The United North Piha Lifeguard Service has been keeping swimmers safe on the wild Auckland west coast beach for more than 70 years.
Thanks to funding and materials from Hynds Foundation, the Club has boosted its patrol capabilities with a new, state-of-the-art patrol tower.
The previous lifeguard tower, which had been in place since 1976, had become unsafe and didn’t provide lifeguards a clear view of the beach.
The new eight-metre tall cylindrically shaped concrete tower – named Te Pae – is designed to give unobstructed views across the beach. The tower features nine custom segments as the main body of the structure, with the segments customised from Hynds 2100mm pipes and 4000mm risers.
Hynds Precast Development Manager Mark Ballard was involved with the project from its inception. “The tower combines some great engineering and design elements, and the colour matches the dark West Coast sand for added aesthetic while also reducing light reflection.”
Coming from a precast background, this project has been particularly unique for Mark. “It’s always great to see Hynds’ products being put to different uses and I’ve enjoyed being a part of this. This project has been quite unlike any other.”