Final touches to Henley Lake island

A digger putting the final touches to the rearranged island in Henley Lake last Friday. PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA.

The reconfiguration of an island in Henley Lake was all but done and dusted late last week, despite an unexpected "find" and the dragon boat and waka ama course is to all intents and purposes now formed.

Masterton's deputy mayor Graham McClymont, who took the project under his wing, said the diggers were moving the last of the dirt on Friday and were spending the next day or so giving the reconfigured island "a nice shape."

The work didn't come without one or two surprises though -- one in the latter stages being the discovery of an underground "concrete structure."

Mr McClymont said once the diggers had uncovered it, there was no option but to get rid of it. And, as luck would have it, Quality Demolition -- the firm wrecking the old Academy Building in Masterton -- had a concrete breaker which they willingly lent to the Henley Lake island project.

"The test for us then was to determine whether the concrete breaker was compatible with the digger we were using but, thank God, it was," he said.

The concrete breaker was ferried to the island and proceeded to smash up the unwanted concrete.

Mr McClymont said once the earthmoving work is done, the re-vegetation of the newly formed island will go ahead.

He said consideration has been given to suggestions the island could remain as a gravel bank for the endangered black billed gulls who have shown signs of wanting to use it as a loafing and possibly a breeding area.

"We have noticed the gulls have been mostly concentrated on one tip of the island so it is possible we can spread some of the metal the diggers have turned up around that area for the gulls," he said.

Part of the reconfiguration work has involved clearing obstructions such as willows from the water intake area and Mr McClymont said the result of that should be increased water flow between the Ruamahanga River and the lake which, it is hoped, could help to negate some of the lake's weed problem.