Lake Hakanoa in Huntly has undergone a makeover, with a new bridge and improvements made to the stream area.
There is now a timber wall and rocks around Hakanoa Stream to help stabilise the bank and stop erosion, as well as new planting. Work also included culvert work, pest vegetation removal, coconut matting, new fencing, drainage works and relocating the fish.
Stephanie Loughnan, Waikato District Council Open Spaces Operational Team Leader, says it has been a group effort between Council, WaterCare, Waikato Regional Council, land/homeowners and various other organisations to get this project completed.
The new bridge was installed at the end of July and planting around the stream is almost complete.
“We had to use a crane to remove the old bridge, put new piles in and create new foundations, and then put the new bridge in place.
The footbridge, originally installed in 1985, was closed to the public after one side collapsed in July 2023.
“While design work was taking place for the new bridge, we began coordinating with our partners over at WaterCare, who were undertaking a rehabilitation of Lake Hakanoa Stream.
Council applied for central government funding for water related resilience projects after Cyclone Gabriel and were successful in getting money to work on the stream and the weir.
Loughnan thanked the community for their patience.
“The work has taken some time to complete, but it made sense to combine the work together and it’s great to see the area looking so good.
“Combining the projects reduced the impact on the community and reduced re-work that would be required by doing the projects separately. Thanks to the Huntly people for their patience during this time.”
Council would also like to thank Native Fish for helping with relocating the fish.
