People have been flocking to beaches around Tauranga since oil started washing up from the stricken cargo ship Rena, despite numerous warnings to stay away.
The officer in charge of the police response to the disaster, Inspector Karl Wright-St Clair, today said he understood the passion people felt about the area and their curiosity to see it for themselves.
Be he urged people not to travel to the area unless they really needed to.
"There are a large number of people involved both in an official capacity and in the volunteer groups, and they need to be able to move around the area quickly and freely.
"We have already had one example where public vehicles were blocking an access way in Papamoa and officials were unable to get onto the beach and remove waste.''
Mr Wight-St Clair said response teams needed to move heavy equipment in and around the beaches and some roads may need to be closed.
"In order to prevent major congestion and to allow these groups to move around, it's important that traffic is kept to a minimum and that there are spaces available for them.
"As a result, we are asking members of the public to avoid the area unless they really have to be there.''
Beach restrictions remained in place and people were urged to respect them so officials and registered volunteers could get on with their work.
Police would maintain a visible presence on the beaches.
Meanwhile, police are reminding people that any containers that wash ashore remain the property of their owners or insurers.
Mr Wright-St Clair said anyone caught interfering with containers would be dealt with.
Authorities are confident nearly 1000 tonnes of oil remains on the stricken ship.
Maritime New Zealand salvage manager Bruce Anderson told media this afternoon they were confident that more than 700 tonnes of heavy fuel oil in port tank number five, and 220 tonnes of oil in two engine room feeder tanks, was still there.
"We saw that in thermal imagery this morning, so we're able to see the heat from that oil coming up,'' he said.
"The inspection team from yesterday, they were able to sound those tanks and confirm that they haven't been damaged and are in good condition.''
Starboard tank number five, which held 356 tonnes of oil, was underwater and salvors were therefore unable to get any thermal imagery off it.
However, the salvage team on board the Rena yesterday checked the tank and found no ruptures inside. They were "quite relaxed'' it was in good condition.
Mr Anderson said the aft section of the vessel was in more than 50 metres of water but if there was no more bad weather the Rena would rest on the reef.
Teams were working to install four platforms on the ship to allow salvors to access the oil.
"They spent all last night building these platforms, they hang over the top of the vessel.''
Workers will either get into the hull through a hatch or by cutting their way in, but live operations were yet to go ahead because the vessel was not stable enough at the moment.
Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) admitted earlier today it should have acted quicker in organising volunteers to help with the cleanup from the stricken Rena.
The container ship has leaked more than 350 tonnes of oil and 88 containers have fallen from it since it hit the Astrolabe reef off the coast of Tauranga on Wednesday last week.
Ten tonnes of oil have been removed and 1350 remain on board. Twenty containers have come ashore.
Oil is coating nearby beaches and at a media briefing this morning MNZ director Catherine Taylor this morning said about 2000 people had volunteered to help clean up.
"In any situation like this there are things that you learn from it and organising the volunteers was something which we have come to a bit later than we probably should have,'' she said.
"But now they're there, they're willing to go, it's going to be a long haul, they're going to need to be for a long time, so we don't need everybody today.''
Oil from Rena has been spotted as far away as Whale Island, Whakatane.
Ms Taylor said today they were waiting to confirm reports of the oil on the island, 9.6km from Whakatane.
Moutohora, or Whale Island as it's commonly known as, is considered to be a sanctuary from native flora and fauna, free from goats, rats, cats and rabbits which previously devastated native plants and animals.
Ms Taylor warned people not to touch the oil without protective gear as it was toxic.
One young woman helping with the clean up had used her cellphone, and the oil on her fingers had wiped the numbers off the faceplate.
It was also vital oil from the beaches was not spread to "clean'' areas, she said.
"At Papamoa Beach, in the carpark, you could see large globules of oil that had come off the beach.
"We don't want that contamination because what that means is that the oil will then go back into the system, through the stormwater drains, out to sea and be recirculated.''
People needed to wear protective gear and make sure their shoes were covered so they could discard the covering as they left the beach rather than traipsing it into the clean areas.
One Tauranga hotel had oil in its carpet, some people had it on their clothing "and you cannot get it out'', Ms Taylor said.
"It's a very serious issue. It's very toxic. Please keep the clean areas clean and listen to our advice,'' she said.
Cleanup planning was moving further east to Whakatane after reports oil was appearing on beaches there.
She encouraged people to keep volunteering and said although they may not have been called on today, they would be needed as the cleanup continued.
"There will be people needed in two weeks time to clean up oil so if we don't bring you in straight away, we will bring you in later.''
Salvors have this morning boarded the stricken Rena but it is unlikely any oil will be taken off today.
Maritime New Zealand salvage manager Bruce Anderson said at a media conference this morning the Spitzer Salvage teamed had boarded the vessel in what was a dangerous operation.
Two choppers are hovering nearby and and multiple vessels are on standby to get the team off if necessary.
"It is a dangerous operation, there's no two ways about that, but the salvors have undertaken a detailed risk assessment, they've got mitigations in place to minimise the danger wherever they can,'' Mr Anderson said.
The team would try to get access by unbolting the hatchways and, if they could not, they would cut through the hull.
The biggest risk was vessel movement but on a flyover this morning it appeared as if they vessel had settled on to the reef.
"They're going to do a dive survey of the reef this morning to actually see what the vessel is sitting on,'' Mr Anderson said.
"That becomes quite important ... is it sitting on a pinnacle or is it sitting on a nice platform?''
The salvors on the ground were backed by Spitzer International, which was running a 24-hour operation.
"They have the teams in Holland and in Singapore who are working around the clock to provide the planning and support that is needed by the operational team,'' he said.
"That takes some of the pressure off the actual team when they get on board the vessel.''
