A new pathway and sea wall will create the 'final link', connecting Wellington city to Lower Hutt.
Layers of mud stretch along the habourside construction site, and cakes to the shoes of reporters as they make their way through what will soon become section two of the Te Ara Tupua shared pathway.
The pathway has been under construction since 2022, set to finish in the first half of 2026.
Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER
Over 6000 interlocking concrete blocks will be used, with each one weighing 2.6 tonnes.
So far, the project has used $205 million dollars of its $348 million dollar allocation as of April 2025.
It will link to the Petone to Melling cycle and walkway that was completed in October 2023 and will double as a coastal wall to protect the road and rail line that can accommodate a potential sea level rise if needed.
Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER
The construction site looks out onto Wellington harbour, but the city isn't the only view, with many workers spotting the occasional penguin.
Project interface manager, Harry Singh, said that marine ecology and the environment was a priority on site.
"We have trained dogs that can check where the penguins might be," Singh said. "We isolate those areas from construction."
Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER
In May last year, three little blue penguins were found dead near the site.
At the time NZTA said conditions and permits were in place to protect the environment during the project's delivery, including the protection of penguins.
When RNZ visited this week, Waka Kotahi project director Ulvi Salayev pointed out two nearby rockpiles, built to accommodate penguins while their home was under renovation.
Salayev said it was a "bed and breakfast accommodation until they can return to a mansion".
Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER
The project plans also include safe nesting places for birds along the pathway, with signage for the public to keep birds safe.
