Auckland's Northcote Point Wharf reopening ceremony delayed after new Covid-19 case

Sunday, 24 January 2021

An artist's impression of the Northcote Point Wharf upgrade, which included improved shelter, lighting and seating availability for ferry users.

The reopening ceremony of an Auckland wharf has been postponed after a woman tested positive for Covid-19 after leaving managed isolation.

The 60-year-old Northcote Point wharf was temporarily closed for health and safety reasons in June 2018 after routine maintenance revealed wooden structural pieces of the wharf had deteriorated.

Further assessments confirmed the wooden structure elements beneath the deck needed fixing or replacing, which Auckland Transport hoped would be completed in December 2019.

But by the time 2020 rolled around, work had yet to commence due to the final design incurring increased costs, requiring approval for additional funding.

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The Northcote Point Wharf closed in June 2018 after it was discovered some of its wooden elements had deteriorated.

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The wharf was due to reopen on Monday – a year later than originally planned – but its reopening ceremony was postponed due to the new Covid case in Northland.

Auckland Transport's Mark Hannan said the agency was being very cautious about events until more information came to light.

Ferry sailings were due to start on Monday but were delayed due to adverse weather and supplier delays. Hannah said it was hoped services would resume later in the week.

Labour MP for Northcote Shanan Halbert said the re-launch of ferry service marked the next step of getting people onto public transport.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, resource consent for the $2.6 million project to be carried out by specialist marine contractor STF wasn’t granted until June 2020.

Work to provide ferry users with better shelter, security, lighting and new seating was undertaken alongside repairs to the wharf.

The first ferry services were due to commence on Monday following the wharf’s official reopening at 7.30am. A new date for reopening is not yet known.

Despite work having not even started by the initial expected completion date, Auckland Transport insisted the work had “finished on time and under budget at the end of 2020”.

Speaking before the delay announcement, Labour MP for Northcote, Shanan Halbert, said it would be “excellent” to finally have ferries up and running again.

Halbert, who is also on parliament’s transport and infrastructure committee, wouldn’t comment on the project taking longer than initially planned, but acknowledged Auckland Transport’s budgets were tight.

“We’ve got to ensure that these projects are taking place within a timely manner.”

There had been some concerns raised with the 40-minute frequency of the ferries during peak hours as services had been every 30 minutes prior to the wharf’s closure, Halbert said.

Auckland Transport had informed him this was due to the extra 10 minutes it took to collect passengers at Birkenhead before heading to Northcote and to the city.

“If passenger numbers increase then services will likely be more frequent,” Halbert said, adding that ferries needed to be cost effective and efficient to create behavioural changes and get people onto public transport.

Northcote local Kit O’Halloran said it was disappointing it had taken longer than expected for the wharf upgrade to get going as he had missed the ferry services.

“We have to do everything we can to build the community’s trust in public transport systems to build behavioural changes to get people onto buses and local ferries.”

Northcote retiree Kit O’Halloran said he had been “waiting, waiting, waiting” for the wharf to re-open.

Prior to the wharf closing, he had used the ferry two or three times a week.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he said, adding that he had been forced to slog his way up “the steepest hill on the North Shore” on his bike to catch the ferry from Birkenhead.

“I certainly notice it when it’s not there. It was very inconvenient and a big loss to us.”

He added it was disappointing it had taken an extra year to complete the upgrade, but he was thankful for the efforts of local politicians for making sure the ferry services did return.

“We rely on it to be there when we need it.”

Due to the wharf’s exposed position, ferry services would be delayed or cancelled at times due to weather and sea conditions, Auckland Transport said.

“We can live with that,” O’Halloran said.

He planned on mustering a group of friends to catch one of the first ferries on Monday.

Northcote Point ferry services will run between the CBD’s Downtown Ferry Terminal, Northcote and Birkenhead and back to the city again between 6.25am and 11pm, Monday to Friday, with a less frequent timetable for weekends.

Off-peak services will only go to Northcote on request from passengers, who should alert ferry staff upon boarding.

Those waiting at the wharf should make themselves visible and signal the ferry if they wish to board.

Clarification: An earlier version of this story said the terminal’s reopening was delayed due to the new Covid case. Only the blessing ceremony was delayed due to the new case.