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A spectacle of sound and light on the Mahurangi River, working in unison with the Vector light show on the Auckland Harbour Bridge, is planned for the Warkworth town basin next year.
While not due to launch until mid-next year, planning is well underway to install the colourful art installation among the trees on the riverbank opposite the town.
With few light and sound based artworks outside the city centre, it is something of a coup for the northern area.
Along with the 12 light events each year planned by Vector, a ‘signature’ light and sound programme is being developed with Ngāti Manuhiri to run between sunset and 10pm each evening for most of the year, with the system also available to other events such as the Mahurangi Winter Festival of Lights.
The project is a collaboration between Auckland Council’s Regional Public Art Team, Ngāti Manuhiri,
One Mahurangi and Vector Lights. It is hoped the installation will help bring some energy into the basin area, including for the surrounding entertainment area of restaurants and bars.
One Mahurangi manager Murray Chapman is enthusiastic about the installation.
“It’s a means of bringing people into the town and spending money afterwards. Apart from when there is a concert down there, the lighting will be subdued with no sound. It’s only on until 10pm so it won’t have a negative impact on residents nearby,” he says.
The 35 lights measure 700mm by 200mm and will have low environmental impacting screw-pile foundations, and will be set one metre above the ground. They will span about 180 metres of the Puhinui Reserve including highlighting mature totara opposite the wharf area.
Chapman down plays any concerns over impacts to wildlife in the trees.
“It was thought there might be bats using the river, but Auckland Council’s environmental team did extensive survey work there and found none. They also looked at the effects on roosting birds and found these would be minor.”
Full costs are not yet known but funding will come from the Auckland Council Regional Public Art Programme budget. This will be the first time they have funded a large scale public artwork of this size in Mahurangi.
