Whāingaroa Wharf Walkways Design project

The Whāingaroa Wharf Walkways project is focused on making improvements to the entire wharf to create a pedestrian-friendly precinct that is safer and more accessible for all ages and abilities.

As part of this project, we are planning to create a western and eastern walkway at the wharf. The western walkway will feature tidal steps and terraces to improve access to water in two locations and will connect the existing walkway at the end of Wallis Street to the wharf. The smaller eastern walkway will connect the wharf to the proposed location for the new pontoon.

We’ll also carry out other amenity and safety improvements such as a new balustrade around sections of the wharf, improved lighting, tree planting, seating and storytelling features such as signage and integrated artwork.

What is happening now?

In 2021, we asked for your feedback on two options for the western walkway. We received more than 100 responses from the community with the majority favouring option one.

Whāingaroa Wharf Walkways project - Concept option 1

Birdseye view of the preferred western walkway option

This option features tidal stairs that are located closer to the wharf which will provide longer access to the water at all tides.

We are now working to finalise this design and will continue to keep you updated as we progress. Construction is expected to start in mid-2022.

Project milestones

November - December 2021

Options for the western walkway shared with community for feedback
December 2021 - January 2022

Feedback considered and design finalised and shared with community.
March - April 2022

Project tendered and awarded.
June 2022 onwards

Construction underway.

Frequently Asked Questions

Want to know more? We’ve put together some FAQs to help answer some of those burning questions.

When will construction start and how long will it take?

Construction is expected to start in mid-2022 and take around 8 months to complete.

Will there still be access to the wharf during construction?

We’ll do our best to minimise any disruption to the wharf during construction. However, there is potential that some parts of it may need to be closed off for construction during the winter. We’ll know more on the exact details once the work has been tendered and the design of the walkways is finalised.

We’ll keep you up to date as we progress.

Will the project affect the parking spaces at the wharf?

No parking spaces will be removed.

How will this project be funded?

In 2019, Waikato District Council and the Raglan Community Board were granted $2.5 million in funding from the Provincial Growth Fund. This has been allocated to this project and three other projects which are focused on the improvement of the wharf and wider harbour now and into the future.

Has the community been consulted on this previously?

During the 2021-2031 Long Term Plan, the community told us improving accessibility to the town centre and improving walking and cycling infrastructure were top priorities. This was also made clear in the Raglan Naturally Plan.

While small in scale, we hope this project will go some way towards achieving those aspirations.