The boardwalk after its $24,000 repair.
The boardwalk after its $24,000 repair.
Storm damage caused to Ngā Roto’s boardwalk in June cost the council close to $24,000 to repair.
A storm in June ruptured some of the boardwalk’s floaters and submerged others in mud, causing it to warp.
The boardwalk, erected in 2014, was closed for two months until its repairs were completed in late August.
Exim Properties Ltd, hired to conduct the repairs, had to wait until the lake’s water level recede before they could begin their work.
“When the waters rise, it creates a suction, and the buoys need to be levered out of the mud. In some cases, there may be damage to the buoys. Additionally, this year we had some lateral movement due to the high winds we experienced. Five of the buoys were split or damaged and required repair,” a council representative told The News.
Exim re-floated the boardwalks submerged buoys. The damaged buoys were either replaced or repaired by way of plastic welding.
The council said storms damage Ngā Roto’s boardwalk most years, but the extent of damage caused by June’s storm was a first.
The repairs were covered by the council’s maintenance budget and cost them just shy of $24,000.
The boardwalk is now open, and a monitoring regime is in place for the boardwalk’s pods to be checked. In any extreme weather event, or when necessary, in winter and autumn, water is also pumped out to prevent further damage.
“It’s great to have such a well-loved and well-used facility open again. People love the board walk. It’s a wonderful way to do a circuit of Lake Ngā Roto which is a special taonga for our district,” said community services manager Brad Ward.
