
Mining locations
Seabed Mining Locations.
Pakiri / Mangawhai.
Pakiri and Mangawhai have been compromised by nearly 80 years of nearshore suction dredging, in waters from 5-20 metres deep. This has had multiple visible impacts including the loss of dunes and surrounding vegetation. The quality of the surf has been adversely affected and the fishery disturbed.
Foreshore Mining Locations.
Waipipi.
A small land-based mining operation in the dunes behind the beach here was begun in 1971 and wound up in 1987. Like at Taharoa, ore was slurried via a pipe to ships moored offshore and transported to Japan and China. Extraction of 15 million tonnes of ore created a vast hole, which is now filled with water.
Whiritoa.
Whiritoa has been substantially transformed form its original state, when it featured huge heaped dunes. In total more than 180,000m³ of sand has been removed. Since the 1960s a coastal subdivision has covered most of what remains of the sand dune reserves.