One of Auckland’s most popular beaches declared safe after sewage overflow

One of Auckland’s most popular swimming beaches has now been declared safe after it was made off limits earlier today following wastewater overflow being detected.

The black flag - meaning there’s a very high illness risk from swimming - was figuratively raised last night at both the Takapuna and Takapuna North Beaches due to the issue.

“You won’t see black flags at the beach - instead the black flag is listed on the Safeswim website. Please check the site before swimming at any Auckland beach or bay,” Watercare told members of the Takapuna, Milford & Nearby NZ Facebook group last night.

The overflow was contained to a stormwater overflow and removed before reaching the beach, Watercare said.

Auckland Council spokesperson Holly Reid told the Herald the area round the beach has now deemed safe for swimming.

Judges Bay remains under a black flag status.

Herne Bay and Home Bay were deemed off limits earlier today but the Safeswim website now lists them as safe.

Last December, more than 20 Auckland beaches became unsafe after a deluge washed sewage, including human faeces, into the sea.

The Safeswim website had black-flagged popular beaches including Mission Bay, Kohimarama, Cheltenham, Milford and Mellons Bay.

Safeswim said at the time the levels of faecal bacteria had breached national guidelines for swimming and posed a high risk to anyone getting in the water.

That incident came three months after a sinkhole opened in Parnell, causing wastewater to overflow into the Waitematā Harbour, closing many of the city’s inner-harbour beaches for weeks.

The 13m-deep hole was caused by a collapsed brick pipe below a private property on St Georges Bay Rd in Parnell that served central and West Auckland.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown said decades of underinvestment resulted in the overflow.

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