Recent stormy weather has left Waihi Beach-goers taking a big step off the beach's access stairways to the sand, with level of the shoreline dropping dramatically this month.

At least three wooden structure stairways to the beach now don't meet the sand and parts of the dune bank have crumbled from early-July's wet weather.

With Waihi Beach's shoreline level dropping due to storms, it's left wooden structure to the beach in disrepair or with a big step to the sand.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council's reserves and facilities manager Peter Watson says council received calls from the public about the stairways and staff have inspected the beach – which is predicted to have dropped by about half a metre.

'The recent storm has displaced a lot of sand and lowered the beach level, as evidenced by the bottom of the stairs being exposed where they had previously been buried.

'I have been advised by a local that the sand use to come up to the second step on the stairs,” says Peter.

'Following the inspection we have made the sand ladder steps safe where practical.”

WBOPDC is responsible for the beach access structures, forming part of the coastal and marine assets managed and maintained by the Reserves and Facilities department.

'The steps haven't been damaged, the issue is that the sand has been displaced through natural processes, for example the storm event,” says Peter.

'Over the time the sand levels should increase and rebury the end of the steps.”

With the beach's bank crumbling and moving further back, Peter says council staff have erected caution tape to warn the public of the drop-off at these access points.

'Consideration is being given to placing sand or sand bags around the bottom of the steps and sand ladder if the sand doesn't accrete naturally in the next week or so.

'Alternatively, the sand ladder may be removed completely – once again we will be monitoring the accretion of the sand at these sites.”

Peter says storm events are a natural process council endeavours to work with, where practical.