Local notices to mariners Local notices to mariners
Notices to mariners cover events, local issues and infrastructure issues that may affect navigation in the Auckland region.
Local navigation aids warnings
Weekly local navigation warning summary: 17 February 2025 (PDF, 160KB)
For any enquiries, please contact harbourmaster@at.govt.nz
On this page: Local notices to mariners currently in force
- 08 – 25 Navigation hazard, Whau River
- 09 – 25 Pyrotechnic display, Okahu Bay
- 07 – 25 Explosives transfer Kauri Point, Upper Waitemata Harbour
- 06 – 25 Distress Signal Training, Te Atatu Boating Club
- 50 – 24 Bayswater Marina fuelling pier installation work, Bayswater
- 49 – 24 Jubilee Bridge installation
- 45 – 24 Distress signal training, Outboard Boating Club
- 41 – 24 Great Barrier Island temporary wharf closure Tryphena Harbour
- 03 – 24 Navigational hazard, sandbank shoaling, Whau River mouth
- 34 – 23 Marine farm development, Western Firth
- 30 - 23 O Mahurangi Penlink Weiti River bridge construction works
- 41 – 21 Great Barrier Island – no anchoring areas
- 19 – 21 Navigational hazard, sand bank shoaling, Tamaki River
- 57 – 19 Submerged pile in the approaches to Tramcar Bay Boatyard, Whangateau
- 32 – 19 Motuihe Wharf closure
- 28 – 18 Hobson Bay / Okahu Bay wave screen
- 22 – 17 Wairoa River fallen tree
- 08 – 17 Chart plotters (updated)
08 – 25 Navigation hazard, Whau River
All mariners are advised of a navigation hazard in the Whau River. The hazard is in the vicinity of the No 5 Starboard Hand Beacon. The hazard is marked with a Harbourmaster Wreck Buoy.
Latitude 36 50 692, Longitude 174 41 245.
All mariners are advised to navigate with extreme caution when transiting through the area.
*Not to be used for navigation
Bruce Goff
Maritime Officer
Harbourmaster’s Office
09 – 25 Pyrotechnic display, Okahu Bay
A fireworks display will take place at Okahu Bay on Wednesday night 12 February 2025 at 2115 hours. The duration will be 10 minutes.
At 1700 hours the tugboat Christine Mary will leave Westhaven Marina for the Kauri Point Upper Waitemata Harbour Explosive Anchorage Zone. The tug will be anchored at the position Latitude 36°49’ 538 Longitude 174° 42’ 193.
At 2015 hours the pyrotechnic Tug Christine Mary will be moved to the firing position in Okahu Bay.
GPS location: Latitude 36°50’ 813 Longitude 174° 48’ 761
The Christine Mary and support vessel Circa will be on station and have a listening watch on VHF Channel 12 and 16.
A 150-metre exclusion zone will exist around the tugboat Christine Mary when in the above position.
After the display the tug will be cleared and the Christine Mary will return back to the Westhaven Marina.
All mariners are requested to navigate with extreme caution when transiting the area and follow instructions given by the patrol craft.
*Not to be used for navigation
This notice expires 10pm, Wednesday 12 February 2025
Bruce Goff
Maritime Officer
Harbourmaster’s Office
07 – 25 Explosives transfer Kauri Point, Upper Waitemata Harbour
All mariners are advised that the NZDF will be conducting a transfer of explosives at Kauri Point Defence Wharf from 0630 hrs and be concluded no later than 1430 hrs on Monday 10 February 2025.
All vessels are required to remain clear of the wharf area. A 313m exclusion zone will be in place at Kauri Point. This restriction will remain until completion of the operation which will take no longer than 8 hours. A RNZN RHIB will be present to patrol the area to ensure vessels transit safely through the Kauri Point Upper Harbour region.
*Not to be used for navigation
Bruce Goff
Maritime Officer
Harbourmaster’s Office
06 – 25 Distress Signal Training, Te Atatu Boating Club
All mariners are advised that Te Atatu Boating Club will be undertaking distress signal training at 32 Bridge Avenue, Te Atatu South, 16 Febuary 2025 between 1300 hours and 1400 hours.
Distress signals to be used:
Number | Description |
6 | Red distress flares |
1 | Handheld orange smoke signal |
1 | Buoyant orange smoke signal |
*Not to be used for navigation
Gareth Williams
Maritime Officer
Harbourmaster’s Office
50 – 24 Bayswater Marina fuelling pier installation work, Bayswater
Bayswater Marina Fuelling Pier is closed to the public while we install fuel pumps and equipment on the pier.
The above works have started. Work is now not expected to finish by Friday 31 January 2025.
All vessels are requested to keep wake to a minimum and approach the Bayswater Marina facility with caution.
*Not to be used for navigation
Bruce Goff
Maritime Officer
Harbourmaster’s Office
jubileebridge
49 – 24 Jubilee Bridge installation, Panmure Basin
That there will be new Jubilee Bridge installation at Panmure Basin from 25 December 2024 to 1 January 2025, weather permitted.The bridge lifting is planned on 28 December 2024 and there will be personnel in place to keep the channel clear during the bridge lifting and landing. All mariners are advised to navigate with caution while operating in this area.
*Not to be used for navigation
Jason Son
Maritime Officer
Harbourmaster’s Office
45 – 24 Distress signal training, Outboard Boating Club
All mariners are advised that on Wednesday 11 December 2024, distress signal training will happen at 7 Tamaki Drive, Outboard Boating Club. The training will take place between 7pm and 8:30pm.
Distress signals to be used as the below:
Number | Description |
30 | Handheld red distress flares |
2 | Orange smoke distress flares |
*Not to be used for navigation
Gareth Williams
Maritime Officer
Harbourmaster’s Office
41 – 24 Great Barrier Island temporary wharf closure Tryphena Harbour
Auckland Transport's wharf structure at Tryphena Harbour on Great Barrier Island will be closed to the public until May 2025. The wharf is closing while the marine contractor STF Limited undertakes wharf maintenance work.
All vessels are requested to keep clear of the wharf structure. You must keep your wake to a minimum when transiting the area.
*Not to be used for navigation
Bruce Goff
Maritime Officer
Harbourmaster’s Office
03 – 24 Navigational Hazard, sandbank shoaling, Whau River mouth
All mariners are advised that there is shoaling on the western side of the channel,
near the Whau River Mouth. The location is identified with yellow, as below.
All mariners are advised to navigate with caution while operating in this area.
*Not to be used for navigation.
Christiaan Moss
Deputy Harbourmaster
Harbourmaster’s Office
34 – 23 Marine farm development, Western Firth
All mariners are advised that there will be marine farm development at Western Firth from 9 November 2023. The development includes the installation of navigation aids, mussel lines, and others. The site is located in YELLOW on the map below. All mariners are advised to navigate with caution while operating in this area.
*Not to be used for navigation
Jason Son
Maritime Officer
Harbourmaster’s Office
30 - 23 O Mahurangi Penlink Weiti River bridge construction works
All mariners are advised that construction of the O Mahurangi Penlink River Bridge will commence mid-September 2023 with the installation of temporary platforms built on the western and eastern banks of the Weiti River to facilitate the construction of the permanent Weiti River bridge. Work will involve pile drilling, vibing and hammering into the seabed.
A barge will operate between the two staging platforms providing materials to the work sites through to December 2026.
Passage through the Weiti River Bridge Construction Zone will remain open to mariners, however Weiti River closures are expected during the finally stages of the project build. All river closures will be notified prior to the planned works. Mariners are requested to keep wake to a minimum when transiting through the bridge construction zone for the safety of construction staff.
*Not to be used for navigation.
Bruce Goff
Maritime Officer
Harbourmaster’s Office
Notice: 41 – 21 Great Barrier Island – no anchoring areas
This notice replaces previous Local Notice to Mariners 39 – 21.
All mariners are advised that there are three no anchoring/closed areas on Great Barrier Island. The no anchoring areas are: Blind Bay, Whangaparapara and Tryphena Harbours. You can anchor with a permit from MPI, but not for any other reason.
There is guidance on the MPI page.
Please contact Ministry of Primary Industries for further details Ministry for Primary Industries.
*Not to be used for navigation.
Jason Son
Maritime Officer
Notice: 19 - 21 Navigational hazard, sandbank shoaling, Tamaki River
All mariners are advised that a sandbank, which is North of the No.15 marker in Tamaki River, is shoaling due to sand-building. Locations are identified as per below and the depth in the vicinity could be lower than charted depth.
All mariners are to navigate with additional caution while operating in this area.
*Not to be used for navigation.
Jason Son
Maritime Officer
Harbourmaster’s Office
57 - 19 Submerged pile in the approaches to Tramcar Bay Boatyard, Whangateau
The Harbourmaster has received reports of a submerged pile in the approaches to Tramcar Bay boat yard in the waters between Whangateau Harbour and Tramcar Bay.
All mariners are advised to navigate with extreme caution when operating in this area.
Not to be used for navigation.
Pulasthi Ranasinghe
Maritime Officer
32 - 19 Motuihe Wharf closure
All mariners are advised that the Department of Conservation has closed the Motuihe wharf due to public safety, the wharf will remain closed until further notice.
The Department is working closely with engineers to look at options available to remedy issues and re-open the wharf as soon as practicable.
The Department apologises for any inconvenience and will continue to keep the public informed as they seek solutions.
Updates will be provided on the DOC website and should you require further information, please contact the DOC hotline on 0800 362 468.
Map not to be used for navigation.
Pulasthi Ranasinghe
Maritime Officer
28 - 18 Hobson Bay/Okahu Bay wave screen
All mariners are advised to navigate with caution in the vicinity of the Hobson Bay/Okahu Bay derelict wave screen. Mariners are reminded that they should only navigate through the recognised entry/exit (as per chart NZ 5322).
Map not to be used for navigation.
Christiaan Moss
Deputy Harbourmaster
22 - 17: Wairoa River, fallen tree (upper reaches), 20 July 2017
All Mariners are advised that a large tree has fallen into the upper reaches of the Wairoa River, potentially impeding navigation.
GPS coordinates:
- Latitude 36°58’840
- Longitude 175°02’655
All mariners are advised to navigate with extreme caution in this area.
The map is not to be used for navigation.
Bruce Goff
Maritime Officer
08 - 17: Chart plotters - updated 14 March 2017
All mariners are reminded that electronic chart plotters are to be used as an aid to navigation and paper charts should be updated and consulted.
Electronic raster charts used on some plotters may not incorporate the latest chart corrections.
Mariners are reminded to use up to date charts for navigation and advised to contact their plotter supplier if in doubt.
Harbourmaster’s Office
Some images on this page are based on/include LINZ’s data which are licensed by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
Pest warning: Mediterranean fanworm
The Mediterranean fanworm is a pest that has been spotted in the Waitematā Harbour/inner Hauraki Gulf, as well as the Whangarei Harbour and Lyttleton Port.
Keep your boat's hull clean to reduce the risk of this pest clinging and causing damage to our marine life.
Marine biosecurity information: new rules and regulations
Marine pests spread easily through ballast water and hull fouling, including Mediterranean fanworm (Sabella Spallanzani) and Clubbed tunicate (Styela clava). Check to ensure your hull is clean and be aware of other regions rules before leaving Auckland.
Visit marinepests.nz for more information and to check marine biosecurity rules and regulations for different regions in the northern North Island.
Read further information on marine pests (PDF 334KB)
Weather information
For up-to-date weather information, visit:
- the MetService website
- the Coastguard NowCasting weather information VHF channels.