New, improved seawalls on the way for Hataitai beach area

Sea and retaining walls in the vicinity of Hataitai beach are being upgraded over the next eight months, starting to the south of the beach between the changing sheds and the boatsheds, said Wellington City Council.

The existing walls are in poor condition and work to replace and improve them is required.

It will make this area more resilient to storm damage and sea-level rise, and is being done as a precursor to the future planned development of the Greta Point to Cobham Drive section, the Council said.

Work on the first section of wall – between the changing sheds and the boatsheds – is set to last about three months.

During the autumn and early winter months, from early April till mid-2025, their contractor Downer will replace the low wall behind the main beach area between the changing sheds and Cog Park with a stronger, slightly higher one.  

As with the seawall upgrade work that happened at Balaena Bay in 2024, the contractors will be putting some concrete blocks in place along the shoreline, initially between the changing sheds and the boatsheds. These help to manage water infiltration and will be removed when the work is complete, the Council concluded.