We built twin rail tunnels 14 metres beneath extending from the existing Britomart train platform to lower Queen Street so Waitematā Station (Britomart) could become a two-way through station.
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The gifted name Waitematā
Kia hora te marino, kia whakapapa matā te moana, kia tere te kārohirohi (May the calm be widespread. May the sea glisten like obsidian)
RESTORED: The interior of the re-opened station with the heritage columns restored
The name Waitematā was gifted to reflect the closeness of the harbour next to the station, which is built on reclaimed land.
This large body of water is named after its resemblance to matā (obsidian), for its flat, glassy waters.
This is also where the Waihorotiu stream and the Waitematā converge: a mingling of waters and people.
In the second interpretation, the harbour’s name reflects a visit from a Te Arawa ancestor who placed an obsidian stone as a mauri (talisman) in the northern part of the harbour.
Waitematā is different from our other three CRL stations because the majority of our work has been completed there and has been operating as ‘Britomart Station.’
From a design perspective, it has also been approached differently because it has been operating as Britomart Station.
It was essential to preserve a building of such significant heritage.
The CPO is the area’s flagship building, and its regal exterior provides elegant Edwardian-age presence in the heart of the city.
Intermingled with this, the station hosts design elements that speak to Māori cultural narratives and the history of the area before the navy ship HMS Britomart (for which the area is named) docked in 1840.
New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa names railway stations and invited the public to make a submission on proposals for the names of the City Rail Link stations. These proposals were open for public submissions until 9 November 2022. The decision was announced on 16 March 2023. Read their decision.
How to pronounce Waitematā
Plus a new civic space- Te Komititanga
Just outside the building, a premier civic space opened. It was named Te Komititanga meaning to mix or to merge and was designed by mana whenua artists and weavers, referencing the moving waters of the Waitematā Harbour.
