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Above: A view of porcelain wall panels underground at Mercury Lane now visible after scaffold removal.
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Kia Ora
Where better to start with this month’s newsletter with an update on the newsletter itself!
As our works are nearing completion and the milestones continue to be ticked off, we will be combining our monthly updates from Karanga-a-Hape Station with our friends at Te Waihorotiu Station from April onwards.
If you would like to keep receiving our updates, please subscribe to the new Karanga-a-Hape and Te Waihorotiu Update here.
Each month the crews at Karanga-a-Hape inch closer to the finish line and we are excited to share our new 'Journey to Completion' video that maps out the pathway.
Watch the video to look back on the journey over the past five years and reflect on the incredible progress and achievements.
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Click above to watch our 'Journey to Completion' station video.
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If you have any questions or concerns about our works at Karanga-a-Hape Station, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email at karangahape@linkalliance.co.nz or call us on 0800 CRL TALK (275 8255) and press option 4.
Ngā mihi,
The Karanga-a-Hape Station team
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Renders and reality
Throughout March, scaffolding continued to be removed, revealing the architectural features of the station. This also provides an excellent opportunity to see how Karanga-a-Hape Station is shaping up compared to the finished design.
The first side-by-side image below shows the foyer of the Mercury Lane entrance, with the lift shaft in the centre covered in protective white sheeting.
In the ceiling, brackets have been installed to support the massive, anodised aluminium kauri snail (pupurangi) shells, which pay homage to the ancient kauri forests that once covered the Karangahape ridgeline.
The second side-by-side image shows the northernmost tunnel cross-passages at the bottom of Beresford Square’s 40-metre escalators.
Here, the team is installing ceiling battens. As you can see, the length and curvature of these baffles make installation a complex task.
The final comparison image is a view along one of the platform tunnels, timed perfectly to capture a test train passing through the station.
As you can see, the platform tunnels are close to completion and give a real sense of what to expect when passenger services begin.
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Works update - Beresford Square
Above ground, basalt paving and bollard installation progressed across the square throughout the month. Excellent progress on the entrance building could also be seen by those walking by, with the start of installation of the final aluminium soffit panels around the underside of the station entrance.
The soffits, as seen at the top of the first image, provide protection from the elements for cabling and ducting underneath, while also offering a clean, aesthetic finish.
Around the bottom section of the entrance building, beneath the large glazing panels, the team is installing basalt slabs—with a honed finish—onto the concrete base, as seen in the second image.
The final image provides a close-up look at the slabs, which have a natural effect that appears as though there are fossils embedded within them.
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Beneath ground, the station is revealing itself more with each scaffold drop. In the image below, to the right, you can see the beginning of the 40-metre escalator that will take passengers from the second underground level all the way to the platform level — 33-metres beneath Pitt Street. The porcelain panels on the wall extend all the way down to platform level.
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Above: A view up from the concourse level to street level at Beresford Square.
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Works update - Mercury Lane
The unfolding view is perhaps most revelatory at the Mercury Lane entrance, where multiple levels of scaffolding have now been removed.
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Taken from platform level, more than 20-metres beneath Mercury Lane, the image above gives a great indication of what the station will look like, with floor-to-ceiling porcelain panels framing either side of the glass lift shaft. To the left of the picture, the stadium column rises through the void from platform level to street level.
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The image above is from the top of the second of three banks of escalators that will take passengers from the first underground level to the second. Note the glass lift shaft on the right and the architecturally wrapped crossbeams on either side of the stadium column.
The image below faces eastwards, from the top of the third and final bank of escalators, which extend from the second underground level to the platform level. You can orient yourself by locating the lift shaft to the left of the picture.
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In the back-of-house area behind the foyer, aluminium ‘checker plates’ have been installed to provide wall protection, as seen below. These are being installed throughout the station in high-traffic service corridors, plant rooms, and storage zones. Their durability makes them ideal for supporting the station’s 100-year design life.
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In the front-of-house area, the architectural fit-out is ongoing. The picture above shows the foyer of the Mercury Lane entrance building, with the George Courts building in the background. Aluminium cladding has been installed on the upper sections, and in the coming weeks, anodised aluminium kauri snail (pupurangi) shells will begin to be installed in the ceiling.
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Works update - Platform Tunnels
In the tunnels, the focus throughout March continued to be on the complex and detailed work of installing battens in the cross-passages, particularly in ‘Adit 3’ — the northernmost cross-passage.
The image below shows the view passengers will be greeted with once they reach the bottom of the 40-metre escalator from Beresford Square. Turn right to travel north to Te Waihorotiu and beyond, or turn left to head south to Maungawhau.
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The image below shows the ‘top of the T’ in the cross-passage, with batten and panel work ongoing in the junction area. Work in this area is particularly complex, with very tight tolerances.
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Meet Te Aroha Kaihau
What does your job at the Link Alliance entail?
I’m one of the site administrators at Karanga-a-Hape Station. I make sure the office runs smoothly, which means keeping the coffee machine going, stocking up on stationery, and a bunch of other stuff. But honestly, the coffee machine is the real MVP.
Where did you grow up?
I’m from Waiuku, which is southwest of Auckland. You might know the black sand beach at Karioitahi. I grew up in the little town you pass through to get to it.
Where were you working prior to this?
I was studying tourism before I got the chance to join Link Alliance through the PEP (Progressive Employment Programme). I’ve been on this project since 2020 and have had a few different roles, but risk management was my main role for almost 4 years, before I switched to a site role.
What do you do when you are not working?
I usually go to my mum’s place to bug her and my siblings, steal some of her food, or hang out with my in-laws. Sometimes, we’ll just head to a swimming spot for the day to chill.
Any fun facts about yourself you want to share?
I have a big family - I am one of fourteen siblings - and once in primary school I came 1st out of my year group (9 years old) for my speech about recycling which I spoke about in front of the entire school but if you would ask me to speak in front of 5 people or more now, I would most likely try hide away.
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Jargon buster – Soffit
A soffit is an external architectural feature that provides protection from the elements for cabling and ducting underneath, while also offering a clean, aesthetic finish. In the image below you can see freshly installed soffit panels on the underside of the Beresford Square entrance roof.
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