KEY POINTS:
The holiday tradition of digging your toes into the sand for pipi and tuatua is in jeopardy at beaches across the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty.
A paralytic poison has infected shellfish all along the coast between Tairua and the Motu River, east of Opotiki, and health authorities are warning of dire health consequences for anyone who collects and eats shellfish from the area.
Paralysis and respiratory failure are two possible effects of eating pipi, mussels, oysters, scallops and other sea creatures affected by the paralytic shellfish toxin.
Even in lesser quantities, the poison can cause numbness, dizziness, double vision, and difficulty swallowing or breathing.
A warning was issued on December 18 after toxic shellfish were found along the Bay of Plenty coastline from Mt Maunganui to the Rangitaiki River, between Matata and Whakatane.
It has now been extended to cover the Coromandel coast from Tairua (including Tairua Harbour), south to beaches including Whiritoa, Whangamata, Onemana, and east along the Bay of Plenty coast to the Motu River.
Toi Te Ora, the Bay of Plenty District Health Board's public health service, said Tauranga and Ohiwa harbours, and all inshore islands along the large coastal area were affected.
"Further sampling unfortunately confirms high levels of paralytic shellfish poison along this extended stretch of coast," Toi Te Ora medical officer of health Dr Phil Shoemack said.
"The levels of toxin are particularly high and we strongly urge people to avoid all shellfish from this area until further notice."
Warning signs had already been placed on Bay of Plenty beaches and further ones were being installed along the Coromandel coast yesterday.
Anyone suffering illness after eating shellfish was advised to seek medical attention.
Updates on warnings will be posted on the New Zealand Food Safety Authority website.
