A landslide has crashed onto Cathedral Cove. Video / Chris Southwick
Coromandel iwi Ngāti Hei has lifted its rāhui at Cathedral Cove today as walking tracks remain closed and the Department of Conservation (DoC) continues to work on future options for the much-loved tourist destination.
Ngāti Hei placed a rāhui, a temporary ritual prohibition, over Cathedral Cove in February, after Cyclone Gabrielle damaged tracks to the cove and washed away built structures at the bottom of the track which gives access to the cove.
Despite lifting the rāhui, the iwi re-emphasised its support for DoC’s closure of tracks due to ongoing rockfall and landslides.
Ngāti Hei kaumātua Joe Davis said: “Ngāti Hei still believes the whenua needs a rest. We still care about the wellbeing of people engaging with this important cultural site – and we urge people to respect DoC’s restrictions on access.”
Ngāti Hei leaders also highlighted the need for the whenua to heal from what they have expressed as abuse of a culturally significant site.
Davis says the iwi, like DoC staff, are aware people continue to disregard the track closure and find ways of accessing the beach from the land, including creating their own paths through the bush.
Cathedral Cove Cruises take small numbers to see the tourist attraction via sea.
“We’re concerned people are putting themselves in harm’s way by ignoring the warnings. We do not want anyone getting hurt at Cathedral Cove, and we cannot manage visitors’ health and safety if they choose not to pay attention to the warnings.”
DoC Coromandel operations manager Nick Kelly says the department appreciates that people still want to see Cathedral Cove but urged them to “see it from the sea”.
“As we’ve repeatedly stated, there is a very real risk of potentially harmful rockfall and erosion at this beach. DoC has a responsibility to manage and publicise that risk, which is what we’ve been doing,” Kelly says.
“A particular concern for us is the type of visitors who traditionally go to Cathedral Cove – they’re day-trippers looking for a safe and easy walk to a beach. With damaged tracks and the risk of landslides and rockfall, it’s not suitable for this type of visitors who’ve traditionally gone there.”
Work to decommission the toilets on the beach has also begun this week.
A slip at Cathedral Cove. Photo / Chris Twemlow, Department of Conservation
As recently as September, rocks the size of chilly bins fell from the cove’s famous arch. DoC staff have now finalised the installation of signs that warn of the risks.
The risk was assessed and identified in an independent report provided to DoC by Tonkin + Taylor. The report is published on the DoC website.
Visitors planning to access Cathedral Cove from the sea are advised to inform themselves of the risk on the beach and to take into account weather, sea and tide conditions before attempting to land.
DoC says it is still working on options to reimagine the Cathedral Cove/Hahei conservation experience, taking into account the impacts of climate change and the need to make sensible investments in long-term resilient solutions.
So far, DoC hasn’t announced a timeframe for when Cathedral Cove walking tracks could be reopened.
The tīkanga (procedure) to lift the rāhui was completed last week.
