Building Nelson wharves
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Bob Howard started working with the Nelson Harbour Board in 1968 at the start of the log trade. “I was on a 3 month trial and 23 years later I was still there. I worked as a leading hand on the construction of Kingsford Quay and Brunt Quay.”
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Bob recalls how the wharves were constructed:
“To start with, along the shore line iron girders were placed approximately four metres apart and driven down to solid sub strata. Then reinforcing was formed around the girders. The whole structure was tied together with concreting on top of the slabs and columns. The depth of the area, where the quay was to be built had been dredged by the suction dredge Karatea and the grab dredge Tasman Bay.
Next the pile driver came into operation, and its first task was driving hardwood piles into the seabed. These were then pulled one at a time into straight lines by pull lifts. Boulders were also dropped over the shoreline retaining wall consolidating the wall and bank. The piles were cut to the approved levels and a key was cut into the top of the pile so as the precast concrete beams could slot over them. The deck beam also had holes running longitudinal on each side. They later had high tensile wire, similar to wire rope, put through them. Then a special cement slurry was forced into the holes under pressure and sealed with a concrete cone that tied the different sections of deck beams together. The beams were U shaped so when the deck slabs were placed on the beams, the steel that extruded from the deck slabs would tie in with the reinforcing that was in the hollow of the beam. When all of this was covered with concrete, everything was again tied together. Bolts for bollards and margins were also set in concrete.
Next the pile driver drove piles in the front of the wharf to take the fendering system that consisted of rubber cylinder placed between two hardwood beams. The chafers, which protected the wharf from damage when ships were berthing or tied up, were then fitted to the outside of the wharf."
Kingsford Quay opened for shipping in 1970 and Brunt Quay opened in 1973.
2014. Updated May 2020
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Further sources - Building Nelson wharves
Books
- Allan, R.M. (1954) The history of Port Nelson Wellington, N.Z. : Whitcombe & Tombs
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/12565986 - Moore, B. (1990) Shaping up and shipping out: the last years of the Nelson Harbour Board. Nelson, N. Z. : Published by Port Nelson Ltd. under contract to the Board
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/84750140 - Nelson Harbour Board (1980) Port Nelson: the centre of New Zealand. Nelson, N.Z. : Nelson Harbour Board
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/156307419 - Parr, W.H. (1979) Port Nelson - Gateway to the sea Nelson, NZ : Nelson Harbour Board
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/154321043
Web Resources
- Port Panorama. (1969, June 28) Nelson Photonews, p. 42
http://photonews.org.nz/nelson/issue/NPN104_19690628/t1-body-d33.html#NPN104_19690628_043a
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