Ashburton Aquatic Park

Creating a waterfront subdivision.

The Location

Ashburton Aquatic Park Subdivision, comprising Lake Hood and Huntingdon Park residential estate, is situated south-east of Tinwald, just over an hours drive on the main road south from Christchurch. The location is semi-rural and, in addition to Lake Hood itself, natural waterways such as the Ashburton, Rangitata and Rakaia rivers provide a wide range of recreational opportunities for locals and visitors. Mt Hutt Ski Area is conveniently close, as are numerous walking, mountain biking and horse riding tracks in the Canterbury High Country. Closer still are all the amenities of the rural service town of Ashburton.

The Challenges

Integrating a water-sports competition venue capable of coping with large numbers of short-term visitors alongside a residential subdivision presented challenges to the Davis Ogilvie team. The man-made lake had to be able to accommodate a range of water sports including rowing, kayaking, sailing, jet-skiing and water skiing, as well as provide suitable public access areas, parking and room for the development of more support facilities.

The Solution

The incorporation of a fresh water canal system into the design meant that residences could have private waterfront access to Lake Hood. IT also meant issues of noise, car parking and large numbers of visitors congregating too close to residences were ameliorated.

Davis Ogilvie provided planning, engineering and surveying services for subdivision, and project and construction management services for the entire project. To deal with wide-ranging environment and planning issues, including a re-zoning plan change, subdivision consent and discharge consents were obtains from Ashburton District Council and Environment Canterbury by Davis Ogilvie.

A sewer pump station and rising main were designed to carry sewage to the treatment plant 3.5km away and a state-of-the-art onsite water treatment plant was developed to supply drinking water to the whole development.

The Result

As a venue for water sports, Lake Hood is a significant local attraction, hosting national and international competitions, mainly to rowing. However, the largest numbers of visitors are drawn to Lake Hood for passive recreation activities. Visitor numbers now reach into many thousands each year and the contribution if has made to the local economy is substantial. The residential subdivision continues to sell strongly and develop.

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