Skate ramps closed for urgent repair work

The ramps at Kerikeri's skate park are more than 20 years old. Photo / Peter de Graaf

The ramps at Kerikeri's skate park will close for three weeks from tomorrow for urgent repairs.

The ramps are heavily used and are more than 20 years old.

Some of the timber underneath has rotted, screws have come up and reinforced steel has popped out.

Far North District Council infrastructure manager Jacqui Robson said that had created safety issues which had to be fixed quickly.

"We regret that the closure has happened during the busy school holiday period ... We'd hoped to have the work completed before the Christmas holidays but a delay in obtaining steel has prevented that."

She said the repair job, by a local contractor, would cost $35,000. All going well, the ramps would reopen early next month, providing a safer environment for Kerikeri skateboarders.

The rest of the skate park would stay open during repairs, although some sections would close to allow work to proceed.