Puzzle over Lake Tarawera beach walks

The Rotorua District Council is still unable to say if the public has the right to walk on the beach at Lake Tarawera's Waitangi Bay.

The issue arose after an argument between the owners of the Waitangi Lodge, Chris and Janet Watmore, and a Whakatane man who claimed he was ordered off the beach when he and his family visited it before Christmas.

Since then it has been discovered that the Waitangi Bay beachfront includes a strip of exposed lakebed that is not under the council's jurisdiction and not within the Watmore's property boundary.


Land Information New Zealand crown property manager Paul Jackson said the situation could be resolved by the Watmores applying for a certificate of ownership of the beachfront, or the council moving to vest it as a public reserve.

Mr Watmore said he was not worried about how the public access question would be resolved because he had no objection at all to people coming to the bay.

"It's just that you get the occasional idiot who tries to mess around with it. It's such a beautiful natural spot and we want to do our best to keep it that way."

- NZPA