Editorial: No excuse for people not to respect our beaches

Linda Hall.

Good on the community at East Clive beach for kicking up a stink about vehicles driving on the beach.

Some people seem to think that any beach where they can see sand in the distance is fair game to drive on. It's not.

If you want to drive on the beach, find one that doesn't have big signs banning vehicles.

It's a Kiwi thing to do, always has been. Remember the beach buggies that were a craze for a while. Now it's four-wheel-drives or quad bikes.

It's fun. I've been to Cape Kidnappers on the back of a quad bike on a glorious summer's day. It was spectacular, it's a great way to see some of our beautiful region that can't be accessed by car.

We didn't roar up and down like idiots and we certainly didn't leave any rubbish behind. We acted sensibly unlike others I've seen on the beach.

Unfortunately it's people like that who will see the end of any vehicle on any beach. People who just don't give a damn about anything or anybody except their own pleasure.

The Hawke's Bay Regional Council said in yesterday's paper that it would be taking a "hard line" on those flouting the rules.

They intend to increase the policing of the Clive beach areas.

People would get one warning before being issued with trespass notices. Hopefully that will be enough to deter them, but I somehow doubt that.

Maybe a hit to the pocket in the way of a fine would be a better deterrent.

Vehicles have been banned from this beach since 2003 so there really is no excuse.