Surfers check out Mt Maunganui's artificial reef

Picture / SURF2SURF.com

Surfers have had their first go at New Zealand's first man-made reef in chest to shoulder high waves.

Though the reef is not yet finished, a northeasterly described as "small and rather soft" brought 1 metre swells to the Mt Maunganui coast on Sunday.

Body boarders and stand-up surfers both enjoyed the waves, though wipeouts were common, local observers said.

Mount Reef Executive Officer David Neilson explained the process for finishing the project.

He said: "It will only take a day or two to complete the filling of the smaller bags on the eastern side of the reef and to top up the seaward side of the big bags which are about 1.5m lower than the beach end.

"Another six days of perfect weather after that should see the whole of the western side of the reef completed and the reef finally ready to function as designed.

"We've been plagued with constant swell throughout, and even the smallest swell means we have to stop work and wait for it to drop."

- HERALD ONLINE STAFF