No new plastic beads are being sighted coming from the Rena wreck after stormy weekend weather sent bags of beads onto Western Bay beaches.

A helicopter survey yesterday morning observed no beads washing ashore, or coming from the wreck at Astrolabe Reef.

Small plastic beads began washing ashore on beaches following the weekend's severe weather.

Small 2.5mm beads washed up along the beaches from Maketu to Mount Maunganui following the weekend's floods.

They came from a partially intact container full of beads in Hold 4 of the Rena discovered last week by salvors before they were forced to abandon work due to weather conditions.

Resolve Salvage and Fire is expected to deploy divers into cargo hold 4 for a situation report on the bead container as soon as weather permits.

Resolve recovered 47 bags of beads from the water yesterday, with more than 30 of those identified and recovered floating in two main areas on either side of Motiti Island.

Recovery operations are underway along the coastline with 50 workers operating eight hour shifts, 24 hours a day to recover the beads.

Rena salvage spokesperson Hugo Shannahan says beach grooming equipment working around the Taylors Reserve area in Papamoa has delivered encouraging results despite the wet sand conditions.

'A lack of rain has meant the sand should continue to dry out, which will help speed-up the recovery process.”

An additional beach groomer has been deployed, taking the total number to three with an additional beach tractor and truck being used to speed-up the rate of removal.

Specialist vacuum cleaners capable of working in sandy environments are also being used in areas where there are concentrations of bead deposits.

Weather conditions are moderating from the wild weather seen in the last week.

However, the forecast remains marginal for marine operations at the wreck site.

Hugo says the release can be attributed back to the work underway to locate and assess their possible removal; underscoring the ongoing challenge of working in this particular location and its volatile conditions.

Members of the public can report the location of any beads by phoning 0800 333 771.