Awaroa Godley Head Photo: Supplied / Department of Conservation
An iconic Canterbury heritage site has reopened after a $1.4 million fix to remove asbestos and other contamination.
Awaroa Godley Head near Christchurch has been closed since the contamination was discovered during road repairs in April 2021.
It's a World War II coastal defence heritage site with restored gun emplacements and significant to Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu.
Department of Conservation Mahaanui Operations Manager Andy Thompson said it was fantastic to welcome visitors back.
"The site gets used by around about 120,000 people per annum and we've had to have a number of the tracks and key attractions to that area closed including camping and staying in our beautiful Lighthouse Cottage has all been closed for the past two-and-a-half years and we're delighted to reopen that today," Thompson said.
When the temporary closure was triggered, wider testing found 37 sites where contamination was found.
Contaminated soil was then removed and stored in a special bund on the site.
Visitors need to follow the signs at Awaroa including keeping dogs on leads as no digging is allowed.
He was frustrated that the site has been vandalised while it was closed, offering his thanks to the Landguard volunteers who helped to remove and paint over some of the graffiti.
"Since 2021, a lot of hard work has gone into detailed planning, funding, and procuring suitable contractors who have carried out the specialist work of remediation," he said.
The project received partial from the Ministry for the Environment's Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund.
Sephira Environmental and ENGEO did the planning while Citycare and Protranz Earthmoving did the work on the ground,
It was a finalist for Best Contaminated Site Remediation Project in the Australasian Land and Groundwater Association Awards 2024.