A Restored Shore (New Plymouth) EarthCache

Today this area is part of the prized "New Plymouth Coastal Walkway" which extends 11km currently from Bell Block in the north to Port Taranaki in the south. It has been designed for ease of access for visitors of all abilities and disabilities.

Affecting the Shore, not only human intervention but both weather and the nearby mountain. Mt Taranaki (formally Mt Egmont) causes constant stress on the shore which makes protecting the sand dunes even more important. A slip that is large enough can potentially cause changes to the shore for many years to come. These changes can lead to increased erosion, changing river mouths and debris build-up along the beaches.

To complete this Earthcache you will need to:

• go to the above location,
• answer the following questions,

1. Accretion: What is it? Explain
2. When, and what caused the latest one on the North Taranaki coast?
3. What was this mass known as?
4. What is the process of this moving mass called once in the sea?
5. What are three causes of New Zealand’s coasts to be under threat leading to sand erosion (from the information at the GZ)?
6. How do plants help protect the Sand Dunes?
7. What are the predominant plants used to protect the sand dunes along this piece of coast?

• Take a photo from the top of the nearby steps looking south towards the Port so that future coastal changes can be followed (optional, but would be very good and appreciated)

Please ensure that you email the answers to the questions above to the cache owner and post the optional photo with your online log.

You can log this cache straight away after you have emailed your answers to the cache owner, no need to wait for confirmation. Please include the name of this earthcache in the email - you'd be surprised how many people forget.