Waitara Wetland Boardwalk
Project location
Waitara River Walk, North Taranaki
Client name
New Plymouth District Council
Services provided by Frame Group
Feasibility Studies and Options Assessment
Solutioning, Concept Design and Visualisation
Detailed Design and Engineering
Partners
Chow Hill Architects Ltd – Architectural Design
Frame Group was engaged by New Plymouth District Council to design a new boardwalk to extending across a tidal wetland adjacent to the Waitara River between Norman Street and the Boat Club buildings, Waitara.
Frame Group worked alongside Chow Hill Architects to design the Waitara Wetland Boardwalk to reflect the environment’s heritage. The boardwalk was designed to look like a native eel (tuna). Tangata whenua consider the eel both a food source and a means of relating with their natural environment. The eel’s head and tail were formed with different coloured concrete to highlight the different features. The boardwalk representing the body of the eel includes short barrier sections with specially designed baluster posts to help visualise the body of the eel.
The new boardwalk allows for a great opportunity for users to experience the local wetland ecology without disturbing the fragile environment.
