A group of locals in Bream Bay, Northland, New Zealand, broke a world record on Saturday while raising awareness about the dangers of sand mining.
At Ruakākā Beach, 485 people gathered to build sandcastles at the same time, surpassing the previous record of 396 set in Belgium in 2019.
The sandcastles were mostly themed around ocean life, with turtles, dolphins, and mermaids taking shape in the sand. There were also fairy gardens, a Māori pā, and even a sculpture of a pair of Crocs shoes.
The event was organised by the Bream Bay Guardians, a community group protesting a plan by McCallum Brothers, an Auckland company, to mine 8 million cubic metres of sand from the nearby sea over 35 years. The company has applied for fast-track approval, which the group strongly opposes.
Mary Sinclair, a member of the group, said the record-breaking event was not just a protest but a way to connect with young people and share ideas about protecting beaches, oceans, and sand dunes.
She explained that Bream Bay is a “closed sand system,” meaning if sand is removed from the sea, it will not naturally be replaced. This could lead to erosion of local beaches as they try to refill the sea floor.
Local hapū member Josephine Te Pirihi wrote a waiata for the occasion called Waiho Ngā Whare Onepū—which means “Leave Our Sandcastles Alone.” She warned that sand mining would harm sea life, birds, and the wider environment.
Sinclair said Saturday’s record would not be formally recognised because of the high cost of bringing Guinness World Records officials to New Zealand to verify it.
wow that sounds scary what if a sea moster got them and there dead
That’s sick bro, also i’m in the titanic rn i’ll let you guys in.
All I did was get some vocab from this
what thats scery and cool
is it a brake down or what.What if they catch rabies
250,000 that is expensive !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
WOW that is cool but i would not want to be down there
hmmmmmm huant much? also WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE 4 DAYS!!!!!!?
lets all pray they can be found
Lets all hope they are alright and saved
Guys say RIP in chat
I think that this is very scary and i hope that they will find the people in the submarine!
I think that the people won’t have much hope of survival because they only have a day left
i hope they survive
That would be scary
I hope those people are ok.
That is so interesting and cool!
I heard about this on the new crazy!
This is so interesting!
RIP there dead they are not coming up
oh no i hope they are found and i hope that there arent any childs on there
I wonder if they will be found in time
Oh my what if they perished!
oh no! thats sad along with the titanic
5 people that died from an implode seems sad, but it could be worse. they were lucky it was quick or they might of sufficated to death. but I will point it out, they did know it wasn’t tested and they knew it was a dangerous decision.
My friend was updating me on it last night and it turns out, they imploded. Rest in pieces. I meant rest in peace.