Herekawe Stream News Today

New Plymouth has far fewer rats than it did five years ago, thanks to the efforts of thousands of dedicated backyard trappers.

The Ministry for Primary Industries is warning visitors to Taranaki this summer they could face hefty fines if they collect kaimoana - except crayfish - along the New Plymouth to Ōpunakē coastline.

The government has banned collection of kaimoana from 70 kilometres of the Taranaki coast, giving legal backing to a rāhui that hapū placed on the area in January.

Rat numbers have tripled on New Plymouth's popular Coastal Walkway this year, posing a threat to kororā/little blue penguin, but experts say the long-term trend continues to be downwards.

Every day Back Beach is enjoyed by surfers, dog walkers and families alike, but behind the wave break is even more spectacular.

TRC had intended to take further samples from both beaches on Friday, but that was cancelled due to the tsunami alert. However, council officers did obtain samples from Herekawe Stream, which discharges at Back Beach, as well as stormwater and effluent discharges on to Ngāmotu Beach. Results were ordinary and did not show any pollution events, Bedford said. Scheduled monitoring and also an extended programme of sampling of both beaches took place Tuesday, March 9 and results are due on T...

SIMON OCONNOR/Stuff The signs at Back Beach will be removed as it is now safe to swim, but investigations are underway. The Taranaki Regional Council has launched an investigation into the water quality at New Plymouth’s Back Beach following test results showing “unusually” high levels of bacteria. Standard tests on Friday, February 26 showed Back Beach’s levels of enterococci in the water were a massive 12,000 nos/100ml. The acceptable limit is 280nos/100ml. The result was not only 4...