Bombs away but not today for Onerahi project

The raft under assembly.

The first bombs off a new Onerahi pontoon community project have been suspended with the delay of resource consent following complaints.

The project has been the combined efforts of various community members, including the Onerahi Fire Brigade, under the name of E Tu Onyx.

The idea was to provide an opportunity for young people to be active. However, spokesman Mike Chubb confirmed the launch of the pontoon, planned to be installed alongside the small jetty off Beach Rd today, would not go ahead due to a delay in resource consent and concerns from some locals.

Chubb said it was likely caused by the memory of when the jetty was installed 25 years ago.

"I remember when that went in. It caused a bit of a hu-ha at first. There was some noise and vandalism but then it settled down and the same thing would happen (with the pontoon).

Chubb overlooked the planned site himself and said, "To be fair, if it was causing trouble, I'd be first down there resolving it.

He added that residents were also concerned about rubbish and parking problems.

Chubb said the location had been chosen because of its lack of current, as a safe place to swim. Located around 50m from the jetty, it would only be usable at high tide – around four hours a day – which he believed would peak fortnightly at weekends.

"It's a nice safe place for children to have some fun," he said, adding that it was a lot safer than the jetty further round Beach Rd where people jump off.

The flotation device for the 3m x 4m pontoon had been donated by Whangārei District Council and local businesses had contributed various parts with labour being carried out by the E Tu Onyx group. Chubb said it was unlikely the pontoon could be installed by Christmas.