A unique urban wetland is one of the most innovative and interesting aspects of the park design.

It reflects the site’s history by bringing the Waitangi Stream back to the surface from its current confines within a stormwater culvert. It helps to keep the harbour clean by removing pollution from the existing stormwater outfall.

The water is pumped up from the Waitangi Stream, and is filtered through reeds, gravel beds and ultraviolet light to kill any bugs before emerging into an open wetland stream.

Any grease, solids and silts are removed below ground, so the water flowing through the park and into the harbour is completely clean and odour-free.

The stream flows into a pond within the area that was once planned to be a ship’s Graving Dock. This water is clean enough to be used for irrigation elsewhere in the park.

As well as the wetlands, there is a series of ‘bio pits’ which catch the first flush of stormwater run-off from the roads following heavy rain, cleaning off most of the stormwater pollution before it reaches the wetland system.

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