A TIMELINE OF COASTAL EROSION EVENTS
The following provides a summary of events and activities caused and driven by by coastal erosion and inundation since the 1931 Hawke's Bay Earthquake
3 February 1931: The Hawke’s Bay earthquake caused huge devastation across the region, causing the tectonic plate to rise at Napier and drop between 75 cm and 1.8 metres along the Cape Coast and alter river gradients.
9 August 1973: Heavy swells pound the shore halving the 4 metre clay buffer zone at Cape View Corner.
1982: Erosion substantially decreases the ponding area between the beach berm and the sea wall at East Clive which is overtopped twice.
1990s: At Clifton Beach the shoreline retreat is considered to be an average 0.75m per year; Haumoana and Te Awanga 30cm-70cm per year.
3 - 4 April 2002: About 20 Haumoana residents were forced to leave their homes as high seas threatened a dozen properties near the corner of East and Clifton Roads and waves overtopped the gravel barrier along other parts of the coast. The vegetation is gone
23 May 2008: Severe storms surges destroy remaining wall at 9 Clifton Rd over a 12-hour period, claiming up to 8m of land. A concrete septic tank is swept away and foundations undermined. Tenant evacuated by Civil Defence, house abandoned.
29 June -03- July 2009: High seas batter the coast. The access road into Clifton Motor Camp fully eroded and closed; the future of the camp in doubt.
13 October 2010: About 350 people turned out to Elephant Hill Winery to ‘Celebrate and Save the Cape Coast’.
2013: The Tangoio to Clifton Coastal Hazards Strategy 2120 group is proposed, this will be at least the fifth time a joint council group has been formed to look at solutions to erosion along the Cape Coast.