1862 - Gloucester Park was once an open sea basin It was filled in as a rubbish tip, used as an army base and a speedway The area has been highly modified by reclamation and roading Allotments for sale around the Onehunga basin, 1862. Reference NZ Map 4496-33, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries Speedway - Whites Aviation Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library 1961 part of image WA-56313-F Other pictures source unknown
This picture from the 60 s shows the starting works of State Highway 20. Gloucester Park (which was the Hopua Basin), was filled in in the 30 s and is now split into two halves by State Highway 20. The Sea Scout ship is visible on the coast on the far left of the picture. This volcanic explosion crater that has been given the status outstanding natural feature, can surely not warrant such a title. The levelling that went on removed most of the features of the ring, and roads and buildings have been built over much of the ring as well. Yet Auckland Council are standing by their designation.
The ring of the Hopua Explosion Crater and Tuff exposure as it stands today, with extent of Outstanding natural feature 46 designation as shown. Only from the air can one appreciate the original shape and determine this as once being a crater.
In 2016 Auckland Council declared this area of shoreline part of Outstanding Natural Feature 46 in the Auckland Unitary Plan
2016 Hopua Tuff (Outstanding Natural Feature)
2016 Hopua Tuff (Outstanding Natural Feature)
2016 Hopua Tuff (Outstanding Natural Feature)
2016 Hopua Tuff (Outstanding Natural Feature)
The area is only outstanding to Geoscientists, not to the public It is only accessible at high tide To get down to it you must jump down a 1.5 metre sea wall or scramble across dangerous oyster shell encrusted rocks (razer sharp shells) There is inadequate parking for a bus for school visits The road along this point is extremely busy and dangerous (motorway ramps) This adds to difficulty for school visits The rock itself is extremely slippery and dangerous due to mud There are far better examples of tuff near by for educating the public When the causeway goes in for the East West Link the area becomes even less desirable as a place to linger and take in the scene Additional road noise Additional exhaust fumes Even less parking A totally unsuitable place for the Sea Scout hall to remain when it could be re-sited to a reclaimed foreshore, with beaches and green space all around it, in a similar aspect and with a similar relationship to the Sea as it originally had when first built. Heritage values!
NZTA Plans will place a six metre tall causeway across the front of Aotea Sea Scouts building, cutting off the connection to Gloucester Park. A number of the ONF classification criteria relate to how a feature relates to the landscape and other features. This causeway severs the relationship of the marine tuff with the explosion crater of Gloucester Park. One can no longer walk from one to the other or view one from the other. This should cause the classification to be removed.
Possible futures We want council, NZTA, and Panuku Development Auckland to consider a restorative reclamation to create much needed public amenity space, and have some sample designs (shown), but they won t consider these due to ONF 46. Two of the sample designs don t even touch ONF 46, they actually enhance it, giving viewing areas that are far better than trying to view it from the road.
Design 1 is a full reclamation which goes over the outstanding natural feature this is preferred by the community as it provides greatest open space and links in with Taumanu reserve, giving maximum beach and park opportunity.
Option 2 allows for the outstanding natural feature to be preserved, but is not likely a good solution as will create a slack area where sediment can build up, eventually covering the ONF. It does provide good viewing opportunity for the ONF.
Option 3 gives good viewing of the ONF and creates a large green space for the Scouts and Public with a reclamation at the end of the Port area, with beaches. It gives an interesting area for Kayakers to explore and for viewing of the ONF.
There are huge benefits to a reclamation just look at Taumanu Reserve, a public space reclamation just North of the area in question that was completed in 2015 and has won several major awards since it opened. The Unitary Plan has identified Onehunga for intensification, Panuku Development Auckland has identified Onehunga as a key transformation area. We should be revitalising the coast for the future of Onehunga. The proposed reclamation makes sense!