- Kia ora
- Gone fishing
- Historic Mirek Smisek kilns
- Ian Bowman – Architect Conservator
- Living history
- Shared path construction confirmed
- Construction update
Kia ora
We’ve great news to share with you this month as the NZ Transport Agency has confirmed funding will be made available for the construction of a purpose-built shared path alongside the Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway. This exciting project development when complete will encourage more people to get out and about on foot or by bike around the district.
It’s announcement also highlights the importance of other work we’re involved in to conserve and preserve what’s valuable to the district. In this issue we share more information on the shared path and feature two initiatives we are taking to conserve and preserve.
First up our environmental team take us through some of their pre-construction work including capturing fish and eels before relocating them to safe habitats.
Secondly we catch up with our Construction Manager Steve Findlay and Conservation Architect Ian Bowman who take us through the work we’re doing to preserve an important piece of Kāpiti Coast heritage, the historic Mirek Smisek pottery kilns. And our video section features an update from the kilns’ site produced by Ōtaki College students.
I hope you enjoy reading more on these two interesting projects. If you need any further information please call us on 0800 PP2O INFO or email pp2o@nzta.govt.nz
Ngā mihi
Andy Goldie, Project Manager
Gone fishing
Giant Kokopu (indigenous fish to New Zealand).
As we prepare for earthworks around local waterways we need to relocate fish to habitats where they will be safe. This month the team have focused efforts on a remnant wetland area to the north west of the Mill Road/SH1 roundabout. Environmental Coordinator, Sevi Hartley, says the fish relocation involves isolating the wetland from the live watercourse, stopping fish from entering the wetland.
“We then capture any fish in the wetland and relocate them to a new home.”
Sevi says fishing methods generally involve baited nets to attract the eels.
“This mostly takes place overnight when the fish are the most active. The nets are checked and any fish caught are relocated the next morning to a suitable habitat out of the project works area. In the case of the Ōtaki Railway Wetland, we’ll be relocating any fish to the nearby Mangapouri Stream.”
Before fish are relocated they are counted and their species and size recorded, Project Kaitiaki (iwi guardians) are also present during the fishing activities.
If anyone wants any information about our ecological work, please get in touch with us through our 0800 7726 4636 hotline. We’d be keen to hear any feedback.
Catching and relocating eels and inanga (whitebait).
Eels and inanga (whitebait) waiting to go to new homes.
Historic Mirek Smisek kilns
Homestead and historic kilns of world-famous potter, Mirek Smisek, with State Highway 1 in the background.
Historic kilns at the former Te Horo home of world-famous potter, Mirek Smisek, are to be preserved as part of conservation efforts for heritage sites in the PP2Ō project area. The two kilns were built and used over a 40-year period by Mirek, a Czechoslovakian refugee who came to New Zealand in 1951 and first settled in Nelson, before moving to the Te Horo property east of State Highway 1 and south of Old Hautere Road.
He was New Zealand's first full-time studio potter, regarded as world-class for his work, and in the 1990 Queen's Birthday Honours was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to pottery.
He made a large number of pots for The Lord of the Rings in 2000 and in 2011 received the Gratis Agit award from the Czech Government for the promotion of the good name of the Czech Republic from abroad. He passed away in May 2013.
His two blazing kilns were a striking sight when seen from SH1 at night. Measuring about 2.5m high and 2m in diameter, it is believed the beehive kilns were made from 4000 second-hand bricks brought over from the Nelson area, Golden Bay and Takaka.
The project will oversee the careful relocation of these kilns on the same site and slightly to the east of their current location, out of the way of the new local road being built in this area.
PP2Ō Construction Manager, Steve Findlay, says the kilns’ preservation is one of the project’s consent conditions. “The project team are putting in place steps to ensure the re-siting is done with care. They begin with getting specialist advice and experience on the job.
“Our subcontractor has had experience across a range of structures and projects, including relocation of heritage buildings on the Wellington City Inner Bypass Project,” says Steve.
“We’ve also got a heritage architect, Ian Bowman (see separate story below), overseeing all the plan and methodologies, and we’ve spoken to various people who were involved in the original construction of the kilns.
“They are going to be handled with great care as the bricks have been exposed to such great temperatures over their life they will be very fragile. The final methodology is still being developed by the experts.”
A local interest group is in the process of forming itself as a trust and is having conversations with various parties like Heritage NZ and the New Zealand Transport Agency about how best to achieve their aspirations to create a public arts and heritage site.
Mirek Smisek's historic kilns.
Aerial view of Mirek Smisek's historic kilns.
Ian Bowman – Architect Conservator
On the move, former homestead of Mirek Smisek heading to its new location in Ōtaki.
Ian Bowman’s role as a heritage architect, or architect conservator, involves working chiefly with heritage buildings or sites.
He has worked on a number of high-profile heritage projects including the Auckland and Wellington Town Halls, the St James Theatre and Embassy Theatre in Wellington, the Regency Theatre in Palmerston North and the Dunedin Law Courts. His current projects include the Rotorua Museum.
“A heritage project could be anything – tunnels, bridges or railway carriages. You have to consider their values and then also take in to account the goals of the client,” he says.
As the first New Zealander to complete post-graduate studies in building conservation, and as president of the New Zealand Committee of ICOMOS (the International Council on Monuments and Sites), Ian adheres to defined principles for conservation work.
“Replication of something, where nothing of the original survives, is not considered conservation,” he says.
Ian prepared the conservation plan for the kilns and says the challenge will be to manage the move carefully, without damaging the structures.
“One of the good things about being an architect conservator is that I work with other disciplines such as archaeologists, heritage engineers and architectural historians.
“We have not yet decided on a final way to do it, but our contractor is an engineer who thinks outside the square in finding a solution.”
View our Gallery for more photos of the homestead being moved.
Living history
Ōtaki College students share community update on history and future vision for historic kilns site.
Shared path construction confirmed
The NZ Transport Agency has confirmed funding will be made available for the construction of a purpose-built shared path alongside the Peka Peka to Ōtaki Expressway (PP2Ō).
Senior Manager Project Delivery Chris Hunt says the approximately 10 kilometre long shared path will provide the local communities it connects with a safer multi-modal trail separated from cars, trucks and other motor vehicles.
“Local residents and the wider community have been very supportive and excited at the prospect of this project, so it’s pleasing to be able to confirm we are moving ahead with its construction,” Mr Hunt says.
“Once complete, this project will encourage more people to walk and cycle more often, and there are some really positive social benefits associated with this activity.”
The shared path will be similar in design to one it will connect with on the adjoining Mackays to Peka Peka Expressway. It will also link to Te Ara o Whareroa Trail and Queen Elizabeth Park.
It offers safer passage for pedestrian and cycle traffic by reducing the number of conflict points with vehicles, driveways and at intersections.
It will include landscaping, bridges and underpasses to enable walking, running and cycling and will also provide additional width to cater for horse movements through key sections of the route.
PP2O shared path preferred option
Construction update
North Zone (North of the Ōtaki River to Taylors Road)
Construction is underway of the new Ōtaki River Bridge on the south bank.
Earthworks and construction continue for the abutments for Bridges 2 and 3 (north-west of the roundabout on Mill Road). Work is now taking place on all three abutments which we’re preparing to place bridge beams on over the coming months. The abutments will support two new bridges spanning the realigned railway and expressway.
The western footpath on SH1 in this area has been closed and pedestrians diverted via the rail underpass or via County Road. To keep pedestrians safe on County Road a temporary footpath has been created and vehicle traffic reduced to one-way southbound. This diversion will remain in place for the next eight months.
Works in Pare-o-Matangi Reserve are also underway and the top terrace is closed to the public while we work on relocating the railway line. Around Rāhui Road and County Road, service relocation works (gas, power, telecommunications, water etc) continue.
Please slow down around all works and allow a little extra time for your journey.
South Zone (South of the Ōtaki River to Peka Peka)
Bridges 2 and 3 under construction in north Ōtaki.
Construction of the new Ōtaki River Bridge is underway on the south bank. This month you’ll notice the new bridge columns and crossheads starting to appear out of the river bed.
Over the coming months we’ll complete the columns and crossheads on the south side of the river, before re-training the river and completing the exercise on the north bank. The public river walkway on the north bank will remain open during construction but at times may need to be diverted. Access to the south bank is restricted around our works. For everyone’s safety please observe all site signage and stay out of work sites.
We’re also preparing for work on the new local roads that form part of this project. This month this will involve topsoil stripping and final site clearance. We’ll build the local roads first to keep people moving around the district, with the first being Old Hautere Link Road.
South of Mary Crest we will start working on service relocations (gas, power, telecommunications, water etc) and moving the overhead power lines.
