Tauranga Waterfront 'Access to Water'

The overall design intent is to reinforce this area as the active waters edge destination at the intersection of the north south waterfront promenade and the east-west wharf Street and Masonic Park ‘civic axis’. The combination of pier, wharf and stairs stitch together land and sea to create a defined and enclosed ‘blue room’ which reinforces Tauranga’s spiritual and physical connection to the harbour. This new space provides for an exciting new opportunities to occupy, engage with and access the harbour and for a expanded range of recreational, social and event activities at the edge of the water.

Opened in May last year, the steps fold down into Tauranga Harbour from The Strand, reconnecting people with the waterfront and city centre. The $3.2 million steps, bombing platform and pier have been enthusiastically received by locals since day one, even though they opened in winter. 

Managing to work through all the difficult technical issues and budget constraints and come up with something that fits contextually and resonates from a design point of view is what Landscape Architect on the project, Henry Crothers, of LandLAB is most proud of.  The project deliberately sought to engage with the community in a meaningful and innovative way, asking them what they wanted instead of telling them what they were going to get.

There were a range of technical and safety issues to work around, with a still-used railway line running through the project. And there were some complex hydrological issues. The seabed needed dredging and reprofiling to allow small boats to use the pier.