Beach Day set to be a stunner

HOT SPOT: Waimarama Beach Day is set to sizzle again on Sunday. PHOTO FILE

Waimarama Surf Life Saving Club is gearing up for another annual beach day tomorrow which will see more than 10,000 people make their way to the local hotspot for a family day in the sun.

Metservice meteorologist Lisa Murray said tomorrow was set to be a "perfect day at the beach" weather-wise.

Beach goers should come prepared to slip, slop, slap and wrap as the day's temperature will be in the 30-32 degree range with minimal wind, Ms Murray said.

"Overall the winds are really quite light, it's going to be a really good day for it."

Ms Murray said any cloud in the morning should clear by the time the beach day event begins.

Starting at 10am, the day is set to be filled with activities such as a beach dig, sandcastle competition, dash for cash and the famous Mr and Ms Waimarama competitions.

Competition organiser Damon Schmidt said the Waimarama Beach Day, purposed to raise funds for the life saving club, has now been running for more than 20 years.

"It's quite a big staple for the Hawke's Bay calendar," he said.

Waimarama Surf Life Saving Club director of life guarding Jason Broome said there will be a checkpoint at the Waimarama Beach entrance to collect donations for the club, and encouraged people to be generous in their giving.

"It's a very important public service. Last year we rescued about 30 people from our beach. We save lives, that's our job, to keep people safe," he said.

Mr Broome said it costs $150,000 each year to run the club; equipment, maintenance and first aid courses are all part of this cost.

"One thing we'd really like to get is an all-terrain vehicle because we've currently got a quad bike and with the new health and safety codes and the number of accidents on them, and how old it is, we need to sell it and move to something a bit more modern," he said.

Mr Broome estimated a new vehicle would cost about $20,000 and would enable lifeguards to travel in groups of two or three, as opposed to just one, along the entire length of the beach for rescue missions.

A new defibrillator was also needed to replace the club's current one that is more than 16 years old, Mr Broome said. He estimated this would cost about $5000.

With the forecast for tomorrow looking so sunny, Mr Schmidt encouraged the public to bring their own sunscreen for the big day, adding that there would also be free sunscreen available.

Mr Schmidt said Mr Waimarama, which was successfully refloated last year, gives local males who have been "slaving away at the gym" a chance to strut their stuff.

This year the Waimarama Surf Life Saving Club is also adding a 'Kids Zone' to Waimarama Beach Day to add a carnival atmosphere to the day, with bouncy castles, rides and face painting.

Along with assorted food vendors there will be a bbq lunch for attendees where all proceeds will given to Waimarama Surf Club.