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A significant upgrade to one of New Zealand's busiest wharf facilities, in the heart of Russell in the Bay of Islands.

 

Around 850,000 ferry passengers pass through the wharf every year, and the ageing timber landing steps and jetty were no longer fit for that volume of traffic. The works replaced the low-tide landing steps and timber jetty with floating concrete pontoons, added a new dinghy dock, and extended the end of the wharf to create more space and better flow for the growing number of visitors and commercial operators using it. The upgrade was part of a wider $5.7m Provincial Growth Fund investment across the Bay of Islands' three main wharves — Russell, Paihia and Opua.

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Keeping Russell's busiest piece of maritime infrastructure workable throughout construction took careful staging. Works were timed to start after Easter and wrap up by the end of August, deliberately avoiding the peak summer tourism season, with commercial wharf users consulted on a schedule that kept the facility operating throughout. The upgrade also went through extensive engagement with the local community, with changes made along the way in response to feedback received. Completion of the wharf was marked with a blessing led by local iwi Ngāti Manu.

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DCC provided structural design and engineering as a sub-consultant to Bellingham Marine within a design-and-build contract, working closely with the pontoon and gangway fabricators from the outset to keep the design buildable, cost-effective and free of rework.

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Project value: $1.3m