Westhaven Marina facts for kids
Westhaven Marina is a huge place where boats park in Auckland, New Zealand. It's the biggest marina for yachts in the Southern Hemisphere, which means it's the largest one in the bottom half of the world!
This marina has almost 2,000 spots for boats to dock, called berths or moorings. It's so popular that it's almost always full! Auckland is often called the 'City of Sails' because people there really love boats and the ocean.
The marina is owned by the Auckland Council. They bought it in 2004 from a company called Ports of Auckland for about NZ$46 million.
In 2008, Westhaven Marina won a special international award called the 'Blue Flag award' for the second time. This award means the marina has really clean water, takes good care of the environment, and is very safe. It was one of only 640 marinas in the whole world to get this award, and the only one in New Zealand!
How Westhaven Marina Was Built
Back in the 1950s, a big change happened near St. Mary's Bay. The Auckland Harbour Bridge was being built, and its ramps covered up the coastline. For over 100 years, St. Mary's Bay had been a busy place with small boat repair shops and private spots where people parked their boats. But now, all these places were cut off from the water.
The people in charge, the Auckland Harbour Board, actually planned to fill in the whole Westhaven area with dirt. But a group of local people, including engineers and architects, had a different idea. They offered their skills for free to create Westhaven Marina. Thanks to them, this area became one of Auckland's best features. If they hadn't stepped in, the whole place might have just become another industrial area, like the Western Reclamation nearby.
Future Plans for Westhaven
The Auckland Council has plans to make Westhaven Marina even better. They were going to spend about NZ$23 million on improvements, but these plans were put on hold for a while.
Some of the ideas for the future include:
- Making the parks around the Auckland Harbour Bridge area nicer.
- Building better paths for walking and cycling along Westhaven Drive.
- Creating a 'Marine Village' with cafes and shops that sell things related to boats and the sea.
A group called Panuku Development Auckland is in charge of making the city's waterfront areas more exciting and useful. They last updated their plans for Westhaven in 2015.
