Brian Rogers Rogers Rabbits www.sunlive.co.nz

As the Bay stares down the barrel of a full blown ecological disaster on our coast, perhaps it's time for a revision session: Ship Driving 101.

First rule of ship driving: Go around the rocky hard bits.
This seems easy enough, but seems to have been forgotten by one particular captain, off the coast of Tauranga this week.

As he was squeezing the fully laden container ship through the teency weency gap between Motiti Island and Mayor Island, which is only about, aww, 30 odd miles of clear water – apart from a very well charted reef, he did manage to nudge it. Actually, nudge is probably a bit understated. It looks to me like a full throttle ram raid. Seventeen knots, I am reliably informed.

That's resulted in Rena the leaner getting a massive wedgy on one of our most stunning coastal reefs.

The SunLive team snapped aerial shots and were on the water early enough in the Waterline Magazine boat to get exclusive pictures from water level before the 1km exclusion zone was created around the scene. We go to great lengths to bring you the Bay's news first.

Since then, Mr Harbourmaster has kicked all boats out a kilometre, so if you were planning a fish or dive on this favourite reef in the weekend, take another look at the chart.

In fact, it could be weeks before this ship is moved from Astrolabe and the effects on the islands and coast are anyone's guess.

Seeing the ship grounded high on the reef, it's pretty hard to understand how a skipper could get it so wrong – particularly in this age of electronic navigation and wizardry. A calm night and light swell, it's not as if weather could have played any part in this grounding. Besides, these ships have so many whizz-bang navigation gadgets, you'd think it impossible to hit a rock these days? Apparently not.

It could be weeks before salvagers can move the 236m vessel, but in the meantime, we are headed for an environmental disaster. While the clean up and salvage is first priority, you've got to seriously ask just how this cock up happened.

Just last year a ship ran aground on Mount Maunganui, apparently due to a mechanical failure. But this latest mishap, in virtually open water defies belief. The findings of the investigation will be interesting.

One thing we are sure about: Our pristine coastline is no place for fools in boats, no matter the size. But especially ones carrying thousands of tonnes of heavy fuel oil that, when spilt off the coast, will mean ecological disaster.

It shows you don't necessarily need high risk operations such as oil exploration to put our environment in danger – it can happen on a good day, with modern technology and a very common container ship.

In other news:

Memo to television bosses – mess with Coro Street at your peril.

The nation has spoken. Avid Coro fans are outraged at the plan to shift the timeslot and the furore has almost eclipsed rugby cup din.

You know it's serious when the Prime Minister steps in and announces the timeslot should stay.

Personally, I don't follow the Street. Last time I watched an episode, Minnie Caldwell had been missing for a few hours in Ena's hairnet. Since then, I've lost the plot completely, although suspect that Ken is still hanging in there somewhere and the ghost of Albert Tatlock still lurks. Yer what?

Good on the Corries for standing up against this TVNZ bullying. And to try to replace it with a half-baked Aussie cooking farce is simply beyond belief.

Parting thought

Wily seafarer, my grandfather, who voyaged short handed many times around Cape Pahoia, once famously offered this wise observation...

'If the seagulls are standing up, there's a good chance you're heading for trouble.”