CONNECTIVITY

There is more we could do here than we can afford at once. We want to know what to do first.

Three options for water access

Only the first is costed into the proposed stages. The larger two are recorded as opportunities for later.

Concept image of Option 1: one set of steps into the sea beside the NCC Electricity Building

Option 1 · $4.3m · in the proposed stages

One set of steps at the NCC Electricity Building, with the path and the boat ramp reworked. This is the option the plan carries forward, and the only one costed into Stages 1 to 3.

Concept image of Option 2: more steps at the boat ramp with a platform for people with limited mobility

Option 2 · $6.8m – about $2.5m more than Option 1 · an idea for later

Adds more steps at the ramp, with a platform for people with limited mobility. About 350m² of extra space.

Concept image of Option 3: continuous steps along the whole frontage with an accessible platform

Option 3 · $8.6m – about $4.5m more than Option 1 · an idea for later

Continuous steps along the frontage, with an accessible platform. About 750m² of extra space – the fullest water access.

Draft Masterplan, Irving Smith Architects. Concept pictures, not final designs.

What would you put first?

Whichever option is built, there is a list of things that could go with it.

Getting in and out

  • Better accessibility for everyone
  • A floating pontoon
  • New steps down the boat ramp for kayaks, waka and other non-powered craft
  • Lounging steps near the Marine Rescue Centre
  • Lounging steps near the NCC Electricity Building

Safety and comfort

  • Better protection from storm waves
  • A wider walkway on the bridge section
  • Shade and seating

Nature

  • Habitat on land for kororā, the little blue penguin
  • Rare coastal plants
  • More native planting
  • Tide pools and habitat structures in the water
  • Wetland treatment for stormwater

And the old wharf

The old wharf has been looked at to determine options. Rebuilding it is not affordable. Reusing it as a jumping or manu platform could be dangerous, because the currents there are strong. The wave action is also too rough for boats to moor safely.

So the plan proposes taking it partly down, keeping what can be kept as a piece of the Haven's history, and rebuilding the structure that remains as habitat above and below the tide.

The Masterplan is honest that the Haven's natural ecology was changed for good a long time ago and cannot be put back. What it can do is bring pieces of it into the design – habitat structures in the water, planting, and artwork that tells people what used to live here. Two things are singled out: the kororā, the little blue penguin, and rare coastal plants.

We want your guidance

How much access to the water do you want – enough to swim from, or a fuller space to spend the day? And should what is left of the old wharf be used mainly to improve coastal habitat?

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