Town centre section of Te Ara Awataha completed

Now that the town centre section has been completed, Te Ara Awataha extends from the source of the Awataha Stream, in Papa ki Awataha Jessie Tonar Scout Reserve, to Te Kaitaka Greenslade Reserve and the town centre and all the way to Kukari pocket park - connecting green spaces and a new pathway for everyone to enjoy.

What is Te Ara Awataha?

Te Ara Awataha, which means ‘the path of the Awataha’, is Northcote’s greenway that follows the Awataha Stream, connecting people to nature, and neighbourhood destinations, such as reserves, new pocket parks, the town centre, schools, and homes.

In some places the stream has been brought to the surface from underground pipes - called daylighting – bringing many benefits, including helping to manage stormwater and prevent flooding. For example, Te Kaitaka Greenslade Reserve was upgraded and lowered to detain water to prevent flooding in the town centre during major storm events - a common problem in previous years.

The greenway provides a home to native flora and fauna, bringing wildlife back to Northcote. There have been sightings of nationally threatened species, like the banded kōkopu fish, koura (freshwater crayfish) and longfin eels, and watercress is growing in the stream – all signs of a healthy natural environment.

See here for more information. 

Town centre section – key features

Key features of the new town centre section of Te Ara Awataha, include:

• The Awataha Stream has been resurfaced from underground pipes  – Between Woolworths supermarket and Onepoto Awhina Community House. Besides creating a natural environment for people and nature, it helps manage stormwater in the town centre, alongside other drainage mechanisms.
  
  
• Better connections – The existing path has been extended, from Ngutu Kōtare (along the edge of the schools) through to Woolworths supermarket, so people can more easily walk and cycle into the town centre. Plus, there is also improved side access to Northcote Intermediate School. The town centre section will also connect to the future Ernie Mays Street, which is being repositioned and extended to Lake Road, and an upgraded Puāwai Cadness Reserve.
  
  
• New landscaping, trees, and plants - To improve the natural environment. . More than 5,000 native plants have been planted, and six pōhutukawa (the largest weighed 15 tonnes) were relocated on site. Students from Northcote Intermediate School helped with the planting, rolling up their sleeves to plant 280 native grasses and other plants – see here.
  
  
• Completion of Te Ara Awataha - It now extends from the stream’s source, in Papa ki Awataha Jessie Tonar Scout Reserve, to Te Kaitaka Greenslade Reserve and the town centre and all the way to Kukari pocket park. Te Ara Awataha will be fully complete when the upgraded Puāwai Cadness Reserve opens at the end of 2027. (A very small section, by the current Woolworths supermarket building is expected to be completed at a later stage.)
  
  
• Zero-waste – More than 400 truckloads of material were removed and where possible, this was reused and recycled to minimise what was sent to landfill.

This project is part of the transformation of Northcote’s Town Centre - see here for more information.

What does it look like?