Tolaga Bay Wharf
The Tolaga Bay Wharf is a pier at the southeast end of Tolaga Bay in New Zealand near the same place in the region Gisborne . It is the longest pier in New Zealand, possibly also the longest reinforced concrete pier outside a closed port facility in the southern hemisphere. Today it is still of historical and touristic importance. The New Zealand Historic Places Trust registered the structure on April 5, 1984 under number 3516 as "Historic Place Category 1".
For a long time, access to the region from Gisborne was almost only possible by sea. There was a short pier near Tolaga, but it was exposed to the tides and only accessible via the mouth of the Uawa River, which tends to silt up . So you had to ship cargoes on barge reload, which could carry only a small charge each.
In order to improve the unsatisfactory situation for the surrounding farmers, the Tolaga Bay Harbor Board was founded in 1920 . At its founding meeting, the latter decided to look for a way to build a pier where coastal steamers could dock directly.
The design of the pier, completed in 1924, comes from the engineer Cyrus JR Williams. He was an engineer on the Lyttelton Harbor Board from 1902 to 1927 . The design was changed in 1925 and again during construction. The construction was considered daring at the time, as it should not take place in a protected harbor, but out into the open sea. The costs were so high that the required loan had to be approved separately by an act of parliament.
The 660 meter long pier was built by Frederick Goodman's concrete construction company between 1926 and 1926. After that it served the surrounding agriculture for almost 40 years for sea transport of agricultural products and the goods required for them. Improved road access and competition from trucks made further operations uneconomical. The pier was also used as a landing stage for fishing and pleasure boats and by the Māori for collecting seafood.
The last cargo ship to use the pier was a ship that took a cargo of corn on board in 1967.
In 1998 the pier was in ruins and threatened with closure. The Tolaga Bay Save the Wharf Trust raised funds and facilitated a restoration from 2001 to 2013.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e page of the NZHPT on Tolaga Bay Wharf
- ^ Tolaga Bay, a history of the Uawa District: Tolaga Bay School Centennial, 1888-1988 .
- ^ Gisborne Herald , Friday, March 08, 2013, Project to restore old wharf nears end
Coordinates: 38 ° 22 ′ 58 ″ S , 178 ° 19 ′ 8 ″ O