Now complete, the limestone rockwall installed at Cape View Corner was blessed recently, and is set to protect the coastline for years to come

More than six years of meetings and modelling work has gone into the 120m long construction at the corner of East, Beach and Clifton Roads, a $600,000 investment that will help protect roads and infrastructure from coastal erosion and inundation, as well as provide continued access to residents and visitors.

It’s been a collaboration between Hastings District Council and the community, and shows what can happen when people work together for the common good, says Walking on Water (WOW Inc) chairman Keith Newman.

“WOW has been advocating for this protection for 12 years and what has been achieved here, designed to align with the Coastal Hazards Strategy, should be championed as a template for the rest of the country.

“For the cost of an average house along the coast, the corner, the road, water mains, power and the cycle track have been protected and the area has been landscaped and planted and is now a wonderful asset for the Cape Coast.”

Mr Newman said he particularly appreciated the efforts of Hastings District Council’s project leader Graeme Hansen who got the project over the line, involving the community along the way, and those of contractor Ray Berkett, whose team “artfully worked the diggers to put the rocks in place in a way that has enhanced the whole area”.

Hastings district councillor Ann Redstone thanked everyone involved with the project.

“This rock revetment wall will protect council assets at a fraction of the cost of ‘managed retreat’, and I have been thrilled to see the public interest in it with many people taking an opportunity to have photos taken beside it.

“Who would have thought that something so functional could become a tourist attraction?”

She acknowledged the WOW committee for its lobbying over the years to achieve this simple and effective outcome.

Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said she was “incredibly proud” of the final result.

“It was really special to come and bless this place at the end of last month with Kaumātua Brown Wiki and Matahiwi representative Levi Walford, along with members of the community, staff, Hastings and Hawke’s Bay regional councillors and the contractor.

“The Cape Coast is the jewel in the crown of the Hastings district, and this stretch of road is used by thousands of locals and visitors to the district every year – the establishment of this wall with the protection it offers, as well as the beautification of the area, is a truly valuable addition.”

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