At least 25 Auckland beaches deemed high risk, four closed over high levels of faecal bacteria

8:27 pm on 1 December 2024
Dozens of beaches around Auckland have been put on high alert (denoted by red icons) due to high levels of faecal bacteria. The black icons show beaches that have been closed.

Dozens of beaches around Auckland have been put on high alert (denoted by red icons) due to high levels of faecal bacteria. The black icons show beaches that have been closed. Photo: Screenshot / Safeswim

Dozens of Auckland beaches have been put on high alert and some have been closed due to high levels of faecal bacteria.

At least 25 beaches have been deemed high risk across the city, with Safeswim water quality models predicting levels of faecal bacteria that breach national safety guidelines.

Four inner-city beaches have also been closed due to waste water overflow: Herne Bay, Home Bay, Judges Bay, and Te Tinana.

Beachgoers were advised not to go swimming while Safeswim high risk alerts were in effect.

Along Auckland's North Shore, the majority of beaches are deemed high risk.

Popular Takapuna beach, Milford beach, Browns Bay and Long Bay are among those marked as unsafe to swim.

However, those south of Takapuna, including Narrow Neck and Cheltenham, are all marked safe.

In the east of the city, Saint Heliers, Ōkahu Bay, Ōrākei, Point England, Eastern Beach, Farm Cove and Cockle Bay have also been labelled as safe to swim.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs