Amid growing global awareness of the importance of sustainable landscapes, the demand for well-designed, sustainable environments that create value for owners and communities is increasing. One such environment viewed daily by several thousand passing Auckland commuters is the Orakei Basin Walkway, a high profile project the Open Spaces team carried out for the (former) Auckland City Council.

Completed ahead of the official November 2010 completion date, the 9-month project saw the construction of a Glulam timber bridge and 1km of combined 2.5-metre wide boardwalk for pedestrians and cyclists between Orakei and Meadowbank alongside the existing railway track that traverses the water-filled basin.

Once a flooded volcanic crater with mangrove forest, Orakei Basin is connected to the Waitemata Harbour by Purewa Creek and Hobson Bay. In the late 1920s, the basin was isolated from Purewa Creek and Hobson Bay by the construction of the railway embankment. This helped create a sheltered environment and altered the natural tidal flow in and out of the basin.

The project commenced in February 2010 and from the beginning the team was challenged by the tide, which created the timings around which piling work could take place. Hawkins also took care to co-ordinate activities with Auckland City Council and other key stakeholders to provide what is now a significant new recreational asset for the community - one that will ultimately form part of a wider cycling and walking network that will go out as far as the sea.

One of the challenges faced was working around the many community uses of the basin and along the rail corridor. The project once again demonstrates that Hawkins has become a strong provider of recreational facilities across New Zealand. The Hawkins project team has enjoying working with the community to give a great recreational asset back to Auckland City.