Some imaginative names have been sent in for the new Waiarohia Stream footbridge and the riverside walk or cycle loop from Whangarei's Town Basin and back.
Whangarei District Council ran a public competition for names for the bridge and the path, and a selection panel will consider them and recommend the preferred names at the council's May meeting.
The suggestions include Maori names, Pakeha names, a mix of the two, some simple and some elaborate - with 35 choices of name for the walkway and 38 choices for the bridge.
"People have put an enormous amount of thought into their submissions, paying tribute to important people and ideas, the place, history and aims and aspirations of our community," the council's Paul Dell said.
The 4.2km walkway - from the basin, along the Hatea River, over the Waiarohia Stream, along the riverside to Te Matau a Pohe and back to the basin via William Fraser Memorial Park - is due to be completed mid-June. Piers have been installed on the Hihiaua side of the river and the $1.7 million walk and cycle bridge will take shape over the next few weeks. Like its big sister across the Hatea River, the smaller footbridge will be notable for its innovative design.