(CNN) -- Oil leaking from a container ship that ran aground on a reef off the pristine east coast of New Zealand's north island has begun washing ashore. Clumps of oil have been found on Mount Maunganui beach in the Bay of Plenty. New Zealand's oil spill response agency, Maritime New Zealand (MNZ), is advising people to avoid the beach for health reasons. Oil began leaking from the Rena, a Liberian-flagged vessel, after it struck the Astrolabe Reef, about 12 nautical miles off the coast of Tauranga, on the North Island, on Wednesday, creating a five-km (three-mile) slick. Efforts to recover oil from the grounded ship, now heading south down the coast, are being hampered by high winds and strong swells.
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Clumps of oil found on beach; ship's crew evacuated due to worsening weather
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High winds, strong swells force halt to fuel oil recovery from ship
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Rescue teams working to assist wildlife affected by spill
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The Rena ran aground on reef off New Zealand's North Island
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