Many Auckland beaches are unswimmable this weekend, triggering warnings that swimmers could get sick from water contamination.
Auckland Council's Safeswim website, which monitors the contamination levels of beaches, has flagged a large number of popular Auckland beaches as an illness risk from high levels of bacteria.
There are over 50 red pins across the Auckland region that advise Aucklanders not to swim at the location.
The red pin represents a high likelihood of the water becoming contaminated and people becoming sick if they swim in the water.
Some of the warnings are predicted to clear on Sunday, while others are persisting until after the weekend.
There are also five black pins which indicate a very high risk of illness, advising people not to swim in these locations. It is the highest level of warning on the site.
The beaches that have been black-flagged are Herne Bay, Home Bay, Point England, St Mary's Bay and Te Tinana.
It comes after a rainy Friday in Auckland, which is a common cause of fecal contamination at beaches.
Auckland Council Head of Planning for Healthy Waters Nick Vigar told AM earlier this year the main cause of contamination is stormwater, where heavy rain washes the contents of the footpaths and roads into the sea.
"You see what's on the footpath, bird and dog poo. So when the rain washes that off it heads into the sea," Vigar said.
However, unfortunately, people can not tell from looking at the water if it is contaminated, Vigar said. So it's important to check Safeswim for updates before you swim at safeswim.org.nz.
