Landslide brings farmland to sea-level

Farmer David Craig (right) and his wife, Antonia, on the massive slip that blocked a beach on Saturday. Picture / Glenn Jeffrey

A farmer's fence is sitting out in what was the sea after a massive landslide on Auckland's west coast.

Awhitu Peninsula dairy farmer David Craig said he didn't hear or feel anything during the slip, thought to have happened on Saturday afternoon.

"It looks pretty funny, with fence posts and flax plants right out in the Tasman. We're lucky we didn't lose any cows," he said.

"There's usually plenty of people on the beach so we've been lucky in that way, but this slip will landlock a large part of the peninsula."

He estimated more than half a hectare of his land had disappeared down a 190m-high cliff, with a strip of Franklin District Council reserve land planted with flax and other native plants to try to stop erosion.

Debris covered more than 2ha at the bottom of the cliff and stretched around 400m out from what was the shoreline.

"Most farmers have done planting along the cliffs but nature will have its way in the end. The original survey peg is probably 100m out in the Tasman now."

Mr Craig said that while his and his neighbour's houses were set well inland, one "Auckland lifestyler" might have to rethink his house-building plans.