MacMillan Reserve seawall renewal

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Kia ora, welcome to the MacMillan Reserve seawall renewal project page.

About the project

Parts of the rock seawall at MacMillan Reserve have reached the end of their useful life and are starting to fail, so it’s time for them to be replaced.

This $557,000 project will see sections of the existing wall removed and new, more resilient rock seawall sections built in their place, designed to meet current best practice and modern construction standards.

The upgraded sections of seawall will provide better long-term protection for the reserve and surrounding coastline.

Latest Update - 7 October 2026

We're making good progress, with 93m of the seawall upgrade completed, and another 130m to go! So far 800 tonnes of rock have gone into the new wall, and things are running to schedule. We hope to have everything finished and the reserve, footpath and car park fully open again by the end of the month.

Photos supplied by Higgins.

Latest Update - 8 September 2026

Work is scheduled to start on Monday 14 September, and is expected to take 6-8 weeks, depending on weather and tidal conditions.

Due to the movement of trucks, machinery and heavy rock materials, the reserve, footpath and half of the car park will be closed during working hours - between 7am and 6pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).

The freedom camping parks will be completely closed for the duration of the work. The boat ramp will remain open throughout.

To keep everyone safe, the site will be securely fenced and clearly signposted, with traffic and pedestrian management in place. People are asked to follow temporary access restrictions and take care around the work site.


Kia ora, welcome to the MacMillan Reserve seawall renewal project page.

About the project

Parts of the rock seawall at MacMillan Reserve have reached the end of their useful life and are starting to fail, so it’s time for them to be replaced.

This $557,000 project will see sections of the existing wall removed and new, more resilient rock seawall sections built in their place, designed to meet current best practice and modern construction standards.

The upgraded sections of seawall will provide better long-term protection for the reserve and surrounding coastline.

Latest Update - 7 October 2026

We're making good progress, with 93m of the seawall upgrade completed, and another 130m to go! So far 800 tonnes of rock have gone into the new wall, and things are running to schedule. We hope to have everything finished and the reserve, footpath and car park fully open again by the end of the month.

Photos supplied by Higgins.

Latest Update - 8 September 2026

Work is scheduled to start on Monday 14 September, and is expected to take 6-8 weeks, depending on weather and tidal conditions.

Due to the movement of trucks, machinery and heavy rock materials, the reserve, footpath and half of the car park will be closed during working hours - between 7am and 6pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).

The freedom camping parks will be completely closed for the duration of the work. The boat ramp will remain open throughout.

To keep everyone safe, the site will be securely fenced and clearly signposted, with traffic and pedestrian management in place. People are asked to follow temporary access restrictions and take care around the work site.