Remedial repairs for Akaroa’s 130-year-old wharf

Akaroa’s ageing wharf is going to have some remedial repair work done on it over the next few weeks.

The repair work will involving fixing broken piles and replacing some of the wharf’s support structures.

Some of the capping and deck beams that are in poor condition will also be replaced as part of the project.

“A condition assessment of the wharf last year revealed a number of issues with it and long-term it will need to be replaced,’’ says Christchurch City Council Head of Parks Andrew Rutledge.

“We are currently engaging with the community on options for a new wharf but in the meantime we need to do some repairs on the existing wharf to ensure it can continue to be used for commercial and recreational purposes.’’

Mr Rutledge says the Council has engaged Hunter Civil to carry out the repairs. They expect to start work in mid-October.

“The work is weather and tide dependent but it should take about three weeks. The contractor will not be working on the wharf at the weekends or on the days when there are cruise ships in the harbour.

“The work should cause minimal disruption to wharf-users as most of the repairs are focused on the below-deck,’’ Mr Rutledge says. 

Akaroa’s wharf dates back 130 years and was initially built for coastal shipping.

The Council plans to seek community feedback on a concept design for a new wharf next year.