Cyclone Hale - Coromandel boating club could lose its building due to erosion. Video / Hayden Woodward
Mercury Bay Boating Club in Whitianga has reached out for support as it seeks to relocate its clubrooms.
Its old facility was left teetering on the water’s edge as large swells and surging tides caused by ex-cyclone Hale eroded metres of foreshore and was then moved 25 metres inland.
Club commodore Simon Rawlinson said the club had identified an alternative site in Dundas St and was scheduled to meet with affected parties next week as it went through the public consultation process.
He said Dundas St has been identified as the only suitable alternative in the area for a number of reasons, including proximity to the water, location close to the town’s marina and district plan zoning.
Rawlinson said the process was pushing ahead at a “great rate of knots”.
On Wednesday’s Mercury Bay Community Board meeting, attended by Thames-Coromandel Mayor Len Salt, Rawlinson told the board the public had now been notified of the club’s intention to relocate the clubhouse.
It was seeking support from the board for the relocation of the clubrooms.
Rawlinson said it was an unfortunate circumstance the club was not able to approach the community board earlier in the process, as they were taken by surprise by the swiftness in which the Department of Conservation (DoC) acted.
The club’s first application to relocate the clubrooms was lodged with DoC in December 2023, and it was then told in January that it could be between six and nine months before they would hear back.
Then, at the end of March, the club received a letter from DoC, saying the application would be put out to public notification in early April.
“Regarding the public notification, we see the club as a valuable community asset, it is not just used by the boat club and for boat club activities.”
He said the club had since undertaken a thorough investigation of potential sites.
Damage caused by storm surges at Mercury Bay Boating Club in Whitianga. Photo / Lynley Ward
Ideally, they wanted to stay at the current site, but it had since become a heritage-listed site, and there were ongoing threats of erosion, which would make the facility uninsurable.
“We looked at many reserves and we settled on our latest proposal of the Dundas site, due mainly to the fact it’s zoned for marine services.
“We are a perfect fit for the zoning of the area.”
The community board agreed to receive the club’s submission, and deferred a decision on whether to support it, to allow time for the board to seek informal community views before public submissions close.
In its application to DoC, the club said the Dundas St site was reclaimed land, which did not exist at the time the clubhouse building was constructed in the late 1990s.
Had it been available at that time, the club would have sought permission to establish the clubhouse building in that location.
Sandbags protect the newly relocated Mercury Bay Boating Club.
The clubhouse was officially opened in 1997.
The club proposed a lease of an area of 2374m², bounded by the Whitianga Harbour on one side and Crown Land leased by the Whitianga Marina Society on the other.
“The proposal is not likely to result in any significant environmental impacts,” the club said in its application.
The proposal would not unduly restrict public access to the reserve or boat ramp.
“The Mercury Bay Boating Club has a long-standing connection with the Mercury Bay community, enjoys excellent community and volunteer support and has one of the most successful junior sailing programmes in the country.
“The current predicament faced by the club as a result of the cyclone events of 2023 has been challenging, yet club membership remains strong and the club is looking to further expand and grow its summer sailing programme this year, albeit from a temporary base out of a shipping container.
“This demonstrates the high level of commitment and determination by the club and its members to overcome the hurdles currently faced and reflects the importance of the club as an asset to the wider community.”
Submissions on Mercury Bay Boating Club’s application for a lease in Whitianga can be made until May 9. Submission forms can be downloaded online.
