Photo: RNZ / Tom Taylor
Auckland Council will temporarily shut vehicle access to Muriwai Beach tomorrow due to fire risk.
Vehicle access will close from Wednesday until further notice. It comes after Fire and Emergency banned outdoor fires in all of Auckland from Friday last week.
Regional parks manager Scott De Silva said the need to stay vigilant to prevent fire outbreaks has never been more important in remote regional park areas like Muriwai.
"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."
Rural and forest areas are extremely dry, despite high humidity and occasional light rain. These conditions have created a "significant risk of fire outbreaks", which won't improve until the region receives a substantial soaking in rain, the council said.
There are some showers forcast 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. Signage will inform drivers there is currently no vehicle access and gates will be in place from 8am Wednesday.
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland's recent fire ban brings an extreme fire watch right across the top of the North Island, including the regions of Northland and the Coromandel/Waikato.
The ban follows several uncontrolled fires in the Auckland region this summer that wreaked devastation to an area of bush near Te Henga Bethells Beach, at Long Bay and Anawhata Beach.
"We are urging people to take no risks anywhere in our regional parks network, until the current conditions change," De Silva said.
Residents are advised to avoid any outdoor activity that could cause a spark, including mowing, welding or diving a car through long grass, as well as only using established barbecues at parks and beach areas to cook food.
