Developed options and establishing key moves to ensure an upgraded wharf and associated infrastructure meets the needs of locals and provides a fantastic visitor experience.

Golden Bay is located a short distance from Rakiura Stewart Island’s main settlement at Oban, on the north side of Patterson Inlet. The bay is a key access point to nearby Ulva Island and the wharf is used by a range of commercial operators, recreation users and to disembark cruise ship passengers.

The existing wharf is nearing the end of its useful life; replacement provides an opportunity to revisit visit use and access to Golden Bay and the areas adjacent to the wharf location.

The Golden Bay masterplan investigates and suggests options to improve access, and operations of this essential piece of infrastructure for residents, commercial enterprises and residents in an iconic Rakiura Stewart Island landscape.

Location

Southland

Worked with

Te Ao Marama Inc

Project date

2022 - 2023

Boffa Miskell used multidisciplinary expertise to deliver a range of options to improve the existing areas at the wharf through spatial investigation and technical analysis. Our team engaged with mana whenua, stakeholders and the Rakiura Stewart island community via various workshops, site visits and meetings, preparing engagement materials and collecting feedback to integrate into the master planning process over three sessions. 

The Masterplan includes elements identified in the community engagement completed in 2019 as well as practical design elements to improve the user experience, safety, and accessibility to Golden Bay for both locals and visitors who use the wharf. The Masterplan identifies and provides direction for work to be completed at Golden Bay over the next 5 to 10 years.The masterplan describes viable options for renewed facilities, strategically placed shelters, access, and considers egress for safety to and from Golden Bay for vehicles and pedestrians in new and existing path alternatives. Staged options were developed with consideration of functionality, community, cultural and environmental benefits, climate change impacts, visual and environmental impact, implementation costs and sustainable use of existing infrastructure. 

Our team applied masterplanning, landscape architecture, engagement and planning expertise in order to provide a variety of options for our client to revitalise an essential piece of infrastructure for the people of Rakiura Stewart Island.

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