Cars have returned to Muriwai beach after they were temporarily banned due to the fire risk, but some motorists are still engaging in dangerous driving.
Muriwai is one of only two beaches Aucklanders can legally drive on and it is ranger Jack Jones' job is to keep beachgoers safe.
He says a small group of people are "ruining the beach for everyone".
The Project joined Jones for a day out on the beach and witnessed him having to stop one man who drove dangerously around children on his four-wheeled motorbike.
"You're hooning around kids, that's dangerous. Put it on the trailer or you'll be dealing with the police."
But it isn't just the beachgoers Jones is looking out for, it's Muriwai's sand dunes too - home to the Muriwai gecko.
He showed The Project a sand dune that had been seriously damaged by a reckless driver.
"This basically started in December last year with just one vehicle driving up the face of the dune and then over time it's blown the top of the dune away and it's created what we call a blowout."
Blowout means the sand blows through and kills the plants that are home to the Muriwai gecko.
"The Muriwai gecko is New Zealand's most threatened species of gecko and it's only found on this stretch of coastline," Jones says.
Watch the video above to see the full Project report
