The popular mobile summer rubbish barge service will be back on the water in the Bay of Islands this summer from Friday 27 December.

The staffed barge - a familiar site in the Bay during the summer holiday season - is a joint venture between the Northland Regional and Far North District Council and the Department of Conservation supported by contractors Northland Waste.

It offers an on-water service for both local and visiting boaties who are encouraged to use it to help keep the Bay of Islands rubbish-free.

The barge service will begin summer operations on Friday 27 December and operate again Tuesday 31 December. After then, the weather-dependent service will generally operate Mondays and Fridays from 03 January to 27 January. On operational days it will visit Urupukapuka Island campsites from 9am to 10am before mooring close to the south-eastern end of Moturua Island from 10.30am to 1pm (hours will reduce as demand drops off toward the end of January or as capacity of the barge reduces).

A flat $10 fee per rubbish bag applies, regardless of whether pre-paid or plain bags are used. Extra-large bags will incur an additional charge. Recyclables are accepted with the cost depending on quantity and cleanliness; typically somewhere between $3 and $5 with more for dirty recycling.

Users are asked to follow the guidance of barge staff. There will be a maximum limit of four people on the barge at any one time and footwear must also be worn for health and safety reasons.

Meanwhile, shore-based facilities are available daily from 7am to 6pm at Ōpua (by the fuel jetty Far North Holdings car park) from Thursday 26 December to Sunday 19 January. A Rāwhiti site (Kaingahoa campground, Kaingahoa Bay, Rāwhiti Rd) will be open daily from 8am - 4pm from Friday 20 December 2024 to Friday 28 February 2025. (From 01 March 2025 to 19 December 2025, the site is open Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, 9am - midday.)

Both the Opua and Rāwhiti sites are closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Meanwhile, a pop-up rubbish and recycling centre will also be installed at Russell Wharf. The centre will be located at the end of the wharf from 26 December to 19 January, 8am - 11am and 2pm - 5pm. A flat $8 fee per rubbish bag applies, while recyclables are free of charge.

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