Drones eye Two Mile Creek project

Photo taken in April, 2017

Drones have proven their worth in recording progress on the Two Mile Creek project in Waihi Beach.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council is using drones as a recording tool for several projects, among which has been erosion protection work at Two Mile Creek.

Project Manager Su Young Ko says drones have been invaluable to record the before and after work on the creek - not only for Council's records, but to give residents a clear picture of the project's progress.

"We flew drones over the creek in February before work began, then in April to record the project's half-way mark. We will put them up again next month to get the final picture of the completed work."

Rock revetment has been completed on both sides of the creek banks and a training groyne built. The rock structure has been finished with timber geotextile fabric anchoring and grouted walls have been completed to tie into the Dillon Street bridge abutments.

Cyclone Cook's arrival in May was a test for the partially completed project and the rock revetments stood strong.

Protection of a special 'tui tree' on a resident's property was one of the trickier challenges on the job, says Su Young.

"Keeping the tree was not easy as we had to make changes to the alignment of the revetment. The machine operator from Beach Contractors did a great job in carefully placing the rocks around the tree to protect its wellbeing. We are thrilled the tree is healthy and enjoying its tui visitors."

The project will be completed this month (July) and is within budget. Funding for the project is split between landowner contributions (25%) and Council (75%).