Kete New Plymouth :Tongaporutu Coastline Project

Tongaporutu Coastline - Four Brothers Beach

Impermanence

Tongaporutu Coastline Project

Pat Greenfield

The Tongaporutu Project (Taranaki, New Zealand) documents the evolution of this rapidly changing coastline over a roughly ten year period. The information here could be particularly valuable with regards to climate change.

Coast

THE TONGAPORUTU COASTLINE. An overview, including its location and Key to Sites as per the illustrated map.

Overview
Cliff Compositions
Coastline Map
2011 Aerial Photoshoot

Storm

WEATHER, dates, tides, moon phases. ALSO, this is the MASTER REFERENCE SECTION for the entire project. It details every single date that I visited each specific site(s) at Tongaporutu. The purpose of this is to make for easier cross section navigation. This is vital for Cause and Effect. For example, a cause at one location may have a noticeable effect on another location.

Strata

ROCK STRATAS and FOSSIL TREES. Also included are things that struck a personal chord with me, so as such this section is more eclectic than the others.

Cliffs

Cliff collapses – types and causes (dynamics), including resonance, ripple effects and fractal scaling, etc.

Caves

Sea cave evolution, including cliff collapses specific to them. Handedness, etc.

Stacks

ROCK STACKS. Sea stack formation and destruction. The wash zone, calving locations, longevity, etc.

Pilot Point

The FAMILY OF ROCKS at PILOT POINT. This cluster of rocks are located close to the Pilot Point Arch. ALSO, the TONGAPORUTU RIVER. This includes the river’s migration patterns and its effects on the outer and inner estuary, including the sand dunes.

Sand

BEACHES. Beach composition. Includes sand replenishment and depletion atop the underlying bedrock. Why beaches rise and fall and the shapes they take. Also, rock shelves, platforms and rocks.

Fauna

FLORA AND FAUNA. This section also includes jellyfish strandings, driftwood accumulations and general wash-ups. Wash-ups (flotsam), to include plants, sometimes collectively referred to as ‘vegetation’, dead stock and man-made rubbish.