Dolomite Point Redevelopment
Project Planning
This redevelopment project sought to uphold the natural and cultural significance and character of the spectacular Punakaiki area. Its anchor piece is a new Experience Centre which celebrates and tells the stories of the area’s people, striking geology, unique wildlife and cultural heritage. The redevelopment has also addressed connectivity and pedestrian safety issues at Dolomite Point.
Through the Dolomite Point Redevelopment Project, DOC sought to extensive upgrade key facilities and infrastructure at what is one of the most visited sites on the West Coast. A key focus of the work was establishing a cultural footprint for Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae so the Ngāi Tahu hapu is able to share its stories with visitors.
Work on the Experience Centre began in May 2022 as part of the first stage of the main construction. Other work in this stage included the creation of safer and improved pedestrian access to the Pancake Rocks and new toilets.
Other project work has included extensions and improvements to the car park north of the commercial precinct at Dolomite Point and a shared pedestrian/cycle pathway connecting Punakaiki. This runs about 4.2 km from Truman Track in the north to the Punakaiki River in the south. It enables residents and visitors to walk or cycle to sites and services, reducing the need for vehicle use. The southern end of the pathway joins up with the cyclist entrance to, and/or exit from, the Paparoa Track Great Walk.
In the second phase a multi-media visitor exhibition building will be constructed and connected to the Experience Centre by a pedestrian link bridge. The development includes a new water treatment plant to support visitor facilities, off-road pedestrian/cycle path connections to complete the Punakaiki pathway built in the first phase, landscaping work in the pedestrian area, and a nature walk and viewing platform on the hillside behind the businesses at Dolomite Point.
This has been a challenging project due to its isolated location, serious inclement weather, very technical design and limited local resources. Inovo were engaged to provide a comprehensive construction programme to see the stage 1 and stage 2 projects through to completion. It was evident early on that resourcing this project was going to be a huge challenge. Inovo worked closely with Naylor Love project & site managers to develop a detailed programme that also included resource requirements to complete the build on time. This information was used by the commercial team to engage the right level of resource for each task. This information proved to be invaluable for measuring site productivity while seeing the project through to its conclusion.
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