Design work completed

Seawall design

During previous project stages, the coastal edge design was developed using a curved, stepped, concrete seawall. The curved faces will help to deflect some waves away from the road, and have been chosen to be similar to the newer seawall in York Bay.

During the current phase, this design has been refined for all bays. We have considered the height of the seawall to determine where there is a risk of people being injured in a fall, and the requirements of the New Zealand Building Code to provide protection from falling.

As a result, we have designed the shared path to have balustrades in some places. The balustrade design has been chosen to have as little visual impact as possible.

Indicative cross-section of seawall with balustrade
Visualisation of balustrade (birds-eye view) To reduce the amount of balustrade used in the design, we have also developed a wider ‘step’ design in some places, meaning that if a person were to fall, the height of the fall will be reduced. This has a larger ‘footprint’ on the coastal edge, and the total footprint of the project is limited as this has an impact on the environment.Indicative cross-section of seawall with wider step

Visualisation of shared path without balustrade (majority of shared path) We’ve balanced the use of these features to reduce the amount of balustrade as far as possible, as we know people would like to keep, as much as possible, the open views and access to the coastline that the Bays are known for.

Cultural expression in design

The shared path will feature cultural design elements that reflect the narrative of Tupua Horo Nuku, the name gifted to the shared path by Te Ati Awa Taranaki Whānui, as part of the project’s partnership with iwi mana whenua.

The path patterns reflect this narrative:

Te Āti Awa tupua rau, he auripo i te manga iti, he auripo i te manga nui raanei, he kaitiaki ki te whenua.

Te Āti Awa of many phenomena - where there is a ripple in a small tributary or great river, there is a guardian and protector on the land.

The design will also include Mouri Markers. Each marker represents an area of significance to Mana Whenua. It will highlight the Māori and English names of the bays and allow for our cultural narratives of those bays to be told.

Indicative Mouri Marker

Visualisation showing cultural design imprinted on path

Environmental protection

The shared path includes a number of key environmental features, many of which we are committed to under the resource consent for the project, which was granted in 2020. These aim to support the area’s native species and respond to the environmental effects of constructing the new shared path and seawalls.

The seawalls will feature enhancements to better support marine life, such as textured patterns which plants and other marine organisms can affix to. We will also create artificial concrete rock pools which support marine life.

A number of bird protection areas will be established as part of the project. This consultation includes the plans for Whiorau Reserve which has a penguin protection area, as well as part of the shared path route.

The bird protection area provides a safe place for Kororā (little penguin) to nest through increased planting and added nest boxes. It is bounded by a low rope barrier on the seaward side, and a rear fence which will help to keep dogs out of habitat areas, and help to keep penguins from getting on to the road.

Concept plans for the penguin protection area have been developed by the project team working closely with the Little Penguin Interest Group, made up of local organisations and individuals who have been involved in penguin conservation efforts.

Further penguin protection areas in CL Bishop Park and HW Shortt Park, and an oystercatcher protection area in Sorrento Bay are under development and will be shared with residents before plans are finalised.

Beach nourishment is also being proposed at York Bay, Lowry Bay and Point Howard to mitigate the loss of beach amenity.