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We hope you and your whānau are safe and well as we dive into the cooler months. Excitingly, this month City Rail Link Ltd (CRL Ltd) in partnership with Auckland Transport (AT) launched the campaign ‘Meet Your Stations.’ Announcing the details of the proposed te reo Māori names for our future City Rail Link (CRL) stations, you can check out the new Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden) renders, along with our other updates below.
Each quarter we send a survey to our neighbours so we can see what is working well and where we can improve our services. We are interested in your feedback about how satisfied you are with the Link Alliance Communications and Engagement team at Maungawhau.
This month there is $100 per station site to win! Simply complete the survey and include your email address at the end so that we can get in touch with you if you win.
This survey will take under 5 minutes to complete. Follow this link to the survey.
Alternatively, you can copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LYM5HXG
If you have any questions about our work activities in the year ahead, don’t hesitate to get in touch at mteden@linkalliance.co.nz or 0800 CRL TALK press 5 for Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden). You can also follow Link Alliance’s progress by clicking the social media buttons below:
Ngā mihi,
Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden) team
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As we begin the journey of naming our four City Rail Link (CRL) stations, we are honoured to have been gifted ngā ingoa tuku iho (traditional names) by our Mana Whenua Forum. Introducing Maungawhau (Mt Eden), Karanga a Hape (Karangahape), Te Wai Horotiu (Aotea) and Waitematā (Britomart).
The gifted station names and mātauranga Māori throughout the CRL project, reflect the mythology, atua, people and aspects of early life indigenous to the landscapes. Celebrating the project’s strong links to Mana Whenua history and storytelling.
For Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden), the meaning behind the gifted name Maungawhau translates to mountain (maunga) of cork tree (whau). The whau tree was once used for fishing floats and medicinal purposes.
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The render above shows a patterned pre cast concrete wall in the station entrance with floor to ceiling basalt insert. The meaning behind this design references to atua (deity) Mataoho, the creator of the basalt volcanic field in Tāmaki Makaurau.
The large main triangle in the render is created from Maungawhau basalt and has water flowing over the surface of the wall. This pays respect to Parawhenuamea (atua of freshwater) and how freshwater needs kōhatu (rock) to flow.
We are excited to see this narrative continue and develop throughout the designs for our future stations.
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Late last month we launched the second and final journey of the Dame Whina Cooper Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), which has now begun the second City Rail Link tunnel drive.
A temporary spoil conveyor is currently in use on site until the TBM's gantries (or tail) are completely within the tunnel. From mid-June, once the TBM has made its way through the mined tunnel section of tunnel, we expect the permanent overland spoil conveyor to be in full operation transporting excavated spoil out onto site and running 24/7.
The Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden) site is ‘base-camp’ for the TBM and the equipment and systems required to operate it. Therefore, additional supporting activities also take place within our construction site 24 hours, 7 days a week to support the TBM drive.
The TBM travels underground to its first destination at Karanga a Hape Station (Karangahape), before arriving at its final destination at Te Wai Horotiu Station (Aotea) in spring this year. You can follow its journey on www.digCRL.co.nz.
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Dawn blessing for Normanby Road Bridge
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At dawn on Monday 23 May, Mana Whenua representatives provided karakia (blessings) ahead of opening a safe path for pedestrians on the Normanby Road Bridge.
Observing karakia is an important cultural practice in Aotearoa New Zealand, especially when opening new infrastructure. The practice helps to clear away any obstacles to create a safer space for future use. It was a special morning and the result of over eleven months of construction.
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The new path for pedestrians to cross is on the far-right side of the bridge, safely separated from our work area by fencing.
The Normanby Road Bridge replaces what was once a level rail crossing and permanently removes the interface between people and cars with trains. It has been under construction since June 2021 and is expected to open to vehicles in late September 2022.
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Ta-ta to the Temporary Services Bridge
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With the new Normanby Road Bridge open to pedestrians, the Temporary Services Bridge (TSB) has completed its job on the project.
The TSB has been a feature of the Normanby Road skyline since July last year carrying services such as water, power and internet over the rail lines.
The scaffold stairs have now been removed and the team have started to relocate the services to the new Normanby Road Bridge. Once all the services are in their permanent positions later this year, a large crane will lift the large steel frame onto a truck to be transported to another project where it can continue its journey supporting infrastructure projects across the country.
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Faultline Films made a special visit to site this month to film an interview with Architect Elisapeta Heta about her design work on the Porters Avenue Bridge. The feature is for a series of “The Drawing Board” for Māori Television with a focus on wāhine in Architecture.
Elisapeta and the film crew were safely escorted around site to inspect the bridge progress by our site team Morris, Caesar, and TK, and then interviewed from the top of bridge - which has a prominent view of the maunga in the background.
Elisapeta is from the architecture firm Jasmax, who worked collaboratively on the bridge design with artist Tessa Harris from the local iwi Ngai Tai Ki Tāmaki. Together, they developed a narrative design for the bridge that evokes the types of taonga or tools that were found there.
Elisapeta spoke about the connection between architecture and acknowledging heritage in design. The design on the elevator footbridge reflects the significance of the area including the framed view of the maunga and the history of the Maungawhau area including the basalt that is found there.
The feature “Learning from Land: An interview with Elisapeta Heta” looks past Māori Architecture as being limited to a whare whakairo or wharenui and asks the question, what does contemporary Māori architecture look like?
While a release date has not yet been set, we will be sure to let you know when it is scheduled.
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Touching base on the North Auckland Line (NAL)
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This week the team hit a huge milestone on the North Auckland Line (NAL) by pouring the base slab for the new MC60 rail line underneath the Mt Eden Road Bridge. This new rail line will run through the Eastern Grade Separation tunnel across the NAL.
The concrete pour covered an area 28 metres long by 8 metres wide and amounted to over 235 cubic metres of concrete. The team snapped these great progress photos from before and after the concrete pour.
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While the Queen is busy opening new train lines in the UK, the Maungawhau crew will spend her New Zealand birthday weekend working on the City Rail Link. Although the Queen is unlikely to pay us a visit, the team are nonetheless enthusiastic about accessing the rail line while the trains aren’t running to complete essential works for New Zealand’s largest infrastructure project. These specific works happen over Blocks of Line (BOL) to ensure that access to the track is safe for our workers.
This Queen’s Birthday BOL, from June 4 to 6, the teams will be working 24/7 on overhead lines, in the corridor and adjacent to the rail corridor. Some of the work will involve installation of safety screens on Normanby Road Bridge, building retaining walls, removing sheet piles, reinstating track, and installing cables all along the track between Dominion Road and Khyber Pass. Check out the construction calendar for the latest updates about out-of-regular hours or extraordinary work, or the website notifications page for updates on the ongoing work programme.
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Uptown Eating and Socialising book review
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Not sure what to eat for dinner tonight? Have you managed to work your way through all the hospitality places in the Maungawhau Station’s (Mt Eden) new Uptown Pocket Guide yet?
Inside the new guide you’ll find the low-down on all the food and drink offerings that Uptown has to offer. From (A)ce Kitchen to (Z)est Café, the 68 colourful pages are stuffed with cool new places to discover. You’ll be sure to find yourself a new favourite hotspot.
“5 out of 5 stars!” – Piet, (a subtly biased Link Alliance employee)
Look for a physical copy at all good local uptown eateries, but be in quick as they are disappearing fast! Otherwise check out the digital copy here at https://uptown.partica.co.nz/uptown-magazine/uptown-foodies-guide-issue-1/flipbook/1/
Getting back to the fun... has begun!
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Wellbeing activities in June
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As you may remember, last year during lockdown our online yoga and meditation sessions were a hit. Our community took advantage of the opportunity to participate in yoga nidra, meditation art and traditional yoga classes in an online format. It seems that now that many of our lives have returned to normal in the context of Covid, the need for the wellbeing activities has reduced judging by the reduced number of attendees both in person and online at sessions.
If numbers continue to be low through the month of June, we will look to close, or deliver differently, our wellbeing activities.
If you haven’t had a chance yet to try our Yoga and Meditative Art classes, you can find more information here.
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Keep an eye out for our Friyay kawhe giveaway at the Boston Rd Roundabout between 7am – 9am. Every Friday this June we are giving away free coffee to locals as thanks to those around our Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden) construction site for being a great neighbour.
Please note there will be no coffee giveaway on the Matariki public holiday - Friday 24 June.
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Each month Link Alliance is going to look at some of the more technical terms from the construction and ‘translate’ them into more easy-to-understand terms. This month we will look at the term ‘Total Station’.
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The image above showcases the Trimble SX10 instrument, which is the first Total Station that does 3D scanning and traditional measuring. This piece of equipment weighs just under 8 kilograms.
On the City Rail Link project, our Surveyors use the Total Station to map out key features in the tunnels and station area. By using angles and distances, the team are able to create a 3D map of the key features around the project. The Land Surveyor uses this information to guide our Construction teams on the Station’s design to within 1 mm precision.
In addition, the team also use this instrument to scan the tunnel face after excavation which helps keep the tunnel excavation on track.
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Maungawhau in the Works - Mark Barber exhibition
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Be sure to join us at our visitor centre Te Manawa (1 New North Road) on Tuesday 7 June at 5pm for the opening night of Mark Barber’s new photographic exhibition ‘Maungawhau in the Works.’
Mark is a familiar face on site, capturing all of our construction milestones and achievements through his lens. This exhibition explores the people and places of Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden) construction site.
His photography series is part of the Auckland Festival of Photography, and will be on display in Te Manawa between 7 and 17 of June from 10am – 3pm.
This photographic series is a window into the unseen efforts of so many. From the initial demolition of existing structures, through to the completion of the first tunnel from Maungawhau Station (Mt Eden).
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In addition to the Mark Barber photographic exhibition, the team also hosts a monthly community drop-in information session on Tuesday 7 June from 5pm – 7pm in Te Manawa.
Every month technical experts are on site to chat about the topic of interest and answer any of your burning questions.
The topic of interest in May is the Mark Barber exhibit alongside new station names information and station renders.
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Our Development Response Manager will also be leading the next hour-long perimeter walk from Te Manawa at 4.30pm. This is where you can learn more about the project and what’s happening behind the hoardings. Join the walk at 4.30pm and finish with the exhibition for a full and exciting Tuesday evening.
Our perimeter walks do not enter the construction site, so all you need is a moderate level of fitness and comfortable footwear. Tours are free, just email mteden@linkalliance.co.nz to book as numbers are limited.
Tours will be cancelled if weather conditions are unfavourable so, please keep an eye on your email.
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