All smiles at annual sandcastle comp

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JULIA WADE

 

13 Feb, 2023

 

An octopus, a hungry cat and a toothy shark, plus a comfy couch and miniature castles, took over Mangawhai Heads surf beach on February 5 as keen sand artistes dug away for a chance to win hundreds of dollars at the third annual ‘Sandsational’ sand sculpture competition.

Put on by Mangawhai Rotary, the 2023 event, which also included a Dog & Owner Fancy Dress comp, included two new activities – a buried treasure hunt and tug of war with junior and senior categories, which proved popular spokesperson Dennis Emsley said.

“They were a great success so we’ll retain them in next year's event but with more prizes,” he says. “All monies raised from ticket sales will be donated to St John and the Mental Health Foundation, but at this point in time, we have no idea what the amount will be until after the ‘Drop the Golf Ball Raffle’ has taken place.”

Due to the large landslide behind the surf club caused by the region’s recent heavy rainfall, the building and vehicle ramp are out-of-bounds to the general public, and the tractor required for the ‘Drop the Golf Ball Raffle’ was unable to assess the beach. The event will be held on February 13 instead.

The extreme weather and Auckland’s serious flooding was believed to be the likely reason the turn-out for the event was down on last year’s incredible high numbers, when 50 entrants showed up at the beach, with Aucklanders possibly opting to stay home due to the deluge’s aftermath and roading conditions. A strong north-easterly wind also caused trouble said Dennis.

“Because of the wind speed, which increased throughout the day and was causing erosion, we decided to finish the sand sculpture competition one hour earlier at 3pm. We did give competitors plenty of warning though and they understood the reasoning behind our decision,” he says.

“Want to say a big thank you to all who came down, especially the Mangawhai Rotarians who volunteered on the day, the St John officers who attended the event and also volunteered to judge the sand sculpture competition, and our sponsors – The REAL Team Real Estate, Raincloud Water Delivery, Mangawhai Four Square, Tara Iti, The Vet Centre, Mangawhai New World, Bunnings Mangawhai and The Warehouse Whangarei.”

 

RESULTS Sand Sculpture Seniors: 1st Jared & Paul Brandon $500 donated by The REAL Team Real Estate; 2nd Octopus $250 donated by Mangawhai Four Square; 3rd Paul Brunton $200 donated by Stormcloud Water Delivery.   Sand Sculpture Juniors: 1st Stenna & Mia Meikle $500 donated by The REAL Team Real Estate; 2nd Elizabeth, Ben & Erin Humphries $250 Mangawhai Four Square; 3rd Millar Hovell & Chloe Locke $200 donated by Raincloud Water Delivery.

 

Taking first place for Sand Sculpture Seniors, Jared & Paul Brandon winning $500.

‘Sandsational’ sand sculpture competition creators Dennis Emsley [far right] and wife Marlene [second from left] with their trusted band of Mangawhai Rotary volunteers.

Junior Sand Sculpturers, Stenna & Mia Meikle won $500 for their creative ocean statement. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

 

- PHOTO CREDITS: 1-4 Nina Gastreich, 5-6 Julia Wade, 7 Supplied.

 

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