Catalina Bay at Hobsonville Point is already pretty darn great. But soon it’s going to get even better. Right now, work is being done to transform the area into a pedestrian-friendly space, with upgraded paving, seating and planting. It’s the next step in Catalina Bay’s evolution towards a truly world-class waterfront precinct.
We’re giving people priority at Catalina Bay. The upgraded waterfront precinct will be a safer, more inviting place for people of all ages to walk, shop, eat and play. Think Wynyard Quarter, but with our own special Hobsonville Point character, natural beauty and relaxed pace of life. By more carefully managing through-traffic and reducing car parks, we’ll create a calm place to linger. That’s better for people, and better for businesses.
Ever since the Hobsonville Point development was first conceived in 2011, Catalina Bay was planned as a people-centric waterfront space for locals and visitors from all over Auckland to enjoy. The first stage of Catalina Bay’s new life was completed with the establishment of the Catalina Bay Farmers Market, Little Creatures Microbrewery, cafes, restaurants, and offices. Now it’s time to put the rest of the plan into action. Our new waterfront will give people easier access to existing and future businesses and apartments, as well as to the water's edge and other public spaces.
Work has begun in a staged way to minimise disruption to locals, businesses and visitors, and will be completed in Winter 2022. It will be broadly split into three stages: Stages 1A and 1B will start near the Launch Road roundabout, with construction moving towards the ferry terminal in Stages 2 and 3. Pedestrians will still be able to access all businesses, the ferry and the seaplane ramp at all stages of construction (routes will be clearly marked). Once the work begins, vehicle access to Catalina Bay will be permanently limited to mobility card holders. Download the staging map
We get it. Many of us have grown used to driving right down to the waterfront at Catalina Bay. But as the area becomes more popular, cars are beginning to crowd out people. A big part of why we’re doing this work is to make it easier for you to get to and around Catalina Bay without your car. Public car parking will be available by the steps down to Catalina Bay, on both sides of Bomb Point Drive and along Launch Road. There will be mobility parks and a drop off/pick up zone at Catalina Bay (accessed via Hudson Bay Road only). And of course, bus and ferry access will continue; or you can bike, scoot or stroll your way there via the Coastal Walkway. See more in the FAQs below. Download the transport map
Kāinga Ora is managing the groundworks and infrastructure programme in preparation for future residential and commercial development by Willis Bond & Co, the developer of the land at Catalina Bay. Our civil construction alliance partner, Piritahi, will be undertaking the groundworks programme. You can contact them with any construction related questions on 0508 PIRITAHI.
We’ll ensure there is continued pedestrian access to all the businesses at Catalina Bay as well as the ferry terminal and the seaplane ramp, though we may have temporary detour routes to avoid nearby works. All pedestrian routes will be clearly signposted. Please allow extra travel time to account for this.
We’ll work to ensure there is continued pedestrian access to Catalina Bay, including for people with mobility issues. Where possible and provided the programme of work allows we will accommodate mobility parking. There will also be a designated drop off and pick up zone via Hudson Bay Road. There will still be reasonably handy parking and accessways into Catalina Bay.
No, there will no longer be any general parking at Catalina Bay, although we will have limited mobility parking for permit holders. The future plans for Catalina Bay include a mix of commercial, retail and residential buildings. On completion, it will be a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly precinct that complements the Coastal Walkway and makes better use of the desirable waterfront location. The new road connection we are developing will allow buses to continue to come down to Catalina Bay.
The work involves heavy machinery drilling and breaking concrete, so it will be noisy and disruptive. We’ve communicated this to the Catalina Bay tenants and will continue to work with them throughout the programme of work to ensure the least amount of disruption as possible. We will only operate during consented hours of construction.
That depends entirely on alert levels and advice from the Ministry of Health. Our contractors will continue to operate safely at any levels at which this is possible. But we’re not able to predict precisely what might happen.
We are relocating the Hobsonville Yacht Club to a temporary location near the Farmers Market while plans and fundraising continue for a new Marine Recreational Centre to the south of the roundabout at the bottom of Launch Road. This will also be an exciting addition to this neighbourhood when it is completed.
As the works continue in Stages 2 and 3, you can expect some increased noise and vibration levels. We will be upgrading all the concrete paths outside the existing tenancies and creating new pedestrian-friendly walkways with architectural features. This upgrade will not only improve the quality and look of the path and tenancy exteriors, but also require minimal maintenance going forward.
For enquiries on construction call 0508 Piritahi (0508 7474 8244). For general enquiries about the Catalina Bay Waterfront upgrade, contact hobsonvillepoint@kaingaora.govt.nz
The boat ramp will be retained and will remain open for launching smaller craft while we upgrade the Catalina Bay section of the coastal walkway. When we fence off the area for the safety of the ramp the other half will still be open and operational for dinghies. You will only be able to use half the width of the ramp, so we’ve asked boatowners to remove all boats kept at the ramp before 1 October 2021. Remaining boats can be collected from the Piritahi Site Office – phone Thomas on 021 629 062
