Kariotahi Beach
Karioitahi Beach is a black sand beach located in Franklin District, near Auckland, on the west coast of New Zealand.
It is a rugged and windswept environment, often used for beach activities such as surfing, fishing, horse riding, off-road motorcycling and, most notably, paragliding. This provides lifeguards with a large variety of potential hazards to mitigate and situations to deal with as detailed as the location for 3 Rescue of the Month awards from Surf Life Saving New Zealand in two seasons (2009/2010 & 2010/2011)
There appears to be some confusion about the spelling of Kariotahi. It has been rumoured that Karioitahi is indeed the correct way. It is usually referred to in the media, and road name, as Karioitahi Beach. However, it is also referred to as Kariotahi reasonably often as well. The local surf club has adopted the spelling Kariaotahi.
The local surf club, originally named 'Kariaotahi Surf Life Saving Patrol Inc' and later renamed in 2006 to be 'Surf Life Saving Kariaotahi Inc', was founded in 1969.
Patrols operate on all weekends and public holidays from Labour Weekend in October to March or early April, with minimum patrolling hours being 1100 hrs–1600 hrs Oct/Nov/March/April and 1100 hrs–1700 hrs Dec/Jan/February. Weekday patrols (1000 hrs–1800 hrs) are run from mid-December until late January.
SLS Kariaotahi has been recognised with several club and individual awards over its history:
SLS Kariaotahi used to be identified at competitions by an orange and chocolate-brown quarter-cap but has since adopted the colours of red, white and black which is in line with other sports teams from the region, such as the Counties-Manukau Steelers.
SLS Kariaotahi lifeguards actively compete in canoe racing and IRB racing, which are team events. Both disciplines produced medal-winning performances at the 2011 Northern Region District Championships held at Ruakaka.
The southern end of the beach and cliff, known as Maioro, is commonly used for by local paragliding schools for training beginner pilots. Qualified paraglider pilots are advised against flying in the area, thus leaving it safe and clear for beginners. Hala Coordinates: 37°16′58″S 174°39′15″E / 37.282766°S 174.654032°E
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