Trans-Pacific Hawaiki internet cable to land at Mangawhai Heads

 

A new telecommunications submarine cable system linking New Zealand and Australia with mainland United States as well as Hawaii, is set to be installed at Mangawhai Heads next year.

The Hawaiki cable will land approximately 1.25km north of Mangawhai Heads at Bream Tail Farm, where it will connect to existing terrestrial fibre cable networks installed along Cove Road.

Cable installation is planned in Mangawhai in late June 2017 and the cable is expected to start transmitting data in mid 2018.

A marine survey is currently underway to map the 14,000km route the Hawaiki cable will take.

The survey ship mapping the route will be in New Zealand waters within a week and will be offshore Mangawhai Heads later this month.

A shallow water inshore survey needs to be done separately and will be conducted in late November by a local boat fitted out with specialised survey equipment.

The cable installation process uses state of the art equipment and techniques to ensure there is minimal impact to the community and local environment.

In Northland waters of less than 1500m water depth, it will be buried 1.5m beneath the seabed to ensure it is safe from boat anchors, fishing gear and dredging.

Installation to bring the cable from the ship to land will be achieved in one day.

A community open day will be held on Saturday November 12 from 10am - 2pm at Mangawhai Museum.

Hawaiki team members will be on hand to answer questions and provide more information on the project.

CONNECTED: The Hawaiki cable will link New Zealand and Australia with mainland United States via Hawaii with a branch to American Samoa – including units to enable the future connection of New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga