On the 25th of July, the Year 13 geography class travelled to Muriwai beach which is located on the Kaipara coast, half an hour west of Helensville. We also went to Maori Bay, Muriwai Beach and Otakamiro Point.
We choose Muriwai Beach because it is unique compared to other beaches. It is a black sanded beach with caves and a fishing platform. It has a dune and it is a popular tourist destination where approximately one million people visit the beach each year.
When we reached these locations, we conducted various fieldwork for our research and collected different bits of evidence that was related to the process that we chose prior to going on the trip. Samples included sediment from each location as well as vegetation.
We also observed longshore drift and the frequency of the waves at both Muriwai Beach and Maori Bay. At Otakamiro Point we examined key erosion features while examining the stake that is famous as a gannet colony and the infamous fisherman’s platform.
The benefits of this trip are that we have seen and experienced the environment that our assessment is based on and now we have primary evidence that we are studying for the following 6 weeks. This will help us complete our assessment with general knowledge of the area and features we are studying and analysing.
The year 13 geography class would like to thank Ms Davis and Ms Rope for transporting us to and from Muriwai and helping us collect samples for students who were absent on the day.
- Tristan Flavell
