Big attractions set to be reshaped

Bruno Gilmour hopes the new Parihaka lookout will be more than just a platform to take in the views. Photo / John Stone

Two of Whangarei's flagship attractions - Parihaka and Whangarei Falls - are in line for a revamp this winter.

The lookout at the summit of Mount Parihaka will be airlifted away within the next month, making way for a much larger hexagonal platform.

Whangarei District Council senior landscape architect Bruno Gilmour says the aim is to create "more than just a facility for taking in the views".

"We have a kohatu [rock] in the centre of the new platform - something we arrived at by working with iwi representative group. The rock states their mana whenua over the site. It's part of bringing it back to being Parihaka rather than Parahaki," he said.

An artist's impression of the new lookout. Photo / Supplied

Multiple pa sites were once at Parihaka and Gilmour said new signage would detail the area's history. In 2005 the name of the city's well-known hill was changed from Parahaki to Parihaka after a petition to the Geographic Board.

The $218,000 facelift is expected to be completed by spring. Public access to the war memorial will not be affected and signs will inform walking track users of any closures.

Mr Gilmour said the council was also looking at ways to make the summit more accessible for the disabled. An extra handrail on the staircase from the carpark would go in, but a wheelchair ramp was outside the current project's scope.

The council is also set to spend $210,000 upgrading the entranceway to Otuihau (Whangarei Falls).

The number of carparks would go from 14 to 41, new gardens would be created and some exotic trees removed, said infrastructure and services project engineer David Floyd.

Mr Floyd said discussions on water quality at the falls and the tributary Hatea River were ongoing.

"Whangarei District Council, the Northland Regional Council, Ngati Hau, whitebaiters and farmers [are] just a few of those involved," he said. "Our work will also help water quality by retaining a large buffer between the carpark and the river rather than paving the lawn space ... We will also ensure sediment is kept out of the river during the roadworks."