A section of Waimairi Beach, north-east of Christchurch city, remains cordoned off as work continues to remove a stranded boat.
The Debbie Jane ran aground late on Saturday night, but the changing tides are making efforts to remove it a challenging task.
Diggers, scooping sand from around the stranded boat, are racing against the clock to get her off Waimairi Beach before the busy Christmas period.
"Take it apart as quick as you can and get it off the beach as quick as you can," navigation safety officer Gary Manch told Newshub.
The boat ran aground and started taking on water shortly after 11pm on Saturday. Three people were rescued and have since been discharged from hospital.
It's still not clear how the boat ran into trouble.
"There's only two reasons boats end up going on shore: it's either the fault of the crew or the skipper, otherwise it's a fault of the boat - like a mechanical fault or something. This is being investigated by Maritime New Zealand," Manch said.
Preparations to move the boat continued until 9pm on Sunday and resumed again at daybreak.
The initial plan was to drag the boat up to the high-tide mark to dismantle it - but the tide had an agenda of its own. Efforts have since been abandoned until the next low-tide.
For now, police tape is keeping eager eyes at a safe distance.
"[It] wasn't exactly what I expected when I came down to check the waves this morning," one local said.
The unexpected sight has proved to be concerning for some residents.
"I don't think it's very good for the environment," one young local, Abraham Reid, told Newshub.
Most of the vessel's fuel has been removed, with just 10 percent remaining onboard.
"The small amount will disperse among the surf tide quite quickly... by the time it's done two or three tide cycles, most of that will be dispersed anyway naturally," explained Marinetec Engineering & Construction company director, Dwayne Pool.
Efforts to dismantle the Debbie Jane will resume again at low-tide on Monday night.
