By PHILIP ENGLISH
Auckland has four new white-shell beaches, so new, in fact, that they are known only as beaches A, B, C and D.
The beaches were once on the shoreline of the old Mangere Sewage Purification Works oxidation ponds with their dubious contents.
Now with the ponds gone, the shoreline
is restored and is lapped by the Manukau Harbour.
In a few years the beaches will be open to the public.
The restored shoreline taking shape at the works is part of Project Manukau, the five-year $450 million upgrade of the 40-year-old works operated by the region's publicly owned bulk water supply and sewage treatment company, Watercare Services.
The 500ha system of oxidation ponds is now harbour, bounded by 13km of coastline between Mangere Mountain, Ambury Regional Park and the Otuataua Stonefields.
The coastline will eventually be opened up with a series of public walkways.
While the project - aimed at substantially improving the quality of effluent leaving the works by using state-of-the-art treatment technology - is nearing completion, the coastal restoration will take a little longer.
Seven beaches will be created following breaches of the old pond walls in 2001 and last year.
Plantings, building bird roosts and a boat ramp, along with other beautification work, will cost about $25 million.
A project engineer at the site, Liz Shand, joked that "an unimaginative bunch of engineers" came up with the A, B, C and D names for four of the new beaches but they would eventually be properly named.
The coastal restoration work includes building four bird roosts as well as strengthening three existing roosts.
The roosts provide resting grounds for waders when the tide covers their feeding grounds.
They are used not only by year-round inhabitants of the Manukau Harbour, such as pied stilts and royal spoonbills, but by migratory birds, such as wrybills and pied oyster catchers, which overwinter from the South Island, and thousands of bar-tailed godwits (kuaka) and knots (huahou), which migrate to the harbour for the summer from Siberia and Alaska.
The roosts also keep the birds from flocking at Auckland Airport, endangering aircraft movements.
Ms Shand said birds at the works were getting used to the changing environment after some initial confusion when freshwater became saltwater after the ponds breached.
New Zealand fur seals, usually rare visitors to the harbour, have also been reported in the area.
"It's surprising how quickly the life comes back," said Ms Shand.
More than 250,000 native trees are also being planted.
"They're only little trees we are putting in but in a few years' time ... "
There are also plans to restore shellfish beds near Oruarangi Creek, which is being rehabilitated with the help of iwi from the Makaurau Marae.
Herald feature: Environment
By PHILIP ENGLISH
Auckland has four new white-shell beaches, so new, in fact, that they are known only as beaches A, B, C and D.
The beaches were once on the shoreline of the old Mangere Sewage Purification Works oxidation ponds with their dubious contents.
Now with the ponds gone, the shoreline
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