It's the end of an era at Whangarei's Okara Park with the old grandstand knocked down to make way for a flash, new $16million multi-events centre. The ratepayer-funded project is being overseen by the Northland Regional Council and, all going well, should be finished by May next year. NRC chief executive KenPatterson said the stadium redevelopment was on track and on budget and "that's how I expect it to continue". He said all the consents for the stadium were through, and piling for the new grandstand had started. "The final designs have been done and (all going to plan) it should be finished by May 2010," he said. The stadium's playing pitch had been removed and would be replaced in time for the start of the Air New Zealand Cup provincial rugby competition. "We hand back the pitch and rest of the stadium, bar the grandstand part, in time for the first Air NZ Cup game on August 6," said Mr Patterson. By then the old wooden seats from the terraces on the eastern side of the ground would have been replaced by new, more comfortable, plastic seats - and seating would have been erected on the embankment on the northern side of the ground. The stadium's floodlights would also be moved, Mr Patterson said. He said the Northland Air NZ Cup team would play their home games at the ground while the grandstand was being built, with the seating likely to go into the stand in October. "By August, there will be a fair bit of work done on the grandstand and from October, when the seats will go in, it will be mainly fitting out the inside (of the grandstand)." Northland will host two Rugby World Cup games at Okara Park - featuring Tonga playing qualifiers, possibly the United States or Canada and Asia (most likely Japan) on September 14 and 21 2011.
