Auckland owners of modified Safaris, Cruisers and other jacked up 4x4s will have to venture further afield for their off roading fix as Auckland Council has announced a temporary closure of Muriwai Beach to vehicles. This is due to the risk of fire. The closure comes into place tomorrow (Wednesday, 19 March) and the beach will remain shut to vehicles until further notice.
This follows on from Fire and Emergency announcing a ban on all outdoor fires in the Auckland region, which has been in place since March 14.
Regional parks manager Scott De Silva was reported by RNZ as saying ; “This environment is particularly vulnerable as the ground around dunes and the nearby forest is sand-based – and exceptionally dry. We are increasingly concerned about the risk of an outbreak in the current conditions,” De Silva said.
“We will be monitoring the situation carefully and taking advice from Fire and Emergency New Zealand. We’ll continue to keep Aucklanders informed of further updates.”
There are some showers forecast for Auckland this week but NIWA and MetService are predicting little rain for the rest of March.
Coast Road and Wilson Road will continue to provide beach access for pedestrians and horses.
