Story: Engineering on the sea floor

Building a breakwater

Building a breakwater

The most common types of sea-floor engineering in New Zealand are harbour protection works and the reclamation of land from the sea. Many cities such as Timaru and Ōamaru lacked natural ports, and breakwaters were built to protect coastal shipping and fishing fleets from rough seas. This photograph shows how the breakwater at Caroline Bay, Timaru, was constructed – huge concrete blocks were stacked on the shallow sea floor.

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Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: 1/2-059869;F

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Keith Lewis, 'Engineering on the sea floor - Coastal works', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/6644/building-a-breakwater (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Keith Lewis, published 12 Jun 2006