a new concept, it is all about the pollution in the prestine clean and green NZ environment, the volume reflects the state of the oceans and what you see on the foreshore is a fraction of the real problem, polution is the issue not the lettice. Just cleaning it up when you see it on the shore is not a good result long term.
Lettuce think
Posted on 06-03-2013 14:09 | By bigted
1)Has this amount of lettuce occurred before? 2) Has the bad ship Rena anything to do with this lettuce? 3) Is removal actually accomplishing anything? 4) Has anyone tested the seawater for nutrients/chemicals? 5) Is this affecting sea life? 6) Is this event local to the area? 7) What effect for tourism in our clean/green Mount image. Many questions; so few answers. Any more anyone?
@bigted
Posted on 06-03-2013 15:00 | By Mr bay
Comon it is green, might not be clean but must admit its green......
bigted
Posted on 06-03-2013 16:59 | By Sambo
I can help with the removal of the lettuce on the ladies back in the picture.
RUBBISH!
Posted on 06-03-2013 17:16 | By jackb
So the Council spends $38 million on a new Arena - so we can have a good time (??) - while our visitors and overseas tourists have to put up with this year after year??? Time for a Roundup, methinks.....
Jack B
Posted on 07-03-2013 12:37 | By TERMITE
No the TECT Arena was close to $50 million by the time you add in all teh fitout, carpet, kitchens, chairs and all that. The original quote from Hawkins just for the shell was $39.8m including a $900k or so contingency and that was blown out before the thing got out of the ground. Yes you are right that all that money was spent and they don't even do anythign about the important things like the sea lettice, passing it off as "natural" when they do know better.
Clean
Posted on 07-03-2013 14:13 | By YOGI
Yeah right ... like that mess is going to leave positive lasting memories of Tauranga and the Mount? Then there is the stench from all of that rotting all over the place.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to make a comment.