Work is underway at Half Moon Bay to repair and replace pontoons and piles severely damaged by a storm in January this year.
Howick Local Board chair David Collings and Howick ward councillor Sharon Stewart stopped by the site to get an update on progress this week.
Both have fielded plenty of inquiries from anxious boaties on the progress of the works over the past few months and are happy to see things starting to move ahead.
“I know people have been waiting a long time for the repairs and we have been working with the council and relaying the community’s concerns,” says Howick Local Board chair David Collings.
“With the scale of the damage it was clear it wouldn’t be a quick fix but it is good to see it get started."
Councillor Stewart is also encouraged to hear the work is on track to be finished by Labour Weekend as predicted, although she hopes it could be finished sooner.
“I have fielded plenty of calls and have been regularly checking in for updates. This is an extremely popular facility and the sooner it is back to full capacity the better.”
Auckland Council’s head of operational management and maintenance, Agnes McCormack, says the works are extensive. The bulk of the concrete pontoon units were damaged beyond repair and are unable to be reinstalled, the concrete boat ramp was undermined, and six of the 14 piles were also damaged and are being replaced.
Other piles are being strengthened and lengthened by installing sleeves over them to minimise the impact of future storms.
“It has taken us a while to get here but we needed to make sure we understood the extent of the damage, deal with insurance, come up with a plan and then wait for some of the specific materials to arrive," Agnes McCormack says.
The longer piles required are made from hardwood and had to be sourced from overseas as the lengths required were not available in New Zealand.
This repair work involves:
- repairing the undermined ramp
- replacing the northern abutment
- replacing all piles that are not suitable to be re-used
- lengthening the piles that are not being replaced
- installing the new pontoons.
The pontoons were just one of several coastal structures throughout the region damaged during the January storm.
Meanwhile, access to the ramp is being kept open as works allow with at least one lane open at the weekends and two during the week.
