Recreational boat ramp completed at Kōpū

Recreational boaties envisioning an easier access into the Firth of Thames from Kōpū will have a clearer picture as construction finishes on the new ramp at the much-anticipated marine precinct.
Contractors and council staff were down at the Kōpū Marine Servicing and Business Precinct last week to hear the latest updates on the $15.3m project.
Urban Solution’s Lorenzo Canal said the two-lane recreational boat ramp was a regional one – meaning it also catered to boaties from around the rohe [area], and formed part of the “network of boat ramps” around the Thames-Coromandel district.
He said the contractors and workers on site had been “very diligent” as the project neared the final six months of construction.
“From the early part [of construction], we had some pretty horrendous weather, so the people on the ground have shown real grit and determination in getting this done,” he said.
Work on the rest of the project is progressing well, with the piling barge having started the seaward-side pile-driving operations on the commercial wharf.
The target date for the commercial slipway to be complete is the end of December this year, while the commercial wharf is expected to be completed by the end of March, 2024.
Fulton Hogan will return in early 2024 to complete the car park surface, King St paving and Quay St entrance widening.
When it’s finished, the facility will consist of an 80m long commercial wharf and floating pontoon enabling in-water marine servicing and vessel loading; an expanded, unsealed haul-out; an upgraded, concrete reinforced slipway; and a public boat ramp and car park.
The whole precinct is now due to be completed by mid-2024 – with Mr Canal saying they wanted the entire facility to be finished before any of it was open to the public.
Thames-Coromandel Mayor Len Salt said he was excited to see the progression of the marine precinct, and that the development’s milestones, coupled with news that the broken Coromandel roading network will soon be repaired, provided residents with an additional boost.
“This last week or two, we’ve reached a pivot point of news coming through that turns a corner [for the district]. There’s a new sense of optimism and hope that I have not seen literally for 10-11 months.”
He said council was building up the district so that it would be “in better shape for the future”.