Great Coromandel Coastal Clean-up | Sustainable Coastlines

Event impacts

https://sustainablecoastlines.org/app/uploads/2013/05/SC-Coro-2012-results.pdf

Event Details

Thank you

A huge thank you to everyone who turned-up on Saturday to help us clean-up in Thames, Coromandel Town, Whitianga, Pauanui and Whangamata. Around 160 of us worked together to remove rubbish from coastlines around the Peninsula. Combined with the nearly 400 volunteers from schools and community groups in the weeks leading up to this Saturday, we have left the Coromandel’s beaches a whole lot cleaner.

A massive thank you also to our Team Leaders, Clean-up Station helpers, and of course our fantastic sponsors. Without you all, we could not have achieved what we did. Over the next few days our team will be in Thames going through the rubbish we collected with a fine-toothed comb. A massive thank you to Smart Environmental for transporting all of the rubbish, and thanks to Pat from Carson’s Bookshop for generously provided the site for our data collection. Watch this space for a full detailed breakdown of results, as well as photos from the day.

Enter our Photo Comp!

We are looking for photos from the day and would love to see yours. Send your best pics to us at [email protected] or — if you’ve got high-res shots that are a battle to email — upload them straight to our swish dropbox system by clicking here.

Some very fancy prizes are up for grabs from PhotoCPL, Arnette and the grand prize from local photographer and photo comp judge Kevin RIchards. So show off your photographic prowess and send us your pics! Check out photos from previous winners here. Make sure you get them in before entries close at 5pm on Wednesday 21st March. We’ll be announcing winners the following week.

The legal stuff: By submitting photos into the Great Coromandel Coastal Clean-up Photo Comp you are agreeing to grant Sustainable Coastlines Incorporated, any media and partner organisations a license to use, distribute publish or exhibit these photos in any manner either now known or subsequently devised and without any restrictions, in perpetuity. If you request, your photo will be duly credited whenever used in this way.


Final event details

We’re ready for this weekend’s Great Coromandel Coastal Clean-up and want to make sure that you are too. Below is all of the latest information about the event including where to be, what to bring and what’s planned.

Where to be

All you need to do is turn up at any time from 10am to 2pm this Saturday 10 March at one of our five meeting points around the Coromandel Peninsula (look for our big blue flags). We’ll have friendly crew waiting for you at the Long Bay Boat Ramp in Coromandel Town, Kuranui Bay Reserve in Thames, outside the Whangamata Surf Life Saving Club, outside the Pauanui Surf Life Saving Club, and at the Whitianga Wharf.

Just sign-in with our team, get your clean-up equipment (all provided free), and head out on foot, by car or boat to remove rubbish from stunning coastlines around the Coromandel Peninsula.

In Coromandel Town, volunteers will also have the opportunity to head out on boats for clean-up activities on the islands from Rangipukea in the south to the Happy Jacks in the north. Just meet at the boat ramp in Long Bay at 10am.

If you are keen to bring your vessel along to lend a hand on the day, then please contact Sam Judd on 021 058 9349 to discuss the details further. Some fuel may be available for boat owners.

What to bring

This clean-up will be a great adventure, but it is important that all event participants are well prepared so as to make the most of the day. Bring:

  • Sturdy shoes: Coastal areas can be slippery and have sharp, loose rocks. You’ll need closed-toe, sturdy shoes (such as sports shoes or tramping boots).
  • Warm and waterproof clothes: NZ weather is unpredictable. Please bring at least one warm top and a rain jacket in a backpack.
  • Your car (optional): Some beaches we will be cleaning-up are driving distance from meeting points. If you’re happy to drive to a clean-up location, please bring your car and a tarpaulin for your boot to transport rubbish back to us! If not, then don’t worry, there are heaps of areas to access within walking distance of our meeting points.
  • Sunscreen and a hat
  • Plenty of food and water: Clean-up can be physically challenging so come prepared!
  • Camera: Capture memories of a fantastic day and enter your best shots in our photo competition.
  • We provide all clean-up equipment, including rubbish sacks, gloves and other safety gear.

Post clean-up celebration

All participants are invited to join us after the clean-up on Saturday afternoon at the stunning and secluded Tucks Bay, just north of Coromandel Town. From 5.00pm we’ll have live music and a BBQ for the first 100 people. Bring a gold coin donation for the BBQ and BYO drinks. This is a great chance to come together and celebrate what we have achieved. Volunteers can also camp here for the weekend – see ‘Camping for volunteers’ below.

Camping for volunteers

A bunch of you have told us you’ll be camping at our Tucks Bay volunteer campground on Friday night, Saturday night, or both. This info is for you:

  • Arriving on Friday night? You’ll need to get to Long Bay Motor Camp office before 10.30pm. After this the campground gates will be closed for the evening.
  • Tucks Bay has running water and composting toilets but no power, so bring a torch!
  • Kitchen, toilet and shower blocks are 5 minutes walk away in Long Bay where there is power.
  • Tucks Bay has a total fire ban, so no campfires are allowed.
  • There is a wedding at one end of Tucks Bay from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, so please be respectful of their space during this time. This area will be marked off from Friday afternoon so that you’ll know where to set-up your tent.

Remember to bring:

  • Camping gear: tent, sleeping bag, camping mattress, torch and spare batteries etc (remember Tucks Bay has no power).
  • Food, drink and cooking equipment for your stay.
  • 50 cent coins for hot showers.
  • Surfboards, dive gear, fishing gear, bicycles etc for your own missions!

Getting there

Well, that all depends on where you are. We’ll assume that if you’re in the Coromandel you already know how to get to your clean-up location. So for out-of-towners…

Ferry to Coromandel Town: There is a regular 360 Discovery ferry sailing departing Auckland at 6pm on Friday 2 March, and a sailing leaving Coromandel (from Te Kouma) at 4.30pm on Sunday 4 March. See the 360 Discovery Coromandel page for full timetable and fare details. There is a free bus service from the ferry to Long Bay Motor Camp, just let them know that you’re part of our event.

Driving times: Auckland to Thames 1.5 hours, Auckland to Coromandel Town 2.5 hours, Auckland to Whangamata 2 hours, Auckland to Pauanui 2 hours, Auckland to Whitianga 2.5 hours. Get together a group of friends and car pool over for the weekend.

Photo comp

Weʼre holding a competition for the best shots from the event. Wherever you are, just bring along your camera and send your best pics to us at [email protected]. Check out some previous winners here and here.
We’ve got a whole heap of awesome prizes including sunnies from Arnette, coffee-table books from PhotoCPL and the major prize, an epic canvas print donated by local photographer and photo comp judge Kevin Richards.

Friday night movie

The evening before the clean-up, on Friday 9th March, we are putting on a free outdoor movie-screening. If the weather’s good, all are invited to join us from 7.30pm at Long Bay, Coromandel Town (5 minutes’ walk from the Tucks Bay campground) for a selection of short films and a feature-length movie. BYO picnic and deck chair.


Great Coromandel Coastal Clean-up

Last April, over 550 school students and volunteers as well as 18 boats joined us to remove 58,000 litres of rubbish – nearly two full shipping containers – of rubbish from the beautiful coastline and islands around Coromandel Town.
This year, thanks to the generous support of Smart Environmental and Thames Coromandel District Council we’re extending the Great Coromandel Coastal Clean-up right around both sides of the Peninsula and need your help on land and water to make this event a huge success. Register to volunteer now to receive event updates and to stay in the loop with all the details you need for the clean-up.

Boat owners: for the perfect excuse to launch your craft, please see ‘Bring your boat’ below…

To get involved, just turn up to one of our five clean-up locations listed below between 10am and 2pm on Saturday 10 March. Sign-in with our team, get your clean-up equipment (all provided for free), and hit the beaches en masse to give back to our beautiful coastlines.

Clean-up locations

Coromandel Town: Meet at the Long Bay Boat Ramp · Camp at Tucks Bay · Book-in camping

Thames: Meet at Kuranui Bay Reserve, Thames

Whangamata: Meet outside the Whangamata Surf Life Saving Club

Pauanui: Meet outside the Pauanui Surf Life Saving Club

Whitianga: Meet at the Whitianga Wharf

If you’re based anywhere else around the Coromandel and want to clean-up your local stretch of coastline, we can help out. Just email Event Director Ryley Webster on [email protected]

Camping details

The native-bush clad Tucks Bay volunteer campground is the place to be for all participants, especially those cleaning-up around Coromandel Town. This secluded bay, part of the beautiful Long Bay Motor Camp, is also the venue for our post-event BBQ and live music on Saturday afternoon.

Book-in your spot online and camping is available for just $10 + BF per person, per night (usually $19). Bookings are available for Friday 9 March, Saturday 10 March, or both nights. Spaces are limited, so get in quick!

From Long Bay, Tucks Bay is just a two-minute drive or a 5 minute walk around the coastal path. Tucks Bay has running water and composting toilets but no power, so please bring a torch! Kitchen, toilet and shower blocks – as well as the public boat ramp – are located back in Long Bay where there is power. Bring 50 cent coins for hot showers. Check out a map of Tucks Bay here.

Of course you don’t have to stay at Tucks Bay to be a part of the event. Cabins and caravans are available at Long Bay Motor Camp and you can find other accommodation options around the Coromandel here.

Bring your boat

On Saturday 10 March we will take as many volunteers as possible to clean-up the islands between Rangipukea in the south and the Happy Jacks in the north, off the west coast of the Coromandel Peninsula. We need boats to make it happen. If you have a boat that you would be able to bring along on Saturday 10 March, please contact Director of Marine Operations Sam Judd on 021 058 9349 or email [email protected]
Reef Shipping has kindly offered to supply free fuel for boats if you register early.

School clean-ups

Starting Monday 20 February our team will be visiting schools for fun, educational presentations followed by beach clean-ups that give students a brilliant opportunity for hands-on learning.

If your school wants to take part in a clean-up anywhere around the Coromandel Peninsula, simply fill out the schools’ registration form here and we will be in touch to make arrangements. For any questions in the meantime, just contact Event Director Ryley Webster on 021 040 9014 or email [email protected]