Raglan Whāingaroa wharf project marks completion as walkway opens

Waikato Herald

6 May, 2024 02:41 AM3 mins to read

The Raglan/Wāaingaroa Wharf project marked its completion after the walkway opened to the public last week. Photo / Waikato District Council

The final piece of the Raglan Whāingaroa Wharf Project is now complete after Waikato District Council opened the wharf’s western walkway last week.

The project, centred around the redevelopment of the Raglan Wharf and wider harbour, started in August 2021.

The community identified four key areas in need of work: A new pontoon was needed at the eastern side of the wharf; repairs to the existing wharf; a plan for the future of the Raglan Harbour to better connect the town and the surrounding communities; and the western walkway.

At the official opening of the walkway on Friday, Waikato District Mayor Jacqui Church said the event was “a celebration of so many parts coming together”.

“The synergy of us all collectively - and what more can we celebrate on this lovely Whāingaroa day than this?”

Waikato District Council’s general manager of service delivery Megan May said the project had been a long time in the making.

“I still have memories of central government approaching us in 2019 with the suggestion of a wharf project.”

For the project, Waikato District Council and the Raglan Community Board received funding from the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF).

Further funding from the Government’s “better off” fund was allocated for the construction of a western walkway.

The wharf upgrade, including the new pontoon, gangway and kayak ramp, opened in June last year.

The Raglan Wharf's western walkway is now open to the public. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer

The aim of the walkways project was to create a pedestrian-friendly precinct that was safer and more accessible.

The walkway features a new seawall, tidal steps and terraces to improve access to water at the northern end, and a kayak ramp at the southern end where the walkway connects with the existing footpath at the end of Wallis Street.

Other significant features included cultural and historical signboards, an entrance sculpture called Pā Kahawai, tree pits and planting and a raised pedestrian crossing at the entrance.

Construction of the walkway kicked off in late August last year.

The Raglan Wharf walkway also features the sculpture Pā Kahawai by Simon Te Wheoro. Photo / Waikato District Council

While the walkway is open and the new area is ready for the public, the tidal stairs were still undergoing some finishing works before the fencing could be removed.

The walkway opened with a karakia ceremony led kaumātua Atutahi Riki, of Ngāti Māhanga and Tainui.

Councillor Lisa Thomson acknowledged local artist Simon Te Wheoro for the sculpture at the entrance. “The sculpture is a lure for manuhiri and for locals alike to come here,” she said.

The council said it couldn’t have done the work without the funding from Kāoa Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit, the Department of Internal Affairs, or without the partnerships with Raglan Community Board and its iwi partners Ngāti Māhanga, Ngāti Hourua, Tainui o Tainui, Ngāti Tahinga and Ngāti Tamainupō.