Ōrewa Reserve is a beachside park that sits between Ōrewa Beach Holiday Park and Riverside Road. The reserve is a popular location for visitors and a wide variety of recreational activities.
Orewa Surf Lifesaving Club is also located on the reserve.
Drone shot of a section of Ōrewa Reserve.
Ōrewa Reserve's coastline is facing serious erosion issues due to rising sea levels and climate change.
As part of the Ōrewa seawall project, we are building a seawall and shared path at the northern end of the beach between Marine View and Kohu Street. The narrow section of esplanade reserve is vulnerable to erosion. Without the seawall, there will be no walking access during high-tide.
Getting approval for the seawall project was a challenging and costly process for the council. The proposal went to the Environment Court for the final decision.
This is why we are considering other ways to manage erosion along Ōrewa Beach.
As sea levels rise, beach areas in front of seawalls will become increasingly submerged during higher tides.
Restoring the dunes at the reserve will help maintain an area of dry sand on the beach even when the tide is high. This will provide a larger area of beach for the public to enjoy.
The Ōrewa Reserve Future Management project aims to manage erosion by restoring the dunes at the reserve. This project aligns with the Shoreline Adaptation Programme that looks at how we manage the effects of climate change on Auckland’s coastlines.
We want to create a gentle slope through the dunes to the beach. This will be better than the sharp drop off between the reserve and the beach that often happens due to erosion.
In time, the restored dunes will look like the dunes at the southern end of the beach in front of the Ōrewa Beach Holiday Park.
Ōrewa Reserve is an ideal location for dune restoration because there is enough space to:
Drone shot of established dunes at southern end of Ōrewa Reserve.
Restoring the dunes will:
The dune landscape will experience some damage following storm events, but they will recover naturally. From time to time, they could require some reshaping and replanting.
The Norfolk pines and pōhutukawa trees growing along the eroded edge of the reserve are vulnerable to coastal storms. About 20 years ago, Rodney District Council planted more trees away from the coastal edge. These trees are now beginning to mature and enhance the reserve.
Over time, we will need to relocate some council facilities away from the coastal hazard zone:
The Ōrewa Surf Life Saving Club's new building will be built further away from the beach.
Ngāti Manuhiri are one of the iwi for Ōrewa and hold mana whenua (customary authority) over the reserve. They support dune restoration at Ōrewa Reserve as it aligns with their values of protection and improvement of:
We have developed four concept options as a result of:
You can give feedback on the concept options on akhaveyoursay.nz when consultation opens in April 2025.
Download the concept design options to find out more.
We looked at how visitors experience the reserve through:
The results of the study show:
Engage with key stakeholders on the concept designs.
Consultation opens for public feedback on the concept options.
Compile public feedback.
Share the public feedback with the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board.
Download the Ōrewa Recreation Reserve Future Management report and local board meeting minutes to find out more.
Email parksnorthfeedback@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz for further information about the project.
