10 | Waikato District Council: Whaingaroa Wharf Upgrade T T Richard Loader Upgrade extends life of Raglan wharf Submersible scaffolding suspended off the underside of the wharf structure. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT on the Whaingaroa Wharf upgrades In August last year the Waikato District Council (WDC) embarked on an ambitious 18-month project to upgrade the Whaingaroa (Raglan) Wharf, designed to provide significant community benefits and future proof it for generations to come. The wharf is a mix of commercial activity with fishing boats and tour boat operators based there as well as a diverse mix of shops. It is also a very popular recreational area for land based fishing, and provides access for kayaks, stand up paddle boards and boats via the boat ramp. WDC Senior Project Manager Niall McGrath says the original section was opened in 1920 with an addition built in the 1960s. “Some remedial work was undertaken ten to fifteen years ago, however more was needed and the upgrade will significantly extend the wharf’s life. Safety improvements will be made to separate pedestrians from vehicles, key to this is construction of a board walk. A key contributor to the success of the project is WDC’s close working relationship with the Raglan Community Board, the Raglan community, particularly businesses based at the wharf, contractors, and other Government agencies.” Project delivery has been broken down into three separable portions of work, two of which were undertaken in parallel and have now been completed. The final portion will commence in August and is due for completion in December this year. Portion 1 involved under-wharf repairs, with sections of submersible scaffolding floated in and suspended off the underside of the wharf structure. Crews would then blast the areas identified as needing repair using hydro demolition, blowing concrete away to reveal compromised reinforcing which would be cut out and replaced. Portion 2 involved the construction of a rock revetment off the eastern side of the boat ramp with a footpath on top leading to the new gangway and pontoon. The project also replaced the existing balustrade around the wharf. The revetment required 200 tonnes of basalt paddock boulders sourced from around the Te Uku Windfarm. The third portion which is about to commence, involves the importation and placement of 1000 tonnes of basalt boulders for the construction of a much larger rock revetment on the western side, and creating two points of entry into the water, a kayak ramp at the southern end and tidal terraces with steps at the northern end. These will be connected by a boardwalk and will see several 8 cubic metre tree pits installed. Niall says the challenges for this portion of work include the complexity of consenting in the Costal Marine Area (CMA) including the growth of sea grass since the initial design. “The work site will also impact on traffic flows and boat trailer manoeuvrability especially as we come into the warmer months, which we will mitigate with significant communication to affected stakeholders.” BECA has been engaged as lead designers for the overall project, and HEB Construction were awarded the construction project for all three separable portions through competitive tender. “As lead contractor, HEB Construction Ltd brought a depth of construction experience within the CMA with the ability to leverage their internal teams to deliver the different components of the project, they also have good subcontractor and Health and Safety process in place. The HEB Project Team have been collaborative in their efforts to deliver Council’s vision within the allocated budget.” With an overall project cost of $8 million, SP1 and SP2 is being funded by Kanoa — MBIE’s Regional Economic Development Unit — ($2,500,000), with the balance coming from WDC, while SP3 is being funded entirely by the Department of Internal Affairs’ Better Off Funding through the 3 Water Reform ($3,200.000). Whāingaroa based eCoast Marine Consulting and Research have provided support to the wharf project from day one. Prior to the project inception, and in an effort to better understand the requirements of local stakeholders such as the Raglan Volunteer Coastguard and support Waikato District Council, eCoast voluntarily undertook a hydrographic survey of the seafloor around the wharf. As the project progressed, additional survey data was collected, including seabed imagery and ecological baseline data. eCoast provided support to BECA by supplying marine engineering design criteria, and provided marine based inputs to the Environmental Assessment of Effects and an ongoing monitoring programme supporting WDC’s consent application.
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