Slip off the old rock

A dying wind whispers over the water of Orakei Basin as members of Orakei Yacht Club set hopeful sails.

John Robb crouches precariously on a see-sawing rock, and eases his model yacht out to join the race.

Despite the club's name, these boats are not the massive yachts Auckland's harbours are renowned for. They are radio-controlled yachts. Small, yes, but their sailors face a big problem.

"I've fallen in before, and he's ended up upside down in there," says club vice-commodore Mr Robb, pointing to a fellow member who grins sheepishly. "

There's a lot of erosion under the basin. It's a pretty craggy sort of area and it can be dangerous. Usually the tide is about a metre or two lower, which makes it even more difficult."

Mr Robb and the yacht club want to install a pontoon in the basin as a safe launching spot that its 30 members can use. It could also be used by the many other water-based activity groups who use the area.

"There are the young mariners, kayakers, paddleboarders, kids with little dinghies. The Orakei Basin Advisory Group is trying to stabilise the area around the basin, because it keeps eroding. It really is quite dangerous," says Mr Robb, whose club has a seat on the advisory group.

Yacht club commodore Greg Stenbeck says while the club is spearheading the plan, it intends the pontoon to be available to all who use the area. It could cost around $25,000. "But it will be good for everyone."

Norman Holtzhausen is the group leader of the Orakei Sea Scouts Club. He agrees current ways of getting into or near the water are dangerous.

"It's very difficult for the kids to get in and out of the water into their boats. We don't let them on the ramp because it's incredibly slippery. We have anything up to six sailboats in an evening. We change the kids in and out from the small boats to the bigger ones, so a pontoon would be fantastic."

Orakei Local Board has agreed to help find and fund a pontoon.

"It's taken a couple of years to work its way up the list but the board's been very supportive," says Mr Robb.

Orakei Local Board chair Desley Simpson agrees a pontoon would be a great addition to the basin.

"There are a lot of different groups that use the basin who would benefit from it. It's about getting a pontoon that will work well for all the users."

Beyond safe water access, entrance to the area is via a narrow road near the Sea Scout Hall on Orakei Rd. Mr Robb says that road also poses concern. "

The board tried to get a contractor to put some rocks in to stop the erosion. The contractor came down and said, 'We can't do it. That road's not safe'."

Mr Holtzhausen says speed bumps in the road are so big boat trailers are bottoming out trying to get over them.

Ms Simpson says the road's safety has been assessed and deemed acceptable. "We've had confirmation that it's fine. It could be a lot better and if we had the budget we would look at doing more."

She says erosion is an ongoing issue in the basin but rock armoury work is being undertaken at the water's edge.

"Erosion is attributed to wave action, flushing the basin, waterskiers and other basin users. But the basin is a fabulous facility, it's a real asset."

Orakei Yacht Club

Model boats have been sailed on the Orakei Basin since 1936. OYC sails there every Thursday at 4pm all year round, and on alternate Sundays in winter. See their website.

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