Looking after our beaches

Kāpiti's beaches are our community's backyard, and we all benefit by keeping them beautiful. 

You can help us by:

• not removing more sand, stones or driftwood than you can carry
• keeping out of the dune areas at all times
• using signposted beach accessways
• not allowing dogs to chase or harass wildlife
• knowing where and when you can drink alcohol in Kāpiti
• taking your rubbish and cigarette butts home with you
• respecting rāhui. 

Watch out for nesting birds

The Waikanae Scientific Reserve includes the sandspit at the mouth of the Waikanae River; the reserve is controlled by the Department of Conservation under the Waikanae Scientific Reserve Bylaws 1994.

This is a vulnerable ecosystem year round. During July through to late January, banded and New Zealand dotterels nest and breed on the sandspit, and in our local dunes. These nests are hard to spot, easy to damage, and eggs and chicks are especially vulnerable. The Department of Conservation estimates there are only about tūturiwhatu (New Zealand dotterel) 2500 left in the whole country.

The dotterels nest in the sand and their eggs and chicks are also sand-coloured, so they are incredibly vulnerable to predators and people, dogs, horses, and motorbikes.

To protect their young, parent birds pretend to be injured to draw predators away from the nest. If you see a bird behaving like this, it has eggs or chicks nearby so leave it alone and move away from the area.

Council, the Department of Conservation, and volunteers rope off any nesting areas we know about, but that doesn’t mean dotterels and others aren’t nesting in other parts of the dune and beach areas.