Like all west coast bars, it can be a hazardous crossing, with the outgoing flow creating standing waves that peak where they meet incoming Tasman swells.

And like many New Zealand rivers that run through intensively farmed land, the water is charged with the sediment, nutrients from fertilisers and effluent from stock. This payload increases turbidity in the water, reduces oxygen and supercharges the development of algal blooms in the shallow Taranaki Bight.

What happens on land flows into the river. In the rural context, this comprises sediment, and as well as fertilisers and effluent from farm run-off. Nutrients drive growth in weeds and toxic algal blooms, choking the river and changing its chemistry. Today, farmers and volunteer groups alike are rolling up their sleeves and taking action to reduce run-off and plant riparian margins to protect Taranaki’s rivers.