Motorist's guide
Pouto dunelands
- The beach is classified as a road. Road rules apply.
- 4WD recommended.
Suggestions
- There are large parts of Pouto that have no cell phone coverage. Ideally, you would take a shovel, board, tyre pressure gauge and tow rope.
- If sand is soft, deflate tires to 20 or 15 lbs psi.
- Travel on the beach 3 hours after the high tide. Move your vehicle off the beach 2 hours before high tide.
- Drive or ride along the hard sand of the inter-tidal area.
- Avoid the beach at night.
Be aware
The beach is in constant and extreme change.
- Parts of the beach are often impassable even at half tide if tides are big or if wave conditions are onshore.
- Beach conditions can deteriorate rapidly during storm events. Be aware of soft sand areas near stream outlets especially following heavy rain. Slow down and engage a lower gear for streams flowing across the beach. Other places have ripples and holes, which are hard to see.
- Sand with a layer of water is very hazardous and should be avoided.
Quicksand
- Some areas such as near Midge Rocks almost always have soft areas. If you get stuck: Try reversing out in your tracks and then look for a new route. If unable to reverse out, remove the piled up sand in front of the wheels and try to drive forwards.
Motorist's courtesy
- Slow down and keep away from other beach users.
- Be aware that children often play away from their parents.
- Enter and leave the beach in a manner, which is considerate.
Motorist's Care Code
All vehicles and horses must stay below the high tide mark.
Dunes
Pouto
There is a very real threat to the area from recreational vehicles on the dunes. Dunes are a vital part of Pouto's ecosystem. They act as a massive energy absorber and barrier from the wild elements. Vegetation traps windblown sand to maintain the dune barrier.
Damaging any vegetation causes erosion of the dunes. This enables increased sand movement, which causes irrevocable damage to the lakes, wetlands and entire ecosystem.
Birds and shellfish
- Do not drive or ride through areas of drift wood around the high tide mark as birds may be nesting there.
- Avoid the toheroa beds. At 3/4 tide the shellfish beds are vulnerable to damage from vehicles as the shellfish are close to the surface. The beds can be identified by areas of small cylindrical inverted breath holes.
We remind you that is illegal to take or gather any toheroa.
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