Some good news for residents of Eastern Auckland with news that AT now has plans for a new ferry terminal for Half Moon Bay, something I know the local board and local councillors have been pushing for some time now.
A new Half Moon Bay ferry wharf will provide passengers more shelter and improved access to buses.
Plans for the new facility, which Howick Local Board and Auckland Transport are working together on, are being shared with the public. It will be similar in design to the Hobsonville Point Wharf.
Ferry services are expected to begin from the upgraded facility in late 2016. About 1500 passengers a day use the current facility.
The $4.3 million project includes a proposed covered pontoon and wharf at the end of Ara-Tai, south of the existing passenger ferry pontoon. Also proposed, subject to funding, is improved and safer access to buses, with sheltered stops in the same location.
Howick Local Board Chair David Collings says the board is happy to see progress after ferry users have waited a long time for improvements in unsatisfactory conditions.
“This will deliver a facility that’s going to protect them from the weather but will also be of a very high quality.
“A quality Half Moon Bay ferry facility is one of the board’s top priorities. We’ve been very prudent with our allocation of Auckland Transport’s Capital Fund for local boards and saved it so we can now direct up to $2.5 million to help make the project happen.
“As they say, ‘we’ve been saving for a rainy day’, so we can now make sure Half Moon Bay ferry passengers can be sheltered on rainy days.”
Auckland Transport Project Director Nick Seymour says the new wharf will have much better shelter for passengers with the walkway and pontoon boarding area both covered.
“It will also be more accessible for people who are mobility impaired and provide improved safety for people getting on and off ferries.
“The new facility will be purpose-built for passengers, providing a transport hub with bus and ferry services located together.
“People can find out more about the proposed design and give feedback at two public information days or by going to Auckland Transport’s website. There will also be information at the existing ferry wharf,” Mr Seymour says.
There are two open days both being held at the Bucklands Beach Yacht Club, Ara-Tai, Half Moon Bay. The times are
Tuesday, 5 May 2015 – 4 pm to 7 pm
Saturday, 9 May 2015 – 10 am to 1 pm
AT say the new gangway and pontoon have already started being built off site and that construction at Half Moon Bay is expected to start early next year. They also say the features and benefits include:
- New ferry pontoon will be designed to provide better levels of passenger service and comfort.
- Better protection against the elements, with the canopy providing shelter from the prevailing wind and rain.
- Improved safety getting on and off ferries.
- More accessible for people who are mobility impaired.
- The wharf structure will incorporate elements reflecting the history of the area, including items which make reference to local Mana Whenua values.
- Separation of passenger ferry movements from leisure boat movements, improving sea traffic flows.
Below are a few images of what’s proposed.
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This is in Howick, so can I drive on it?
+1
If public transport from Howick wasn’t so crappy people would use it more, as a sometimes ferry user, this looks nice but it doesn’t actually fix any of my problems. PT services (bus and ferry) are too infrequent and take too long. It needs to be turn up and go, like the every ten minute trains.
Improving the throughput of buses at the Ellerislie Panmure motorway junction would actually reduce journey times, I don’t see the purpose of this shiny new terminal at all.
If we’re going to do something at half moon bay, much more parking is required. By 7:45am you can forget about a park and ride solution, it’s at capacity.
As a Waiheke resident, we need this ferry terminal upgrade. It is our lifeline to the outside world for nearly EVERYTHING and no I am not exaggerating!
This doesn’t improve freight or vehicle ferry services does it ? The Waiheke ferry terminal appears unchanged in the above photo
Public transport services from Howick will always be crappy while local politicians resist any suggestion of giving them priority. The gigantic oversized Pakuranga Highway apparently cannot sacrifice any space for bus lanes. The money on offer for a dedicated busway is wanted for a gigantic place-destroying flyover at Reeves Road.
You can thank those good ol’ boys Quax and Ross.
The contrast with the rest of the city transforming into a livable, accessible place will only increase. The whole sprawly vastness east of the Tamaki seems doomed to be stuck in perpetual congestion.
Wasn’t the dedicated busway going to Botany ? I don’t see a linkage between that and the Pakuranga highway.
There are two distinct traffic corridors here, Ti Raku drive which goes to Botany and Pakuranga Highway which goes to Howick proper. Don’t confuse them, they aren’t the same thing, although they do meet and create a choke point at the entrance to the SE highway. Both need improving. A dedicated busway between Panmure and Botany doesn’t address the Pak highway congestion at all. No linkage.
What i think is under appreciated by many is that the vast bulk of traffic on Pak highway in the morning, doesn’t go on the motorway or to the city, ~2/3rds of it is heading to industrial areas in Penrose / Onehunga.
The geography of the east is a challenge, the lack of railway east of the river reduces options.
At want to put bus lanes along Pakuranga highway but the local councillors are against It. This will improve journey times and reliability for public transport users.
Right now AT are redesigning the entire network creating many more frequent routes, and improving the feeder service to the ferry
If Quax and Ross succeed in bullying AT into putting the flyover ahead of the bus interchange it will delay all PT improvements in the area for years, if not decades. You can be sure a flyover won’t fix congestion but will only induce more while blocking any possibility of bypassing it on a congestion-free PT network.
stop stealing our estuary!
How big is the commercial operation Sealink going to be allowed to grow – given that 800 heavy vehicles per week (AT figures) use the road to the ferry? Waiheke’s needs are growing so what is it going to be like in 5 years/10 years. Sealink should be looking at a secondary gateway to Waikeke. As a local resident I see Sealink contributing a big fat NOTHING but congestion to Half Moon Bay. Traffic congestion, parking problems are all going to continue to grow, and the losers are the city commuters and local residents.
If it was me designing this l’d be looking to dredge alongside the jetty so the ferries could nose into the carpark, This would provide less walking and easier manouvering for ferries to turn around. (Like a 90 degree carpark) There would also be less interference in the flow of the river. There would also be less visual inpact on the land/seascape.
Maybe this concept has been rejected due to or fear of upsetting the Greenies? l’d like to know if this idea has been considered or not as l’m sure this isn’t an original idea.
Hello, not sure where to post this and was wondering if anyone would be interested in the blue prints of Half moon Bay back from 1969 or 1960? I got an abandoned storage locker and they were in it. Google sent me here. 403-307-4960