Oil spill in Tauranga Harbour

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An oil spill in Tauranga Harbour has reached as far as Maungatapu.

Maungatapu resident Martin Neill said he first noticed the smell of diesel but didn't realise there had been oil washed up onto his property until after high tide.+

Image 1 of 8: A large slick of oil can be seen at Tauranga Marina. Photo/Amanda Witherell

"I've rung the Coastguard and authorities but they've said 'it's only a little bit'.

"This is not a little bit. This is huge."

A reporter at Mr Neill's property said the oil slick was disgusting and "reeks".

The oil could be seen in a thick black line marking the high tide mark, she said."It's not a minimal spill at all.

"The whole bay seems to have quite a bit of oil."

Bay of Plenty Regional Council released a statement this afternoon confirming the spill, and confessing that poor weather has hampered efforts to track how far the oil has reached.

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The oil spill occurred earlier today when a ship was bunkering at the Port of Tauranga. An oil slick was spotted by Bridge Marina staff who contacted Bay of Plenty Regional Council's Pollution Hotline and the Port.

Regional Council oil spill On Scene Commander Adrian Heays said severe weather was hampering oil retrieval. Some booms were proving ineffective in the high winds and heavy seas, so staff were using the best booms for the conditions.

It appeared an oil line on a berthed ship had leaked and oil spilled near berths further along. Once the spill was spotted bunkering was stopped, and responders were attempting to get under the wharf to fix the leak.

"At this stage we don't have any idea how much oil was lost. This means there could be oil coming ashore on beaches, and on boats," he said.

"We would appreciate people who spot oil on their boat or on beaches to contact the Regional Council's Pollution Hotline on 0800 884 883 so we can determine where the oil is spreading to."

People can also report oil affected wildlife via 07 578 7677 and follow the automated prompts

He said the spill occurred on an incoming tide, and the tide had now turned, which could mean the oil would be taken out to sea. So far four streams had been spotted heading towards the railway bridge. However conditions were bad and cleaning up the spill was proving difficult.

"We have staff working on it, and have notified Maritime New Zealand."