'So what does it mean, that black and yellow post sitting out there in the water? …and that green stick with a triangle shape on top?”

Do you know the meanings of all the buoys and beacons you see? We have a wonderful variety of different buoys and beacons in the Tauranga harbour, each with its own navigational message.
Buoys and beacons are the sign posts of the sea, but unlike road signs, they are coded and require a little knowledge to work out their meanings.
To de-code the channel markers, it helps to know which way the tide 'floods” – or which way the tide comes in. The markers are all set up to make it easy for a vessel entering a strange port, which if you think about it, is mostly the same direction that the tide comes in. As you enter harbour, keep the red channel markers on your left or port side.
Red, port, left. The easy way to remember it is the phrase 'is there any red port wine left?”
If you're keeping the red channel markers on your left, then it makes sense to keep the green markers – you guessed it – on your right. Easy, so far?
Of course, if you're leaving the harbour, you'll have to use all these markers in reverse!
The red beacons often have red square or can-shaped topmarks to help with identification. And guess what, if they're lit, they'll have red flashing lights.
The green ones have got triangle-shaped topmarks, and if fitted with lights – no surprises – they'll have green flashing lights.
Those are the easy ones.
Then there are channel markers that mark where a minor or 'secondary” channel leaves the main channel. The main colour and shape will be the same as the ordinary beacons, but with an extra horizontal band or stripe of colour to mark the secondary channel.
I find the official titles of these secondary channel markers a little confusing: 'preferred channel to port” just doesn't do it for me. I reckon the easiest way to remember it is to look at the 'main” colour – the main colour refers to the 'main” channel. If the beacon is mainly green, you treat it like any other green or starboard marker and leave it to starboard, when you are using the main channel. The 'small” colour refers to the 'small” channel, so if you want the secondary channel, use the colour of the small stripe as your guide. Does that help?
There are quite a few of these markers around the Tauranga harbour.

The green/red/green beacon 'The Leaner” No.19 at the tip of Sulphur Point is a good example. Being mainly green, it tells you that if you want the main channel (the Stella Passage leading to the harbour bridges and Tauranga) you would leave it to starboard, like you would with any green beacon. The small red stripe on the marker tells you that if you want the secondary channel leading past the Sulphur Point marina, you should leave the marker to port.

Cardinal Marks
There are a few cardinal beacons in Tauranga harbour. Instead of using the flood tide as a reference, these use a compass direction to tell you which side to pass on. They tell you where to go: i.e. a north cardinal mark tells you the clear water is to the north of the marker. North mark = go north; south mark = go south and so on.
These beacons are yellow and black. The triangle topmarks point to where you need to go:
- the North topmark has triangles that point 'up” or to the North – go to the north of it;
- the South topmark has triangles that point 'down” or to the South – go south;
- the West topmark looks like two 'Ws” on their sides (Wasp-Waisted = West);
- and the East topmark must be the one that's opposite to the West one. It looks like an Egg.

Water Ski Access Lanes
These are marked with orange and black striped poles. They extend out 200m from the beach, allow you to ski right up to the beach. If you're using an access lane, you must keep to the right and ski anticlockwise.

Reserved Areas
These are areas set aside for special purposes. They are marked with striped white and black poles. There are PWC or 'jet ski” areas set aside especially for those craft at Matapihi, Harrison's Cut at Papamoa and also at Tuapiro Point.
There are water ski areas set aside for skiing at Hunter's Creek, Tuapiro Point and opposite Ongare and Kauri Points on Matakana Island.
A harbour map showing all these areas is available from Environment Bay of Plenty's office in Rata Street, Mount Maunganui or you can download it from our website.
Well, it's time to see if there's any red port wine left. Don't go overboard with the booze (literally or figuratively) when boating this summer. Safe boating – and have a great summer!