Boaties urged to help keep Pauanui's power connected over summer

Boaties visiting Pauanui and Tairua this summer are being reminded of what to do – and not do – if they accidentally snag a marine power cable spanning the harbour.

Electricity to Coromandel Peninsula’s popular holiday destination of Pauanui is delivered via marine cables on the seabed between Tairua and Pauanui.

One power cable lies on the seabed at the entrance to Pauanui Waterways, with another between Pleasant Point and Tairua. While that one is buried in the sand, the Pauanui Waterways’ cable lies on the seabed, Powerco General Manager Electricity Karen Frew says.

The cables are marked with triangular warning signs onshore at each end of the cable and by buoys on the water. 

“It’s important to look out for these signs while on your boat or other watercraft so you know where the cables are and can avoid them.

“Like with overhead power lines, there’s potential for electric shock with marine cables. To stay safe, it’s important to keep vessels well clear of the marine cables and not anchor near them. Damaging them could not only be a safety risk to people on the vessel but could potentially disrupt Pauanui community’s power supply over the busy summer period,” Karen Frew says.

The marine cable closest to Pauanui Waterways is the main power supply to Pauanui and is required for busy peak holiday period use.

If you suspect you’ve snagged a cable, don’t try to free it. The safest thing to do is record your position, abandon your gear, and contact Powerco’s emergency line 0800 27 27 27.

Click here to find out more, including a map.

The Tairua and Pauanui communities can catch reminders of Powerco’s ‘Catch Fish, Not Cables’ public safety campaign through social media, local news media and boating related facilities from mid-December through to late January.