Local notices to mariners Ngā pānui ā-rohe ki te hunga mahi i te moana

From Friday 13 February to Sunday 15 February 2026, there will be restrictions to navigation within Waitematā Harbour.

For details on how to watch SailGP, go to SailGP's website (opens in a new tab). Questions regarding the on-water aspects of the event should be directed to the event organisers at auckland@sailgp.com.

SailGP has been declared a Major Maritime Event by the Associate Minister of Transport as per Section 200B of the Maritime Transport Act 1994.

In order for the SailGP event to be able to be conducted safely, an exclusion zone will be activated between 1400 and 1800 (2pm and 6pm) on 13, 14 and 15 February 2026. This will prohibit navigation in an area between the Auckland Harbour Bridge and a line between Stanley Bay and Bledisloe Wharf. Only approved and flagged vessels will be able to navigate inside the exclusion zone between 1400 and 1800. The exclusion time may be extended to 1900 (7pm) if weather conditions delay scheduled racing.

All spectator vessels will be managed by a fleet of Course Marshal boats. These boats will be flagged as such and the crews will be warranted Enforcement Officers. Please follow instructions given by the Course Marshals, they are volunteering their time to keep you safe. Non-ticketed spectator vessels must remain outside the exclusion zone boundary. It should be noted that the boundary, which is marked by buoys, may be a significant distance away from the action depending on the alignment of the course and may not offer good viewing opportunities. Spectator vessels should maintain a listening watch on VHF ch.16.

The inner Waitematā Harbour and approaches to the Exclusion Zone will likely be significantly busier than normal. Mariners should navigate with caution at all times.

All mariners should be mindful of the wake that their vessel generates and should keep their wake to a minimum by not exceeding the speed limits. Mariners should also familiarise themselves with the dangers associated with the wake of large concentrations of vessels. They should ensure that their vessel is suitable to navigate in confused seas caused by wake. For their own safety skippers of small vessels are dissuaded from attending the event, however if they determine it is safe to do so they should ensure that lifejackets are worn by those onboard whilst navigating in congested waters.

Non power-driven vessels are discouraged from attending the event due to the possibility of being affected by wake and due to them potentially being less manoeuvrable and visible amongst concentrations of other vessels. Anchoring may be inadvisable whilst in close proximity of other vessels.

At the conclusion of the races, it is likely all spectators will disperse at the same time. This has the potential to generate a confused sea. Smaller vessels and vessels prone to be affected by wake are advised to wait until boat traffic subsides before navigating home.

Movement of vessels 40m length overall (LOA) or more is restricted on race days. Masters of these vessels should contact the Harbourmaster for further information. Between 13 February and 15 February, entry into Jellicoe Marina will be prohibited for all vessels which do not have approval from the event organisers.

The whole success of the event is reliant on mariners being responsible and following the rules. Please do the right thing and help make this regatta a hugely successful, safe event.

Andrew Hayton
Auckland Harbourmaster
Harbourmaster’s Office

All mariners are advised that there will be distress signal training at Te Atatu Boating Club, 32 Bridge Avenue, Te Atatu South. It will be on 22 February 2026 between 1300 hours and 1400 hours (1pm and 2pm).

Distress signals to be used are:

• number 6 — Red distress flares
• number 6 — Handheld Orange smoke signal
• number 1 — Buoyant Orange smoke signal.

All mariners are advised that the Tamaki River No.23 starboard hand channel mark off Panmure Yacht Club has been reported as missing. All mariners are advised to navigate with extreme caution while transiting through the area.

You should not use this map to navigate.

Bruce Goff
Maritime Officer

In addition to shoaling on the western side of the entrance, submerged rocks extend to the west of the green lateral beacon at the entrance to Whangateau Harbour.

At low water, these rocks have been reported as being a navigational hazard up to 15m west of the green lateral beacon.

All mariners are advised to navigate with caution whilst operating in this area, especially whilst navigating to the east of the red line depicted on the 2024 photo. Those without local knowledge should restrict their transits to high water.

You should not use this map to navigate.

Andrew Hayton
Auckland Harbourmaster

All mariners are advised that a Distress Signal Training will be undertaken at Devonport Naval Base between 1300 and 1400hrs on 18 January 2026.

Distress signals to be used as follows:

• 6 - Handheld red distress flares
• 3 - Orange smoke distress flares.

You should not use this map to navigate.

Jason Son
Maritime Officer
Harbourmaster’s Office

All mariners are advised that there will be marine works at the north of Bledisloe Wharf, Ports of Auckland from November 2025 to March 2027.

The area will be demarcated with yellow markers. The works involve crane and lifting, piling, dredging, demolition and diving operations.

All mariners are advised to navigate with caution while operating in this area.

All mariners are advised that there are Controlled Area Notice from Ministry of Primary Industries around Great Barrier Island, Little Barrier Island and Waiheke Island.

There are two levels of controls in place. In ‘Red Zone’ areas anchoring is not allowed, and in ‘Yellow Zone’ areas anchoring is allowed but anchoring equipment used in the zone must be checked and cleaned before leaving the area.

For further information, contact MPI and find out about the legal rules for boating and fishing to stop the spread of exotic caulerpa.

Jason Son
Maritime Officer
Harbourmaster’s Office

All mariners are advised that there will be marine construction at Halfmoon Bay Ferry Terminal from May to December 2025. The works involve barge, crane, piling and diving operations. All mariners are advised to keep minimum wake towards the site and navigate with caution while operating in this area.

*Not to be used for navigation

Jason Son
Maritime Officer
Harbourmaster’s Office

All mariners are advised that there will be marine constructions near Clarks Beach, Waiuku from mid-May 2025 to January 2026. The works involve dredging, piling and diver operations. All mariners are advised to keep minimum wakes and additional caution while operating in the area.

*Not to be used for navigation

Jason Son
Maritime Officer
Harbourmaster’s Office

All mariners are advised that there will be temporary river closures as a part of O Mahurangi – PENLINK project at Weiti River. Details of schedule and locations are in the map.

All mariners operating in this area, refer to this message from the project team.

Wēiti River channel temporary closures

Dear neighbours,

The work we needed to do during the planned river channel closure is complete. The river channel reopened this morning (Wednesday 9 July).

Short-term closures

To construct Pier 4 (eastern side) pylons, concrete will be pumped across the navigable channel every 7 to 8 working days. These typically take 5 hours to complete. When possible, they will be timed around low tide times. These short-term closures won’t be notified.

Should a vessel need to pass through the navigable channel, it is imperative to call on marine channel VHF 73 to alert the team of your intentions, so staff can move the concrete boom or delay a lift as necessary. It is unsafe for vessels to pass through the navigable channel until it is clear.

Work hours

Our work hours are typically:

• Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm
• Saturday, 8am to 4pm.

However, approval has been granted to extend the bridge work hours to 9pm and to Sundays, should it be needed.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused during the short-term closures. We thank all river users for their patience and understanding during the ongoing construction of the future Weiti River Bridge.

Should you have any questions regarding these works please contact me.

Ngā mihi nui.

Trish Viall  
Stakeholder and Community Engagement Manager  
Mobile: 027 548 7474 Freephone: 0800 736 5465  
Email: trish.viall@fultonhogan.com

For information on the O Mahurangi project, visit www.nzta.govt.nz/penlink

Jason Son  
Maritime Officer 
Harbourmaster’s Office

Shoaling has been observered in the vicinity of the drying bank to the south of Karamuramu Island.

The shoaling appears to be particularly severe to the south and west of the South Cardinal beacon where depths are significantly less than those charted.

All mariners are advised to navigate with extreme caution while operating in this area.

*Not to be used for navigation

Andrew Hayton
Harbourmaster’s Office

All mariners are advised that there is shoaling on the western side of the channel,
near the Whau River Mouth. The location is identified with yellow, as below.
All mariners are advised to navigate with caution while operating in this area.

*Not to be used for navigation.

Christiaan Moss
Deputy Harbourmaster
Harbourmaster’s Office

All mariners are advised that there will be marine farm development at Western Firth from 9 November 2023. The development includes the installation of navigation aids, mussel lines, and others. The site is located in YELLOW on the map below. All mariners are advised to navigate with caution while operating in this area.

*Not to be used for navigation

Jason Son
Maritime Officer
Harbourmaster’s Office

All mariners are advised that construction of the O Mahurangi Penlink River Bridge will commence mid-September 2023 with the installation of temporary platforms built on the western and eastern banks of the Weiti River to facilitate the construction of the permanent Weiti River bridge. Work will involve pile drilling, vibing and hammering into the seabed.

A barge will operate between the two staging platforms providing materials to the work sites through to December 2026.

Passage through the Weiti River Bridge Construction Zone will remain open to mariners, however Weiti River closures are expected during the finally stages of the project build. All river closures will be notified prior to the planned works. Mariners are requested to keep wake to a minimum when transiting through the bridge construction zone for the safety of construction staff.

*Not to be used for navigation.

Bruce Goff
Maritime Officer
Harbourmaster’s Office

All mariners are advised that a sandbank, which is North of the No.15 marker in Tāmaki River, is shoaling due to sand-building. Locations are identified as per below and the depth in the vicinity could be lower than charted depth.

All mariners are to navigate with additional caution while operating in this area.

*Not to be used for navigation.

Jason Son
Maritime Officer
Harbourmaster’s Office

The Harbourmaster has received reports of a submerged pile in the approaches to Tramcar Bay boat yard in the waters between Whangateau Harbour and Tramcar Bay.

All mariners are advised to navigate with extreme caution when operating in this area.

Not to be used for navigation.

Pulasthi Ranasinghe
Maritime Officer

All mariners are advised that the Department of Conservation has closed the Motuihe wharf due to public safety, the wharf will remain closed until further notice.

The Department is working closely with engineers to look at options available to remedy issues and re-open the wharf as soon as practicable.

The Department apologises for any inconvenience and will continue to keep the public informed as they seek solutions.

Updates will be provided on the DOC website and should you require further information, please contact the DOC hotline on 0800 362 468.

Map not to be used for navigation.

Pulasthi Ranasinghe
Maritime Officer

All mariners are advised to navigate with caution in the vicinity of the Hobson Bay and Okahu Bay derelict wave screen. Mariners are reminded that they should only navigate through the recognised entry or exit (as per chart NZ 5322).

Map not to be used for navigation.

Christiaan Moss
Deputy Harbourmaster

All Mariners are advised that a large tree has fallen into the upper reaches of the Wairoa River (20 July 2017), potentially impeding navigation.

GPS coordinates are:

• latitude 36°58’840
• longitude 175°02’655 

All mariners are advised to navigate with extreme caution in this area.

The map is not to be used for navigation.

Bruce Goff
Maritime Officer

All mariners are reminded that electronic chart plotters are to be used as an aid to navigation and paper charts should be updated and consulted.

Electronic raster charts used on some plotters may not incorporate the latest chart corrections.

Mariners are reminded to use up to date charts for navigation and advised to contact their plotter supplier if in doubt.

Harbourmaster’s Office