Frustration and concern mounts in Pāpāmoa as the aftermath of a recent beach fire has left a trail of hazardous debris in its wake.

Local residents, determined to reclaim the safety of their beloved beach, undertook a challenging cleanup mission on Sunday morning, putting their own safety at risk to ensure the beach was safe for others.

The fire, which blazed at Pāpāmoa Beach on Saturday night, not only marred the pristine shoreline but also left a disheartening amount of broken glass and an unsettling number of nails scattered about, in and under the sand, and up into the sand dunes.

Nails were amongst the debris left from the fire on Pāpāmoa Beach. Photo:Sophie Lister.

“It took four of us about 35 minutes to clean up the dangerous fire and littered beach on Sunday,” says Pāpāmoa Beach resident Sophie Lister.

The fire had been lit between Harrison’s Cut and Hartford Ave on Saturday night, coinciding with Guy Fawkes’ celebrations and fireworks events. 

“I am disgusted and angry. There was so much broken glass and what seemed like hundreds of nails through the fire,” says Sophie.

Nails and broken glass was strewn around the beach at the scene of the fire.  Photo: Sophie Lister.

In expressing her dismay, Sophie is citing this as the second cleanup effort within a year. In November 2022, she encountered a similar scene, with revellers leaving behind a trail of litter and damage after a beach party.

At that 2022 incident, she was taking her customary walk along the beach when she came across a group of people cleaning up the remains of the party.

Alcohol cans, bottles, bras and condoms, clothing, chairs and other rubbish was strewn amongst the sand dunes and Sophie says the dunes had been damaged and there was the remains of a fire at the site.

With both of these fires, it’s clear they were above the high tide mark.

Some of the debris, including nails and broken glass. Photo: Sophie Lister.

Tauranga City Council’s Beaches Bylaw 2018 states that “all fires must be below the high tide mark, be less than one metre in diameter and must be under supervision at all times”.

While the bylaw also states that fires may be lit on a beach between the hours of 5am and 10pm, it also says “the person lighting the fire must ensure that the materials being burnt are wholly combustible, that there is some form of extinguishment available, and the fire is fully extinguished with water before leaving the beach”.

The bylaw states that all litter and debris must be removed following a beach fire.

Anyone breaching the terms of this Bylaw commits an offence and “shall be subject to the penalties set out in Section 242(4) of the Local Government Act 2002, and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $20,000”.

Sifting through the still smouldering fire to take out the nails, broken glass, cans of gel flame and fireworks. Photo: Sophie Lister.

This weekend’s fire on the beach, which is a popular walking spot, has left locals disappointed and angry at how people out for a fun time are not considering the consequences of their actions or the danger they are placing others in. 

“We filled the discarded blanket and dragged it to Harrison’s Cut rubbish bin,” says Sophie. 

Arriving at the scene around 8am on Sunday, she says the debris was layered with some of it buried beneath the sand, requiring nails and broken glass to be dug out.

“We had our hands going through fire, getting nails and broken glass out. The nails were from the burned pallet.

“There were glass bottles on the fire, and explosives, plus cans of gel flame that were put on the fire. The fire was still warm and smouldering away - with kids and dogs nearby on the beach.”

The blanket, filled with debris, required three people to carry it up to the beach rubbish bins. Photo: Sophie Lister.

Sophie says the fire has also damaged the sand dunes above the beach.

“[There were] broken bottles and glass up in the sand dunes and scattered for metres along the beach. They were mainly ready to mix drinks and beer."

She says the blanket they filled with the debris was so heavy it took three of them to carry it.

“It was the weight of a person by the time we picked up all the rubbish. We carried it all to the rubbish bin.”

The incident underscores growing concerns among locals about the disregard for the consequences of such actions and the risks posed to others who cherish this popular beach destination.