Hatea Jetty

The original jetty onto the Hatea River was owned by the Northland Regional Council (NRC) and had been closed to the public for several years. It had been condemned as unsafe for public use and had to be removed or re-built to address Health & Safety issues. The NRC gifted the jetty to the Whangarei District Council who saw this as an opportunity to provide a space for users of the Hatea Loop to interact with the river and opted to rebuild it.

The jetty itself is a solid timber structure that extends out from the Hatea Loop, a 4.2km shared path around the Hatea River, and is located in a light industrial area between the award winning Kotuitui Whitinga and Te Matau A Pohe bridges.

The refurbished jetty had originally been designed to have a timber and mesh balustrade but as it’s in a prominent site, WDC designed a simple metal balustrade that could be painted to lift the profile of the structure. The addition of the bespoke balustrades to the boardwalk add colour, vibrancy and interest to an otherwise modest piece of marine infrastructure.

The boardwalk and balustrades extend 17 metres out beyond the mangroves before disappearing again as the visitor approaches the entrance to the jetty. They provide a visual reference from various locations around the Hatea Loop with significant impact achieved from across the river.

Users walk, cycle, scoot or wheelchair onto the jetty to fish, engage with the river and to use it as a viewing platform.

The selection of two different but similar colours, Resene Neva and Resene Headlights, for each balustrade has users of the Hatea Loop talking. At times it’s obvious the colours are different then in different light and from other locations the two balustrades appear to be the same colour. The black handrail on both balustrades connects them both.

The slender metal balustrades are highly permeable, which enabled WDC to select vibrant colours without them being too overpowering within the natural environment. When viewed at a distance from across the river the balustrade appears to be solid in colour and almost glowing.

Resene Neva and Resene Headlights were selected because despite their vibrancy, the colours blend into the surrounding landscape featuring Gleditsia triacanthos trees, low plantings of flax and grassed areas while providing a subtle contrast to the mangroves and river. The colours invite Hatea Loop users onto the jetty.

Resene Neva was used on the left hand side of the boardwalk leading to the jetty, with Resene Headlights on the right hand side. Resene ‘Black’ gloss was used on the handrails on both sides to tie the two balustrade colours together. The balustrade is fabricated from galvanised steel with the Resene colours applied using Resene Uracryl 403.

Some visitors have used the jetty and haven’t even noticed the different colours whereas others have commented on the unusual and interesting colour decision.

Architectural specifier: Tracey Moore, Landscape Architect, Whangarei District Council
Building contractor: Steve Bowling Contracting Ltd
Client: Whangarei District Council
Painting contractor: SSP Engineering and Rudolphs
Photographer: Tracey Moore, Whangarei District Council
Project Manager: Rachael Mannion, Whangarei District Council
Project: Resene Total Colour Awards 2017