Kia ora neighbour,
By the end of this month, lighting through the station and the surrounding streets has been activated, waterwall testing saw the first streams of wai shimmering across basalt on the magnificent waterwall, and tonnes of dirt have arrived and awaiting deployment across the 24,000 square metres surrounding the station, to prepare the area for future overland development.
Speaking of surrounding streets, urban realm is drawing to a close with the final asphalting of Nikau, Ngahura, Ruru and Korari streets done, Flower and Shaddock are well on the way to being finished, and Mt Eden Road is awaiting a new sidewalk, and then that will be that – we will be complete in the street.
As excitement about the station completion mounts, our neighbours are noticing, as seen in the Frequency feature in the latest edition of Uptown magazine.
If you have any questions about our work activities, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at mteden@linkalliance.co.nz or 0800 CRL TALK press 5 for Maungawhau Station.
You can also follow Link Alliance’s progress by clicking the social media buttons below:
Ngā mihi,
The Maungawhau Station team.
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Maungawhau Main Site Update
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Feeling the flow at Maungawhau
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Just as freshwater flows between the crevasses of the basalt beneath us, freshwater will flow continuously down the waterwall in the station’s grand entrance, a stunning spectacle sure to delight people passing through.
Nine metres at its highest point, the waterwall references local geology and atua (deities), including Mataaoho, atua of the basalt volcanic field in Tāmaki Makaurau, and Parawhenuamea, atua of fresh water.
The waterwall consists of 8 panels, each approximately 3 metres wide ranging from 5 to 9 metres high. Each panel weighs between 13 and 14 tonnes and was made by local suppliers.
Set into the panels are 53 glass triangles. Crafted by local designer Tessa Harris and glass artist Sofia Athineou, these represent Tāmaki Makaurau’s volcanic cones. The triangles are made of different shades of gaffer glass, from light yellow to dark red. They range in size, from 5 to 10 kilograms each.
The basalt triangles are made from recycled stone, mined from site. In this way, the basalt from the ground will remain at home, in the location where it was excavated. The waterwall is an incredible milestone in Maungawhau Station’s construction.
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Water trickles for the first time over the glass and basalt triangles representing the geology of the Maungawhau volcanic field.
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While the waterwall is self-reticulating, the rest of the building has been fitted out with wastewater facilities to support both public and staff bathroom facilities throughout the station.
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While parents are busy, little seats will keep kiddies safe in all the public bathrooms. In fact, each bathroom is equipped with toddler chairs, changing tables and of course all the functional facilities for bigger people.
Somehow seeing the facilities installed makes the station feel nearly complete.
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Public bathrooms are located to the left of the station entry. A loo in situ really does foretell a certain readiness.
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Speaking of families, as the project evolves, we’re repurposing a few spaces and that means finding new homes for some of the much-loved items we once used to engage with tamariki.
Last week, we were delighted to donate floor mats, two LEGO tables, two wooden train sets, and a collection of colourful children’s chairs to Kidtropolis, a local child-focused community organisation doing great work in Auckland. The items are already on a new journey, bringing joy and creativity to the young people they support.
It’s a small gesture, but one we hope helps keep things on track for a great cause. A big thank you to the team at Kidtropolis for warmly welcoming the donation. Your smiles said it all.
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Kidtropolis sporting new kid's games and furniture donated by City Rail Link.
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Bird's eye progress report
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See the astonishing difference and progress made - compared to the begining of January 2024. Our regular drone flights offer a dramatic bird's eye perspective on the progress of our works. Catch all the stations and the videos captured across the project on the City Rail Link YouTube Channel
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APRIL 2025: Our latest drone fly-over, showing the empty area where the spoil shed used to sit.
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JANUARY 2024: Clear to see the progress and transformation over the course of the 15 months between 'fly overs'.
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Part of the deconstruction work includes the recent removal of the spoil shed. The giant shed was installed in December 2020 to collect spoil mined from the tunnels and site. It was one of many giant tools that supported the tunnel boring machine (TBM) including the grout treatment plant, vertical belt storage tower and the 500-metre-long conveyer belt stored in the tower.
As the TBM travelled deep into the tunnel, the conveyor belt extended in length with additional lengths of the belt stored in the vertical belt storage tower. An additional belt was added each time the TBM travelled 250 metres.
The length of the spoil shed was divided into four bins, each four metres deep. During tunneling operations, we excavated up to 1,500 tons of spoil, or dirt, each day.
As Maungawhau Station nears completion, we say goodbye to the last supporting structure of the TBM, and the end of an era.
... and hello to the views of Maungawhau right across the station!
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From Maungawhau Station plaza, looking southwest toward Maungawhau.
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You can see the construction, and dismantling of the giant spoil shed here on video.
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Ngahura Street - the journey from hoarding to trees
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It is late 2020 and site is preparing for the much-anticipated arrival of the Dame Whina Cooper, the huge tunnel boring machine (TBM) that would soon arrive to dig over three kilometres of tunnel from Maungawhau to the City Centre. The new cul-de-sac at the end of Ngahura Street boasts boards sharing information about the project and the incredible work that the TBM will do – she is truly a marvel of engineering. For a blast to the past look back at the amazing facts and figures of the TBM.
Five thousand people came to see the TBM, and the amazing portal prepared in advance of her journey. That was in 2020. The site has changed since then with hardly any aspect of the area looking as it did. Now the hoardings are down the site looks very much like the artist’s render that was created to show people the future state.
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The bottom of Ngahura Street in 2020, in preparation for the big Boring Day Out.
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The same view at the bottom of Ngahura Street now in 2025, almost unrecognisable.
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Urban realm - into the streets
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In the last month we have seen significant change across the streetscapes between Ruru Street up Nikau, past Korari Street and then down Flower Street into the Shaddock Street valley.
For the first time in months, full vehicle access to the Ruru/Nikau/Korari block has returned and residents and businesses are enjoying driving the new ‘straight’ Flower Street and walking all the new footpaths stretching across these areas.
By the end of next month, weather allowing, we aim to have laid the final asphalt layer across all these streets. Once this layer is down, we will welcome in the street marking crew to complete the new streets for our Uptown neighbours.
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The new street lights along freshly paved Nikau Street and the connecting shared pathway to Ngahura Street are on.
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