Whanganui Port restricts boat access as redevelopment work continues

Concrete was poured at the port throughout December.

Restrictions are in place at Whanganui’s Wharf St boat ramp as the city’s port redevelopment moves forward.

The ramp is now closed for two hours on either side of low tide on Mondays to Fridays, with contractor Concrete Structures working close to the edge of the new wharf and runway to build a new lift-out bay.

Port general manager Geoff Evans said an exclusion zone, identified by a line of red buoys, was already in place around the work area to ensure boats did not get too close.

“We have had port representatives at the boat ramp during dredge operating hours informing boat operators of the correct channel and advising against launching at low tide,” he said.

“While most operators have heeded our advice, a small few [have] not, and over a period of 24 hours over the past week, there have been six incursions of the exclusion zone.”

Evans said that was “a very frustrating situation to be in” and the port did not want to limit access to the river for boat operators.

A 40-tonne amphibious excavator is dredging at the port.

Last November, Whanganui Port chairman Mark Petersen said the plan was to have Q-West’s electric-hybrid ferry – a 34.5m vessel being built for Auckland Transport – on the port’s hardstand in the first quarter of this year.

Q-West’s 380-tonne capacity mobile boat hoist alone weighs 140 tonnes.

Evans said the lift-out bay would allow boats to be hoisted from the water.

“It’s not limited to Q-West.

“Basically, it’s where any boats that come into port to be maintained are lifted out of the water.”

The port was a big project “with so many moving parts” but all indications were that it was on track, he said.

“Large areas of concrete were completed in December over three big pours.”

Concrete Structures signed on for phase one of the port work in August 2023, with a price of $13.5 million.

The boat ramp closure is expected to continue through February and possibly into early March, depending on progress.

Evans said several meetings had been held with representatives of the Coastguard, the Wanganui Manawatū Sea Fishing Club and other stakeholders to explore options to alleviate the risk.

“Closing the boat ramp during low tides should reduce the likelihood that boat operators will feel the need to cross the line of red buoys into the exclusion zone.”

Launching when the boat ramp was open remained at skippers’ discretion and responsibility, he said.

“If we all do our bit, we will ensure the safety of our boating community alongside those working on the wharf within the Whanganui Port basin.”

The port work is being carried out by Whanganui District Council and forms part of the Te Pūwaha project.

Other partners in Te Pūwaha are Horizons Regional Council, Q-West and the Whanganui District Employment Training Trust.

Hapū collective Te Mata Pūau steers the project to ensure it has been developed and guided by Tupua te Kawa and in the context of the Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act.

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present, his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.