Kauri Point Reserve road to be repaired

The roadway down to the harbour within Kauri Point Historic Reserve is to be repaired to enable access to the jetty and boat ramp.

The road has been closed due to a severe landslip on the Kauri Point Historic Reserve that occurred during cyclones Debbie and Cook in April 2017.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council has decided to repair the landslip following consideration of options presented by geotechnical engineering consultants Tonkin and Taylor who carried out an assessment of the landslip and cost estimates for repair.

Kauri Point residents were present at Council's Operations and Monitoring Committee meeting last week to push for the road to be repaired. Ratepayers' Association Chairwoman Debbie Duncan said the community wanted its road back and wanted a long-term fix.

She said the popular and historically significant reserve, jetty and the boat ramp were a vital part of community life and were an attraction to visitors from elsewhere.

The jetty and boat ramp were also important access points in the community's civil defence response plan.

Council's main concerns in considering repair options were the long term stability of the slope in the road reserve area and the long term safety of the road in the event of future adverse weather events.

Council has decided to spend up to $1.528 million on a repair solution that will give the road a factor of safety of 1.5 - the safety level required under Council's Development Code.

This option will consist of a large rock buttress at the toe of the slope. The new road will be slightly realigned from its current position.

Repair work will begin once all relevant consents have been obtained, following which the work will be put out for tender.

The timing of the work is subject to obtaining required consents and contractor availability to complete the work, which all going well, is likely to be in April/May 2019.