At dawn on Monday 24 July 2023, there was a blessing on the site of Ōpōtiki’s new harbour to mark the place where water now flows between the 450m long groynes out to sea. This is the start of the process of moving the river mouth from its current location near the Waiotahi Drifts subdivision, to its new location between the constructed seawalls further east.

HEB construction are leading the work on Ōpōtiki’s new harbour entrance. Since physical works started on site in September 2020, two seawalls have been constructed reaching around 450 metres out into the Bay of Plenty. Dredging and excavation left a short strip of land between the eastern and western seawalls and a large stockpile of sand on the western side that will be used to close the existing river mouth. 

On Monday at low tide, work was started to lower the final strip of sand down to the low tide mark. The team then carefully watched and waited through a tide change, allowing some of the river flow to pass between the seawalls. The natural scour of the water deepened the channel and the rest of the sand will be progressively excavated over the coming days. Additional dredging and excavating will add to this process, creating the new river mouth between the groynes.

Project director, John Galbraith, said that the process had gone smoothly and as expected.

“It was a special milestone for the whole team as water starting to flow between the seawalls and it marks a very significant moment for the community. There is still a lot of work to do on site, particularly to use that large stockpile of sand to start closing up the current river mouth, and the project in full won’t be completed until early 2024. At that point, there will be access out to the end of the seawalls and the surrounding areas.

“However, we expect that the first boats will be passing between the seawalls as soon as next month. We look forward to having more to share on that moment shortly.

“From a safety point of view, I’d ask that people continue to keep well clear of the whole area. The Harbourmaster has closed Pakihikura to all boats and there is no access to open water (except Coastguard) for at least a couple of weeks. Thanks to boaties and everyone else for their patience,” Mr Galbraith said.

With the Waioeka River now partly passing between the seawalls and also through the existing channel, the western seawall sits on an island until the original river mouth closes and joins the western coastline. Land access is restricted in the area while work to close the channel is underway.

Ōpōtiki Mayor, David Moore, said that it was a significant milestone, part of the transformation of the district.

“Our river mouth has historically migrated back and forwards eastward and westward along that strip of coastline. One hundred years ago, Ōpōtiki was a bustling port town with a strong and growing economy built around good river access. While many factors marked a change in fortunes for the district, certainly a shift in the river and a loss of access for larger vessels was part of that.

“With the historic Whakatōhea Treaty settlement in May, it feels like a turning point for us here – rebuilding our economy from the sea again,” Mr Moore said.

Ends

Images available:

Video footage illustrating cut through (see Ōpōtiki District Council Facebook page for footage)

Higher resolution drone images before, during and after