The council today received its test results after a wastewater overflow last weekend and this afternoon, announced the beach had been given the all-clear.
However, shortly after the announcement, the council said one of the five samples taken from Pilot Bay had returned with high levels of bacteria.
Authorities did not know how much wastewater entered Pilot Bay after a pipe blockage caused by wet wipes resulted in an overflow.
Council pollution prevention officer Radleigh Cairns said the incoming high tide would have helped to block the discharge from the stormwater pipe and keep it in the pipeline.
The blockage was in a wastewater pipe, which caused the flow to come through a manhole, into the gutter, and down a stormwater drain.
Water samples were sent for testing and results were returned today.
Wet wipes, including "flushable" wipes, were a growing issue for wastewater networks across New Zealand and had been the cause of blockages around Tauranga, in residential areas as well as areas where there is a high percentage of visitors.
"Blockages like the one [over the weekend] cause the flow to build up in manholes that then overflow into the street and enter the stormwater network via drains."
"These could include CCTV and modifications to the pipeline if there is, for example, a bend that is too sharp, or a flaw in the pipe that enables a build-up to take hold."
The weekend’s blockage had nothing to do with the visiting cruise ships, Cairns said, as they all have their own facilities to contain and treat wastewater.