Before we set out to come to New Zealand to work, we asked ourselves what did we hope to achieve from our time here, and we both said “to make a difference”.
Admittedly, we didn’t specifically say that we wanted to make a positive difference but I hope you agree that was implied. It would, after all, take a special kind of person to want to make a negative difference. They certainly don’t put that question on any job applications I have seen.
So having established we wanted to make a positive difference, what did we think that would look like? Honestly, we didn’t have a clue. To do a good job was one suggestion. But was that enough? Isn’t that what we’ve always strived to do throughout our careers? I hope so.
All of this is a long way around to say I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from working in engineering in New Zealand. How would it compare to my experiences so far? Would my skills meet the expected standard? What projects would I be working on?
All good questions.
If there was one project they has, to date, defined my professional life in New Zealand it’s got to be the Glen Innes to Tamaki Drive Shared Path. It’s been ever present during my time here.
And when I say it’s been ever present in my New Zealand life, I’m not exaggerating. It was one of the first projects I was handed when I arrived and even after I returned from an 18 month stint with another organisation, it was there waiting from me.
What is it? It’s just a cycle path, or so I kept being told. Yes but it’s nearly 8km long I argued, and goes through so pretty inaccessible land. Yeah, but at the end of a day it’s still just a path. Maybe, I countered, but we need to cross over a railway line, span streams, negotiate around archaeological sites and cross a water-filled basin. Well, yes hhhmm but it’s not a road!
Ah, there’s the rub. It wasn’t a road and New Zealand really does like its roads. Although at nearly 5m wide it is almost a road. It also connected several suburbs to the city network and so would become a vital commuting link. But not for cars so therefore it didn’t really count - in the eyes of many at least.
I first became involved in GI2TD, as it became known to those working on it, in 2014. Not long after I arrived in NZ. At this time it was nothing more than a line on a plan. A squiggle.
To help manage the delivery, the route was split into four sections and slowly, bit by bit, the squiggle slowly became a reality as the path was delivered. Section 1 completed in 2016, followed by Section 3 (for engineering reasons I won’t bore you with) and then Section 2. Section 2 was the big one.
My goodness it was a struggle. To give an idea of the type of terrain it crossed, I’ll just say that we had to organise helicopters to drop in the drilling equipment for the ground investigations. Even though a suburb was just a few hundred metres away. The land was steep, covered in dense natural New Zealand bush with no road access.
Two bridges had to be designed to cross a gully and rail line respectively along with nearly 1km of boardwalk to help get through a steeply inclining section.
If that wasn’t enough, a railway access road had to be moved to accommodate the shared path. Without that the project probably wouldn’t have been delivered.
And then there was the issue for getting the beams for the main bridge to site. The only way in was through a housing estate and let’s say those roads weren’t designed to accommodate a long load. The turns were right and numerous power poles at the side of the road didn’t help.
But it was just a path.
And all consuming. I lost count of the number of sleepless nights, stressful days, arguments and tears. Yes real tears. I asked for help. There wasn’t any. The only way out was through. I can honestly say I’ve never been involved in a project that was so demanding, technically challenging yet somehow rewarding. Not that I could see that at the time. I just wanted it to be over.
So you can imagine my palpable relief when the $40m Section 2 officially opened on the 25 May. Finally, after nearly eight years of effort, the most challenging section was competed and open to the public. It was over.
As for Section 4? Well that’s being progressed, not as quickly as some would like, but as it’s with another organisation that’s not my problem.
So if anyone out there wants to see what I’ve been up to, and you’re in the vicinity, then I recommend a trip along Te Ara Ki Uta Ki Tai, - the gifted name for The Path of Land and Sea. It’s worth the ride, walk or run if you’re that way inclined.
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