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 deflect waves away from the road in order to protect it 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, including in Sorrento Bay which will have a protection area for Tōrea Pango (Variable Oystercatchers). This is part of the consent conditions for the project, so it must be implemented.

Tōrea Pango bird protection area in Sorrento Bay

The bird protection area provides a place for Tōrea Pango to safely nest. This will mean the removal of fishing access at the southern end of Sorrento Bay, and a timber screening fence along the seaward side of the path to prevent dogs wandering into the nesting habitat. The fence will be approximately 85m long and vary between 1.2-1.8m in height.

Interpretation panels installed at either end of the screening fence provide information on the lifecycle and habitat requirements of Tōrea Pango, the threats that they face and information on how shared path users can minimise their impact on the birds nesting in Ngau Matau and Sorrento Bay.

Concept plans for the bird protection areas 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 conservation efforts.

Further bird protection areas in Whiorau Reserve, CL Bishop Park and HW Shortt Park are under development as part of the consent conditions.

Beach nourishment is also being proposed at selected areas in the bays to mitigate the loss of beach amenity.