The transformation of Auckland’s waterfront will be ready to roam on July 2.
The new public space connects the land to the sea and looks out over the Waitemata Harbour and has been a project between Auckland Council and Auckland Transport in collaboration with Mana whenua.
Mayor Phil Goff says the renewed waterfront is truly world-class, creating a waterfront that is vibrant, people-friendly, attractive and accessible.
By 2050, 2.4 million people are predicted to live and work in Auckland, many commuting to the city centre by bus, train, ferry, cycle, e-scooter, e-skateboard and on foot.
The downtown convergence point has been re-built into a hub of arrival, departure and connection, with new infrastructure for ferries, buses and trains, cycleways and widened footpaths now positioned together, making journeys easier. Including six new ferry berths.
The focal point of the new downtown is Te Wananga. A space that seems to float above the harbour and which has been designed to resemble a tidal shelf, forming a hinge between the land and sea and shaped to emulate the rocky edges and sandstone headlands of the Waitemata.
A growing forest and native planting offer shade, shelter and absorption while openings in the deck reveal movement of the tide and newly attached seeded mussel lines filtering the seawater below.
In May, divers attached 38 mussel ropes to the underside of the space. These mussels are not there to be eaten. Each mature mussel will filter up to 150 to 200 litres of seawater a day taking in phytoplankton for nourishment as well as removing pollutants and acting as bio-indicators of aquatic health in the inner harbour.
