Mākara day hike & beach clean ⛱️🗑️

VUWTC heads out every few months to Opau Bay (near Mākara) for an awesome day walk and beach cleanup event!

We partner with Sustainable Coastlines to clear rubbish from the beach. We then count it up to help scientists and policymakers deal with pollution. Along the way there'll be plenty of yarns and laughs. You'll get gloves and pink fluoro vests (to stay safe and stylish)!

Cost: $3-5 for petrol.

Plan:

1. Meet at Kelburn campus at 9:30am

At the Hunter carpark, we'll sort out car groups and split up survey gear.

2. Drive 30min to Mākara Beach carpark (arrive about 10:15am)

DRIVERS! We need people to get us there, with no Mākara bus. Drivers will be reimbursed for fuel costs.

3. Walking time! (10:30am to 12:30pm)

Trek up Mākara hill and down to Opau Bay (2hr with breaks). This is a medium walk, with a STEEP bit at the beginning, a flat bit in the middle, and then a meander downhill to the beach. We'll pass old military bunkers, windmills, sheep, cows, and great views. If we get a clear day, the South Island will be visible!

4. We pick up rubbish!! (about 1pm)

After lunch, we'll set up a 100m x 20m area and collect all the rubbish inside. Equipment provided: gloves, funky pink fluoro, bags, mallet! There'll be a health and safety briefing, then we'll search for one hour.

5. We walk back to the cars via the coast! (about 2-3pm)

We'll return to Mākara by walking across the rocky beach. This is an easy walk, just long!

6. Return to uni! (about 3-4pm)

We might stop at Mākara's nice coastal cafe (open on public holidays)!

7. Sort and weigh rubbish at uni (4-6pm)

We'll count up the amount and weight of rubbish we found. This info goes into an online database to help map Aotearoa's plastic pollution. This might sound boring, but it's actually super fun. We should be done by 6pm. If you need to leave once we get back to uni, no problem! :)

What to bring:

• Lunch and snacks

• A full 1-2L drink bottle

• Warm and windproof layers, PLEASE have long sleeves and pants to reduce the chance of injury

• IMPORTANT: Sturdy closed toe footwear, as we'll walk over pebbles and driftwood (PLEASE NO crocs/sandals/jandals etc.)

• Sun smart gear (sunscreen/hat/sunglasses)

• Hand sanitiser

More info on Sustainable Coastlines

Mākara walk info: https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/wellington-kapiti/places/makara-beach-area/things-to-do/makara-walkway/

Data from our last survey in Jan: https://litterintelligence.org/data/survey?id=3390