Stage five of Wānaka’s Lakefront Development Plan (LDP), from the marina to just beyond the Wānaka Yacht Club, will proceed over winter.

Queenstown Lakes District councillors voted not to roll over the funding for this long awaited development to the next financial year, signalling instead their desire for the planned pathway to begin promptly.

The $2.3M project went out to tender last week and Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) media liaison Sam White said the construction contract was expected to be awarded in June.

Stage five is a continuation of Te Ara Wānaka – a shared pathway from stage three (adjacent to Lakeside Road) to the yacht club and the start of the Eely Point track.

A new shared path, complete with retaining wall and balustrade, will be created to extend the current path from beyond the marina toilet block, behind the stored yachts and on past the yacht club. 

The concept plan indicates the length and location of the new shared paths through the marina and car park as planned in Stage 5 of the lakefront development. IMAGE: Supplied (tap the image to enlarge)

An existing informal gravel path up the terrace, joining the marina carpark to the Lakeside Road footpath, will also be improved and the marina carpark will be regraded to tie in with the shared pathway.

New signage, drainage, safety and urban landscaping works will also be undertaken.

The aim is to have all works completed by the end of October, Sam said.

“We anticipate the pathway being finished before the main summer season,” he said.

Access from Lakeside Road into the marina and to the boat ramp will be maintained throughout the construction period, with priority given to emergency services like Coastguard and the harbourmaster, council staff said. 

Access to other areas, such as the gravel parking area, may need to be temporarily restricted at times, “however, we’ll work to accommodate users where possible,” Sam said.

More details around any temporary changes to access will be made public once the contract has been awarded and a construction programme is in place. 

The $2.3M budget includes $780k of central government tourism development funding. 

Stage five is the penultimate stage of the development of Wānaka’s lakefront which began with construction of stage one at the Mount Aspiring Road car park in 2018.

The final stage of this lakefront development project is stage four - the development of Wānaka's town centre foreshore area. It has been deferred and currently there is neither an approved plan nor is there funding for stage four within the next five years in the council’s draft 10-Year Plan.