Rena disaster: One year on...

DRIBBLE NZ NEWS 

It would be difficult to belive  that Taurunga the post card perfect city was the city of New Zealand's worst enviromental disaster. 

Theres no oil on the beaches and no debris its impossible to notice any wreck from the disaster Rena that struck the Bay Of Plenty region just one year ago today.

The Rena, a Liberian-flagged, Greece-owned container ship struck the Astrolabe Reef at 2.20am on October 5 last year.

350 tonnes of oil leaked from the ship, coating beaches all over the coast in oil and debris not including the precious wildlife. 

The mangled wreck of the Rena reamins wedged on the reef and salvours continue to battle dangerous conditions to get more containers offthe ship.

For Bay Of Plenty residents, this disaster remains a fresh memory.

Ms Crosby, a resident said "We've got our beautiful beach, we're all enjoying our lives here and obviously, as tourism operators, we want people to come here and share it with us."

Ms Crosby says things are looking more positive going into this summer and that people hope to "get on with life and stop talking about this bloody ship".

Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby says there's an apprehensive feeling out there in the community.
"Last summer was terrible for a number of reasons," he says. The weather wasn't great and the economic downturn meant many Kiwis stayed at home.

Add to the mix the Rena and the publicity around the oil on the beaches and it ended up being "a very unhealthy melting pot of problems," Mr Crosby says.

Over 2000 birds were found dead following the Rena oil spill

Some animals were saved though including 345 blue penguins which are  new borns, and fully grown pengiuns which were cared for by a dedicated wildlife responce team.

However, there is a strong expectation that this summer will be a good one.
"The long term forecast is looking good and we desperately need those large numbers of visitors back."
As the beaches have been restored to their former pristine state by an army of volunteers, beach-dwelling wildlife has bounced back too.

Two major issues remain to be resolved.
The first is whether a resource consent should be sought by the ship's owners, Daina Shipping, to leave the Rena's sunken stern section on the Astrolabe Reef.

Work has started locally on a class action, but there are also court proceedings under way in London to address the issue of compensation.
But heading into summer, it's business as usual for most locals.

"Bay of Plenty is the same old place it always ever was," resort manager Ms Crosby says. "It's the best it's ever been."

We have a Dribble NZ Reporter in Taurunga to bring updates on this article threw out the day.