As tourists descend on the Waikato and Coromandel regions over the summer period, the agencies tasked with keeping an eye on assessing the suitability of water for swimming and other recreational activities say water quality is high and most Coromandel beaches are safe for swimming.
The beaches are monitored weekly from November to March by the Waikato Regional Council (WRC) as part of their summer monitoring programme, and most coastal beaches including holiday hotspots Whangamatā, Buffalo Beach, Hot Water Beach and Pāuanui North are open for water activities.
The last samples taken for the Coromandel region’s beaches were between December 18 and 19, and full results can be viewed here.
Samples collected on February 7 2023 show Grahams Stream and the receiving area of Tairua Harbour are generally unsafe to swim.
The site’s catchment contains a mixture of native bush and wetland frequented by many birds and is deemed unsafe due to their contamination. Water quality is not being monitored at this site this summer.