Muriwai - North West Face

Update on access to the North West Face, Otakamiro Point, Muriwai - 19 January 2025

As some members will know, immediately before Christmas we were finally successful in obtaining Auckland Council's permission to again use the NW Face launch site on Otakamiro Point at Muriwai.

However, it transpired that the track access that Council proposed we use was totally unworkable.

I subsequently met with Wallis, one of the Council rangers, walked the area and proposed an alternative that involved cutting a new access path through 90m of head-high flax. Wallis obtained Council agreement to this proposal, so a big thank you to the efforts of Wallis, Joe Ward, Evan & Janice Lamberton & Robbo Robinson who helped cut this new path and also cleared an area of the previous launch site on Tuesday 14 January.

Apart from issues arising out of last year’s cyclone that caused the Council to close public access to Muriwai, there is another reason Council has been reluctant to allow the resumption of public access to Otakamiro Point: For more than ten years it has been known that a small number of grey-faced petrels have been nesting in the small forested valley on Otakamiro Point. As a result of volunteer activity pest control by locals, less human activity through Covid, and the recent closure due to slips, the number of grey-faced petrels is slowly increasing, with a second species of petrel also now being found at the site.

The petrels come ashore at night, nesting under the roots of the trees in the forested valley, which is along the route that we've previously been using to access the NW Face. Their breeding cycle means the adult petrels and/or chicks are present for two-thirds of the year. Human activity and pests, including dogs, are the major deterrent to the petrels’ continued existence.

Hence the Council is trying to restrict public access to this area and why it is essential that we stick to the new track delineated in the attached map. The start of this new track is marked with blue tape on some flax at the top of a bank alongside the well-used public track between the road to the Maukatia carpark and Muriwai beach proper. From there the track continues west past the water tanks (Photo 1) and up a short rise (Photo 2) to where the new cut track starts (Photo 3 ), again marked with a blue tape.

N.B. Both ends of the track are deliberately poorly defined as Council is keen that it doesn’t become heavily used by the public – please do not be tempted to cut back the vegetation at these entrances.

Over the period that the launch site has been closed there has been substantial growth of flax and other vegetation that made it much more difficult to take off. Council has allowed us to undertake some limited clearing of vegetation to re-establish the launch site, but please do not carry out any additional vegetation clearance, especially given the amount of interest in the area by local conservationists, pest control volunteers, Council and Iwi. In particular, please take care not to damage the historic kumara pits located at the rear of the launch site (these now appear as small depressions in the ground).

For any queries please contact:

Tony Seaman

AHGPC Council Liaison

tony@promoco.co.nz

0274 93302

Site clearing 14 Jan 2025

Track to be used for accessing NW Face

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

The North West Face remains closed for access, due to the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle.
Message from Auckland Council:

The Geotech reports have revealed that the land at both access points to Otakamiro Point is unstable and in need of significant remedial work.
As a result, the tracks will not be open this summer season.
Unfortunately, this means that your club members won't be able to access the site.

For details:
Media Release - Maukatia Access

We highlighted that we don't use that access track, but Council's concerns over safety still prevail.
And it would send mixed messages about access to the wider public.

So while we may have a few NW winds over the next few months, we won't be able to make use of them at the NW face, and this site remains closed.

Maukatia - Maori Bay is still open, but with some conditions, see the site page for more information.

Site Information

There are three separate flying sites in this area: the North West Face, Maori Bay, and a private take-off to the south.

The North West face is a particularly enjoyable small site and, owing to its very public profile, care should be taken to not to create any bad impressions of the sport.

Please read the information on the Gannett colony in particular under Mandatory Notices before flying this site.

Scratching close to the Pohutakawa trees tends to cause anxiety in the general public and to the park rangers and therefore should be avoided.

Muriwai is reached by taking State highway 16 out of Auckland to Waimauku and then turning left following the signs to Muriwai beach.

The North west site described as 'The North West face' is in fact the north westerly facing section of Otakmiro point which is located at the southern end of Muriwai beach, adjacent to the main lower car park.

Access to this site closed from 1997 to 1999 and permission was regained with specific access paths being approved.

Access may be obtained from the lower public car park by taking the track starting opposite the toilets and following the ridge to the right as it climbs sharply to the top. Alternatively access may be obtained by parking vehicles in the Maori Bay public ca rpark and walking back down to where the track enters the bush on the left. The access track starts immediately opposite this gravelled area, entering through the bush to the top of the ridge. Check with local pilots for an access update before flying.

Whilst the upper launch has been closed a lower launch has been used which is further to the west in a low bowl where the track from the main Muriwai Beach turns 90 from the cliff and leads up to the look outs over the gannet colony.

Site Type

Coastal.

Landing

No landing or glider handling is permitted on the dunes in front of the north west face, and landing on the beach is restricted during the period December to February when the portion of the beach below the north west face is closed to vehicle traffic to 500 metres north of Motutara Road.

Weather and Wind Direction

North West

The club operates a weather station at Muriwai

Mandatory Notices

Over-flying the gannet colony located on the western tip of Otakamiro Point is prohibited, the boundary to be observed being the public walking track and observation points. Please ensure you keep clear enough of the Gannets that you do not disturb them, including shadows passing over the colony. This is a very public area and if we are seen to be disturbing the colony we could loose site access.

Site Radio Channel

Channel 20 - 476.900MHz

Restrictions

Either "None" or a sub heading for both Hang Gliding and Paragliding. If, for example, only Hang Gliding is applicable, also add a Paragliding heading with "None".

Hang Gliding

HG Novice

Paragliding

Lower takeoff - PG2 + 60 hours

Other take off - PG2

Cautions

Be aware during landing on the beach of movement of vehicles (this is a public road).

Take care particularly in summer when a large number of beach users are in the area.

Landing on the golf course is not permitted and, landing in the lower car park is not recommended.

Beware of helicopters operating from the heli pad located behind the Surf Club.

Paraglider and Hang glider pilots are not the only users of these Muriwai sites and you need to remain alert for the possibility of radio controlled models whose operator's perceptions of your height and speed are not always that accurate.

If using the lower take off be careful to check the wind is square in and that there is enough beach available to land on the event of not achieving sufficient lift. This is a particularly tricky site as any cross wind carries you immediately against the trees and launch is so low that if you don't get lift on the first pass then you have no option but to land.

Airspace

All of the Muriwai cliff flying sites are located within VFR Transit Lan T158 Te Henga, with a ceiling of 2000ft ASL, and no access to airspace behind the cliffs (Class D controlled airspace, and MBZ).

Access Conditions

Being part of the Regional Park care again needs to be taken of vegetation etc. and, when landing on the beach consideration of other beach users is required.

The Regional park rules under which we are permitted to use the site ban commercial operation (tandems, schools, teaching etc ) unless a specific concession has been granted.

On no account is any other portion of the Peninsula other than North westerly face to be used as a launch site nor access obtained.

In particular the previously used access track directly above the public car park area of Maori bay is closed owing to discovery of Maori remains in this area.

Over-flying of the gannet colony located on the western tip of Otakamiro Point is prohibited, the boundary to be observed being the public walking track and observation points.

Site Monitor

In the absence of Joe Ward until January, acting Site Monitor is Tony Seaman, 0274 933 023
Joe Ward: 0274 718 418

Notes

None.

Site Achievements