By MANEA SWEENEY and GRANT PEARCE, Tonkin & Taylor

Auckland Transport will be commencing the construction of the first stage of works to redevelop the Shoal Bay Wharf on Great Barrier Island (Aotea) early in the New Year. Shoal Bay Wharf is located in Tryphena Harbour in the south-western corner of Great Barrier, and is the principal passenger and freight terminal for the Island. The wharf provides an important transport link for the economic needs of the Island’s community, as well as being the primary entry point for tourists and holidaymakers.

The Island is situated in the outer Hauraki Gulf, some 90km from Auckland. It has a permanent population of approximately 850 people, which swells considerably in the summer months due to the island being a popular holiday destination. The main access to the Island is via a three-and-a-half hour trip on the car ferry from Downtown Auckland to Shoal Bay Wharf, a half-hour flight in a small plane from Auckland International Airport to Okiwi or Claris Airfields, or by private vessel to the numerous Bays and small harbours on the island.

Currently, space at Shoal Bay Wharf is invariably congested when ferries arrive and depart, particularly in peak season. Once disembarked from the ferry, passengers congregate at the end of the wharf waiting for their luggage to be unloaded, prior to crossing the head of the vehicular ramp to the waiting buses, or dodging cars double-parked on the one-lane road which leads to the wharf. Vehicles arriving at the wharf on Shoal Bay Rd also have no effective turnaround point, which results in them needing to drive through the freight area of the wharf, creating hazards for both pedestrians and vehicular traffic. The Shoal Bay development will resolve these issues, and will significantly enhance the operation and use of the wharf facilities.

Tonkin & Taylor Ltd was commissioned by the former Auckland City Council to prepare a Masterplan for the development of Shoal Bay Wharf and to obtain resource consents for the project. Following notification of the applications, only two submissions were received in opposition to the project. This was largely due to the successful implementation of an extensive consultation strategy developed for the project. Consents for the project were granted earlier this year without the need for a Hearing, which reduced potential project delays and cost overruns.

Stage 1 of the development is now being advanced by Auckland Transport, with Tonkin & Taylor Ltd completing detailed design and calling for construction tenders prior to Christmas. Auckland Transport’s project manager, Richard La Ville says he is extremely pleased that works are due to commence.

“This redevelopment has been carefully planned since 2005. The implementation of the first construction phase for this project to improve safety and operations at Shoal Bay is particularly important for the people of Great Barrier, and will provide a much needed improvement to the current operating conditions”.

Stage 1 construction involves building two small reclamations, approximately 2000 m² in area, is specifically designed to alleviate the existing congestion. The first reclamation closest to the wharf will include a one-way loop road allowing vehicles to arrive and leave the terminal without driving through the freight handling area. It will also include up to six parking spaces for mini buses and vans away from the end of the wharf, five short-term car spaces to drop off and pick up passengers and luggage, and a small toilet block, removing the need for waiting passengers to walk through the freight area to get to the existing toilets.

A second reclamation some 40 metres to the south will provide approximately 30 carparking spaces for longer term parking, while waiting for the ferry to arrive. The design of this area took into consideration a small pocket beach located between the wharf and the reclamation, which is significant to the local community, and has therefore been retained as part of the scheme.

Stage 1 works should be substantially complete in the third quarter of 2012, and subsequent stages involving a wharf extension, breakwater, and public dinghy racks and mooring pontoon, will follow as funding permits.

(Auckland Transport – Project owners; Tonkin & Taylor Ltd – Masterplanning, consents and detailed design. Article by Manea Sweeney, senior planner and Grant Pearce, senior coastal engineer, Tonkin & Taylor).

Picture show before and after: (Top) Existing situation at Shoal Bay Wharf (source: LA4 Architects Ltd). Bottom: Completed central reclamation area and breakwater at Shoal Bay Wharf (source: LA4 Architects Ltd).