 |
Plan Your Waitangi Day VisitPosted January 2009
Traffic controls should improve pedestrian safety
Police to streamline Waitangi Day traffic flowPolice and the Waitangi National Trust have announced plans to further improve access for the public to the Treaty Grounds for an expected bumper Waitangi Day this year.
From 7am on 6th February, the foreshore road past Te Tii marae will be closed, and all Treaty Grounds traffic from the direction of Paihia will be diverted into Te Kemara Avenue, the road running behind the marae. This will avoid children and other beachgoers and pedestrians having to compete with queues of traffic on the approach to the Waitangi River bridge, says Far North Area Commander, Inspector Chris Scahill. From 7am, both Te Kemara Avenue and the single-lane bridge will be made one-way in a northerly direction. Inspector Scahill says officers will be on hand to advise motorists that once they enter this one-way system they will be directed through the Treaty Grounds to designated car parks, the largest of which is at the junction of Haruru Falls Road and Puketona Road. Vehicles approaching from the west (Puketona Junction) can access the large carpark directly from Puketona Road. “Waitangi Day organisers have doubled the frequency of park n’ride shuttles which will effectively be continuous from 8:30am, so there should be very little delay in getting to the Treaty Grounds. Last year 10,000 people took advantage of the service, and we’ve expanded our parking options this year to include the Bledisloe Domain on Haruru Falls Road.”
A gold coin donation will be requested to defray parking costs.
“With Waitangi Day on a Friday this year we anticipate that the number of families attending Waitangi could increase even beyond last year’s record, which exceeded 46,000 visitors,” says Inspector Scahill. “It really is a family day, and we are asking for public cooperation in following the signs, and using the designated free car parks and shuttle service. We are also asking people to consider parking around the Paihia area and taking the Fullers ferry service from Paihia Wharf to the Waitangi jetty.”
The Fullers ferry will call into Waitangi on its scheduled Paihia to Russell hourly crossing, starting from 8.30am. The last ferry to call at Waitangi will leave Paihia at 5.30pm and continue on to Russell. Crossings in the reverse direction will not visit Waitangi.
The big day itself begins with the dawn Karakia (5am) at the Whare Runanga on the Treaty Grounds, and ceremonies finish with the Naval sunset Beat Retreat and 100-man Guard of Honour at the flagstaff. A four-women stage show will round off Waitangi Day at 6:30pm when the dynamic Lady Killers perform – combining the talents of Suzanne Lynch, Taisha, Tina Cross and Jackie Clarke. The Waitangi National Trust is also expecting large crowds on the two evenings leading up to Waitangi Day. On the Wednesday evening at 6:30pm a free concert by Ray Woolf and Rodger Fox will be staged at Hobson’s Beach on the estate, then on Thursday at 6:30pm soul singer Whirimako Black and popular band 1814 will entertain. Parking and entry to the Hobson’s Beach area of the estate on those evenings will be free to all from 5pm to allow concertgoers to set up picnics and settle in to enjoy the concerts. All the commemorations and celebrations on the estate will be patrolled and an alcohol and drug-free policy will be enforced.
Need to know more? Email the editor - Michael Hooper |
