Sweeping views out to the Manukau Harbour and picture-perfect pohutukawa trees can be enjoyed again soon with the re-opening of the popular Waikōwhai Boardwalk on Saturday 23 November.
Closed off to the public since the 2023 Auckland Anniversary floods, the scenic walk is almost ready to be enjoyed ahead of the busy summer season.
Puketāpapa Local Board chair Ella Kumar is pleased the boardwalk will be available for the community to enjoy again.
“The Waikōwhai Boardwalk is the jewel of Puketāpapa, and to have the first impacted section open up before summer is fantastic, as it’s a well-used and popular section of the wider track,” says Ella.
“It’s a great milestone to re-open this beautiful boardwalk, and there’s a long road to recovery ahead for the remainder of the wider coastal track before it’s fully repaired, but this is a brilliant step forward, and shows the hard mahi done by our council whanau to reinstate our community facilities.”
The scenic section offers stunning views of the Manukau Harbour and connects Taumanu Reserve to Bamfield Reserve, and forms part of the wider Manukau Coastal Track network that was damaged from floods.
Comprehensive repair job needed to re-open the track
It was no easy feat to get the Waikōwhai Boardwalk open again, with the council project team needing to trim back a number of Pohutukawa trees, digging and replacing footing poles, as well as repairing the boardwalk – which also involved using the existing timber where possible.
At the Bramfield Reserve entrance to the boardwalk, the team also stabilised the eroded bank and installed a new footpath, fencing and retaining walls.
Longer term outlook for the rest of the Manukau Coastal Track
Although the Waikōwhai Boardwalk has re-opened, there is still a significant amount of work still be carried out to repair the damage to Manukau’s Coastal Track, which is a beautiful walkway with lush tree canopy from the edge of Onehunga Foreshore to Lynfield Cove Beach, overlooking the Manukau Harbour.
The 10-kilometre coastal track borders eight reserves, and wraps around Lynfield, Waikōwhai and Hillsborough. The Coastal Track was severely damaged, and it’s been restored in stages, with sections opening at different times.
It’s expected the entire track won’t be fully repaired for a few years.
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