Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) Flood Protection officers delivered an order of river stones weighing three tonnes into the heart of Wellington’s CBD.
The rocks will be used in the new Wellington Botanic Garden children’s garden currently under development.
GWRC Flood Protection’s Jeff Evans says that working through the logistics of getting the rocks to the site was a challenge. “Even modern earthmoving equipment has its limitations – the site is on a hillside and several of the rocks literally weigh a tonne!”
According to the manager for Wellington Botanic Garden David Sole, GRWC just rocks. “We needed some very large, rounded river stones as part of our rock trail and exploration feature,” he explains. “We looked to the GWRC Flood Protection team for help and advice and it delivered just what we needed, when we needed it.”
GWRC Flood Protection officers are used to acting quickly to protect and assist communities across the region. “Their work can involve moving large quantities of river rock that are creating flood issues, building temporary flood relief structures in a hurry, and using a range of river management techniques to keep river water away from property and keeping it where people want to enjoy it,” says Evans.
Evans adds that Flood Protection was in a good position to help with the children’s garden. “The designers had quite specific rock requirements, and while I wouldn’t say the job was ‘business as usual’, sourcing what they needed wasn’t too difficult.”
The Wellington Botanic Garden’s children’s garden will open in 2017.
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