Work to protect a historic pā on the Taranaki coast from wandering beachgoers will cost four times the price estimated three years ago – but now includes a replacement footbridge nearby.
Hauranga Pā was one of the largest in the Tataraimaka area, the rohe of Ngāti Tāiri, carrying strategic and symbolic importance before and after Pākehā settlement.
Surfers, cyclists and walkers have damaged archaeological features as the land is a popular shortcut between the Timaru and Whenuariki streams, about 15 kilometres southwest of New Plymouth at the Weld Road Reserve
Signs asking people to avoid the pā failed to prevent ongoing degradation of the heritage-protected site raising concerns from Pouhere Taonga, Heritage New Zealand.
New Plymouth District Council infrastructure project manager Nigel Wilson said a new pathway supported by a rock embankment would mean people could instead go around the headland even at high tide.
In 2021, officials estimated the path would cost $570,000 but the project now includes a new footbridge to replace one destroyed by ex-tropical Cyclone Dovi in 2022.
The bridge and walkway will cost about $2 million, including $440,000 from Waka Kotahi, the NZ Transport Agency.
The council must look after the site under the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014.
“NPDC is required by law to protect the historic Hauranga Pā, so we designed the bridge and pathway together as a great route for walkers to enjoy the coast while still respecting the archaeological and wāhi tapu site,” said Wilson.
The construction window is tight to protect the penguins and other wildlife, but Taranaki Regional Council has approved plans to protect and avoid disturbing wildlife.
“The planning for this work in a sensitive coastal environment has required extensive technical input.
“We’ve had widespread community and hapū support for a new bridge and walkway, but the legal consent process, requiring consents from Taranaki Regional Council, the Department of Conservation and NPDC, has taken longer than expected."
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
