If rain is a good omen in Maori culture then the Kerikeri Heritage Bypass looks set to be a successful project.
Rain poured down as Prime Minister Helen Clark shovelled dirt round the roots of a kauri tree to officially mark the start of construction on the $17 million bypass yesterday.
The
new road will not only mean quicker travel times for locals but save some of New Zealand's most historic buildings.
Historic Places Trust chief executive Bruce Chapman said the bypass was a vital step towards the preservation of the Kerikeri Mission House and the Stone Store.
Vibrations caused by heavy traffic crossing the bridge are damaging the Stone Store.
Once the bypass is completed and the existing road bridge removed, the threat to these nationally and internationally significant buildings will be hugely reduced.
Far North District Council Mayor Yvonne Sharp thanked Ms Clark and the Labour government for the 100 percent funding they had provided for the project.
"The council alone could not have hoped to achieve this vital protection for our national icons," Ms Sharp said.
The road will also be a direct link from central Kerikeri to new sports fields about to be developed on the Waipapa Rd.
Ms Clark said it was crucial to protect reminders of the past.
Representatives from local iwi Ngati Rehia were at the powhiri held in a small marquee.
Preparation work started on the 1.6km-long bypass last November with the clearing of vegetation.
The bypass starts at Waipapa Rd and curves southwest across the Kerikeri River via a new 81-metre bridge, before veering southeast to join Kerikeri Rd near the Hone Heke junction.
It means the existing footbridge at the Stone Store basin will be removed and a new one built within the historic precinct.
