More new, improved seawalls on the way in Evans Bay

This section is being done first so people can continue to use the main beach area over the summer.

A penguin detection dog and handler checked the area this week to make sure there are no kororā (little blue penguins) nesting or resting in this vicinity. With their all clear, preliminary work will get under way from today.

The existing walls are in poor condition and work to replace and improve them is required. It will make this area more resilient to storm damage and sea-level rise, and is being done as a precursor to the future planned development of the Greta Point to Cobham Drive section of the Tahitai bike and walking route.

Work on the first section of wall – between the changing sheds and the boatsheds – will take about three months.

During the autumn and early winter months, from early April till mid-2025, our contractors Downer will replace the low wall behind the main beach area between the changing sheds and Cog Park with a stronger, slightly higher one.  

When this part of the upgrade work starts, the work will be done in two stages to ensure half of the beach is always available.

The toilets and changing rooms will be open as usual, but temporary access ramps will be in place at times as the decking in front of the sheds will need to be removed during the upgrade.

Work hours and days will vary at times as the team has to work around the tides. South of the changing sheds in particular, work will only be able to happen when tides are low enough.

Because working around tides adds time and complexity to a job like this, occasional night and weekend work may be required.

A pump will be put in place on the seaward side of the road to extract water from excavated areas, filter it and return it to the sea.

As with the seawall upgrade work that happened at Balaena Bay in 2024, the contractors will be putting some concrete blocks in place along the shoreline, initially between the changing sheds and the boatsheds. These help to manage water infiltration and will be removed when the work is complete.

Traffic management will be required, including a detour around the work zone for pedestrians and people on bikes or scooters. People with bikes will need to get off and walk through the pedestrian detour or share the traffic lane.

Two traffic lanes will be in operation as much as possible, but for some work, it will be necessary to have the road down to one lane with stop/go traffic management in place between 9am and 4pm. A 30km/h speed limit will be in place at all times.

To safely do the work in this area, and keep traffic moving, some areas will be coned off. Parking will be available as usual by Cog Park, and south of the work zone near the boatsheds.