Oil spill shuts down New Zealand beaches

An oil spill – already branded the worst maritime environmental disaster to strike New Zealand – is currently threatening many of the country’s most popular tourist beaches as it continues to spread, reports the Daily Mail.

The cargo ship Rena hit the Astrolabe Reef near the town of Tauranga last Wednesday (October 5) and has since dumped up to 300 tons of oil into the water. Inclement weather is slowing salvage operations, and officials worry that the storms could cause the ship to break up entirely, dumping another 1,500 tons of crude oil into the sea.

"We are expecting oil to wash up on the shoreline south of Mount Maunganui, but we don’t know how much," explained a Maritime New Zealand spokesperson.

The coastline is popular with tourists, noted for its fishing, diving and marine life. Currently, authorities are warning visitors "not to touch the oil or attempt to clean up the oil as it is toxic."