Ahuriri wharf to make way for floating pontoon

Ninety years of being knocked about by waves and moored fishing trawlers, not to mention the shake-up from the 1931 earthquake, has spelled the end of a stretch of wharf at West Quay in Ahuriri.
A couple of years ago a wooden walkway along the quayside had to be closed due to rotting, and the old wharf itself began to deteriorate to the point where it, too, was closed to fishing boats.
Demolition of the old wharf will begin as soon as resource consents to remove the rotting piles are approved. The work is expected to take three months and in its place a floating pontoon-style dock will be installed, similar to one built off Nelson Quay. It is being made in sections in Auckland and will be trucked down and re-assembled.