The opening of the new marina marks a significant milestone for the region, which moved mountains (or an island rather) to make it happen.

Lake Taupo, New Zealand – 6 March 2018 – Situated on the caldera of a supervolcano, you will find the largest freshwater lake in New Zealand. A trout fishing mecca, Lake Taupo quickly became a popular holiday spot. Tourists come from near and far to enjoy the warm, clear waters and natural volcanic hot springs.

Motuoapa Marina was constructed over 50 years ago on the south shore of Lake Taupo. The village of Motuoapa was just a small settlement at the time. Catering to small fishing vessels, engineers designed the marina with a circular basin. Featuring a large island in the middle, short finger piers rimmed the edge. When the marina was given the go ahead for redevelopment in 2016, designers knew the island had to go.

How exactly does one remove an entire island? The first step was to bring in 1-tonne bags of gravel to build a dam at the marina’s entrance. Once the access was blocked, contractors began pumping water out of the basin.

The water level was taken down to  ½ meter deep. At that time, crews brought in dredging equipment and began to dismantle the island. The soil from the island was then used to reclaim land at the northern end of the marina. This created several acres to be used as picnic, recreation and parking areas for guests.

“It’s an exciting time for our community,” remarked Deputy Harbourmaster Toni Maulder. “The project was complex but the new marina was well worth the wait. It allows boats to be berthed safely in deeper, cleaner water with modern compliant facilities for berth holders and the general public to enjoy.”

The new configuration allows for 158 berths and over 1,600 m² of new concrete floating docks. Berths range in size from 8 to 14 meters. The docks feature FRP thru-rods and aluminum pile guides.

Bellingham Marine is the world’s leading design/build marina construction company. Specializing in floating docks, platform and wave attenuation systems for marinas worldwide. The company also produces dry storage systems for the upland storage of boats.