Trust backs wharf idea

A new trust will press for wharves for boaties and ferry passengers at Takapuna Beach and Browns Bay.

A member of the Harbour Access Trust, Olympic yachtsman Ralph Roberts, said a wharf had been talked about for 30 years. "This group are not talkers. If they put their weight behind something they make it happen."

He said wharves were needed to prevent boaties having to struggle in waist-high water. "You see women getting knocked around holding the boat while the man goes to get the trailer."

Catching a ferry to downtown Auckland from Takapuna or East Coast Bays would be a welcome alternative to sitting in the queues of cars on the North Shore.

North Shore City Council earmarked $11.3 million in its 10-year budget for wharves but a trust will find money from many sources rather than just rates.

Mr Roberts supported the idea of a floating pontoon-style dock instead of a conventional wharf, which had raised fears of environmental damage.

Councillor Peter White said pontoons deserved study. One would cost about $1 million compared with $5 million for a wharf.