Himatangi sand dunes
The Himatangi sand dunes in the North Island were once an important gathering place for Maori who regularly visited the area to fish and collect shellfish. The middens (piles of shells) they left behind provide a fascinating record of what the area used to look like.
Oven stones and charcoal have been found among the hundreds of middens known to exist behind the first two rows of sand dunes, where the beach is known to have run in the 1800s. The oldest of these middens sit close to a series of aedian lakes about three kilometres inland where the beachline ran 500 years ago.
Himatangi Beach is slowly moving westward due to sand movement caused by rivers and the strong currents and westerly winds that characterise the region.
In the early 1900s, local farmer Robert Wilson introduced marram grass to stabilise the sand dunes north of Himatangi.
Despite the efforts of Wilson and others, the sand dunes in some areas grew to such a height during the 1990s that they threatened houses. Photos taken at the time show dramatic images of sand build-up pressing against the door of one property.
The Manawatu District Council and New Zealand Army agreed to move and level the sand. Village residents keen to see the area beautified continue to help the council plant grasses, trees and shrubs provided by the council.
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