New research shows just how sick Okahu Bay is.
Unitec student Richelle Kahui-McConnell's two-year study shows only 10 pipi and no mature cockles live there. In a healthy bay, there should be around 4500 shellfish per sq m. The best that Okahu Bay can do is 500 per sq m, says Ms Kahui-McConnell.
Te Hira Hawke, of Orakei, remembers when beds were full of kaimoana: "You never had to go far to collect enough to feed an entire tangi.''
He and his neighbours gave up 15 years ago. They were getting blotchy spots when they entered the water.
Mr Hawke thinks Okahu Bay is hard done by.