A proposal to locate a new dump station for caravan and motorhome owners visiting Kerikeri at Te Puāwaitanga Bay of Islands Sports Hub has been endorsed. Dump station users have been able to use alternative public sites at Kawakawa, Kaikohe and Mangōnui since the previous Kerikeri site at Cobham Rd was decommissioned in July 2024.
Since its closure, council staff have been searching for an alternative site on council-owned land suitable for a dump station. At the board’s meeting last month, Kerikeri residents voiced their concerns about delays in finding a new site for a dump station.
The specific site requirements that must be met for a dump station include: space for multiple vehicles to park and safely turn in, access to water, an existing septic system or treatment option or space to install one, and consideration of noise impacts on neighbouring properties due to the site being open 24 hours a day.
Bridge repaired
The load restriction placed on Awaroa Rd Bridge G09 has now been removed. The emergency load restriction was placed on the bridge in late October, after an inspection revealed serious structural concerns.
Engineering works to strengthen the bridge have been completed, and the bridge has re-opened to heavy traffic, although a speed limit of 30km/h has been imposed until further works are completed in the new year.
Awaroa Rd forms part of the Twin Coast Discovery Highway and is an important link for those travelling between Broadwood, Herekino and Ahipara to the north.
