Path to beach costs New Zealand man his house

A man will have to pay more than $80,000 for illegally cutting a path through a sea cliff so his children could walk down to the beach.

Franklin man Bryce Parsons has put his home up for auction to pay for the damage - which a judge said looked as though a large slice had been cut out of a living organism and its entrails spilled out on the foreshore.



Judge Fred McElrea told Parsons in the Auckland District Court that it was a serious piece of damage to public land in a very sensitive situation with a high degree of recklessness.

He fined the 43-year-old $20,000 and ordered him to pay $1260 in costs.



Parsons already faces a $60,000 bill for fixing the damage to the coastal esplanade next to his Glenbrook Beach Rd property.

Parsons said yesterday he had not known he needed consents before making the cut from his property overlooking the Manukau Harbour. "We have three kids, and they want to get down to the beach. It was just for access from the property."

Thanks Ana!