This contract was tendered to Whangarei District Council for the renewal of the Frying Pan Corner Lookout Structure which is an existing lookout point situated beside Matapouri Road between Ngunguru and Tutukaka. The existing lookout structure was constructed by the Lions Club around 10 years ago, and had deteriorated to a state where it was unfit for the intended public use. Council released the tender to completely remove the existing lookout paved area to create a decked viewing platform and associated viewing tower for the site.
The new structure was to be constructed over the Feb-April 2017 period as it was after the summer holidays where Tutukaka and Ngunguru see lots of tourists & visitors. The new structure was to be a low-lying timber structure with wheelchair accessible ramps & steel handrails. There is also a central stair case. The main feature however was the viewing tower made out of a large steel pipe which is elevated to provide expansive views of the Tutukaka coast.
The challenges involved with this project were working close to a busy road, and having people stop to have a look at what was going on. Making sure the site was securely fenced off during both working hours & after hours was essential to keeping the public & our site safe.
The area of the site was a historic dump site, meaning there was a significant amount of fill and poor ground below the structure. Piles that were 6.0 meters long were installed to key 2.0m into rock to ensure the structure was founded on stable ground. GHK Piling’s (a division of Steve Bowling Contracting) specialist piling knowledge was used to get around an obstruction in one of the pile holes, which minimised the implication of this challenge.
The client and the local Iwi and stakeholders were impressed with the quality of the workmanship and very happy with the outcome achieved.
