Climate change in NZ

King tide shows signs of things to come

Delwyn Dickey

TRICKY ACCESS: Good weather is forecast for Saturday’s king tide so little flooding is expected. Low spots subject to flooding include parts of the Orewa Estuary pathway and the northwestern motorway’s cycleway between Waterview and Te Atatu, pictured being used by a stand-up paddleboard rider.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/66335014/King-tide-shows-signs-of-things-to-come

18 February, 2016

It's going to be one of the highest tides of the year but mild weather and light winds for Saturday morning's super high tide mean it's unlikely to be a high drama affair.

Even so it will be of particular interest for some.

With Rodney and Hibiscus Coast's many beaches and estuaries, and low-lying farmland around Kaipara Harbour, rising sea levels will impact here more than in any other Auckland area, council inundation maps show.

Delwyn Dickey

KING HIT: The Riverhead bridge walkway goes under water during a king tide on February 2 last year.

Orewa is likely to be one of Auckland's biggest urban populations to be affected in the coming century.

Saturday's super high tide will provide a glimpse of how rising sea levels will shape the future of Auckland's coastline, King Tide event manager Ben Sheeran says.

Auckland's King Tides Initiative (King Tides AKL) will be at Orewa Beach from 7am to help people document the king tide, peaking at 10.04am on the east coast and 12.12pm on the west coast,

This provides a rare opportunity for coastal home owners, beach users and wildlife enthusiasts to see first-hand how rising sea levels may impact their lifestyle, recreational and business interests - and their pockets, he said.

"We are encouraging people to document these exceptionally high tides by photographing their local shorelines," Sheeran said.

In this way they could capture the effects of high water levels on buildings, walkways, roads and other infrastructure, as well as beaches, wetlands and coastal wildlife habitats, he said.

The King Tides AKL team has designated photo and live-stream video areas set up at "hot spot" locations around Auckland where people can see the king tide using the social media platform, Facebook.com/kingtidesakl, or be photographed witnessing the king tide as is happens.

They can also twitter or Instagram @kingtidesakl and #kingtidesakl.

The Orewa hot spot will be by the Moana Reserve, at the corner of Moana Ave and the Hibiscus Coast Highway.

Participants who share king tide images on their website and view others via social media go into the draw to win a GoPro camera as part of the King Tides Akl 2015 Photo Competition.

The live-stream videos will also be shared with King Tides AKL partner Auckland Civil Defence and Emergency Management which is also participating in Saturday morning's events.

It may also highlight the need for faster progress on Orewa Beach repairs after storms early last year, Hibiscus and Bays Local Board chairwoman Julia Parfitt said.

People need to make submissions in numbers to the draft Auckland long-term plan telling the council to get on with the job, she said.

Parfitt said people should realise the council needs consents to do the work, but something permanent is needed, and the urgency rises with each bad storm.

"It's been the board's top priority for some time.

"The king tide on Saturday highlights that with global warming there is a huge need to protect the assets we have."

But not everyone agrees protecting coastal assets is the answer. While sea walls may be appropriate in some places, Auckland climate change architectural specialist Bernd Gundermann believes resilience means living with encroaching water rather than trying to keep it out.

This will be much cheaper in the long run, but will also help communities build resilience, he said.